Rospotrebnadzor analyzed the level of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population
The number of deaths associated with the use of contaminated drinking water, according to Rospotrebnadzor, tripled last year and reached almost 19 thousand against 6 thousand in 2015. And the number of neoplasms, diseases of the genitourinary system, digestive organs and skin increased by 2%, to 1.486 million. If the quality of the water in the taps were ideal, then some of these diseases and deaths would have been avoided, according to the control department.
Despite the fact that the number of additional cases of mortality and morbidity in 2016 increased compared to 2015, Rospotrebnadzor notes that the rate of their increase compared to 2014 has decreased (additional cases are those that are provoked by negative factors, in this case, poor-quality water - "Izvestia"). So, in terms of mortality, the decline in rates was 5.17%, and in terms of morbidity - 9.6%.
According to experts, the reasons for the increase in the level of harmful chemicals in water are outdated treatment facilities, old pipes and chlorine disinfection. The acute situation is not observed in all regions, but most of the problems are in small settlements.
As follows from the state report of Rospotrebnadzor "On the state of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population in the Russian Federation," additional deaths associated with water are associated with infectious diseases, diseases of the circulatory system, digestive organs and neoplasms. At the same time, on average in Russia, the level of mortality from oncology was exceeded in 28 regions (including the Leningrad, Tomsk, Vladimir regions, in the republics of Mordovia and Kalmykia).
And in the structure of morbidity associated with the water factor, the most common are pathologies of the genitourinary system - 32.3% (480 thousand cases in 79 regions). Diseases of the digestive system account for 26.9% (400.3 thousand in eight subjects, including the Moscow, Orenburg and Kemerovo regions). The share of diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue is 15.3% (227 thousand in ten regions, including Kalmykia, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Novgorod Region). The remaining 25.5% is accounted for by neoplasms, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue.
“If the water quality were ideal, then there would be no additional deaths and morbidity associated with this factor,” said Nina Zaitseva, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Director of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Technologies for Health Risk Management. - Additional cases are within the overall mortality and morbidity statistics. They are distinguished by calculation based on an assessment of the causal relationship between the quality of drinking water and the impact of this factor on public health.
The specialist explained that these calculations use Rospotrebnadzor data on water quality, information from the Ministry of Health on morbidity, as well as statistics on medical care requests, which is maintained in the compulsory health insurance system. In addition to this, in-depth studies are being carried out to prove the causal relationship between a certain deterioration in water quality and a specific disease.
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Nina Zaitseva noted that various impurities contained in tap water have a negative impact on human health. They can be of natural origin, such as nitrates. And there are waters polluted with industrial impurities - these are metal compounds (iron, manganese, strontium, aluminum) and other substances. The presence of chlorine compounds in drinking water remains a serious problem.
- Water is chlorinated to protect the population from infectious diseases. However, the resulting compounds in residual amounts can affect the endocrine, nervous system, skin condition, the expert said.
The prevalence of water-related diseases is uneven. For example, among the subjects, the leaders in many pathologies are the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Republic of Kalmykia and Dagestan. Experts note that the quality of water directly depends on the state of water supply lines, the work of industrial enterprises and the source of drinking water.
Oksana Erina, a researcher at the Department of Land Hydrology at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, said that before getting into the taps of residents, water passes through pipes from tens to hundreds of kilometers.
- Despite the fact that water is disinfected at the water treatment plant, harmful impurities may appear on the way along the old water supply network, - the expert explained.
Residents of regions where rivers or lakes are used as water sources are at greatest risk for health risks. They receive city waste water and periodically - industrial emissions. Before entering the taps, such water is intensively treated with chlorine. And if the source of drinking water is protected from microbiological influences (most often it is groundwater), then there is practically no need for water chlorination.
Elena Sokolova, head of the biological treatment laboratory at the Research Institute of Vodgeo, told Izvestia that chlorine-containing components in contact with ammonium salts and ammonia form carcinogenic compounds. And when water is purified, they are not removed.
But there are already new safe methods of disinfection - ultraviolet and ozone. For example, in Moscow there is a water treatment station that ozonizes water. However, most regions cannot afford such technologies.
Natalia Berishvili