ESTONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 2009

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a deficiency in the technical condition of a bore well and water storage tank; chlorination was used to stabilize the water quality. Deviations in smaller public water supply systems from the required microbiological parameters are the result of depreciation of drinking water pipes and reservoirs and technical malfunctions in distribution networks. In Estonia, there have been no infectious waterborne outbreaks caused by public water supplies in 14 years. The last recorded infectious outbreak was in 1993, when 614 people in Sõmeru in Lääne-Viru County fell ill with hepatitis A. With regard to microbiological indicators, the depreciation of public water supply systems impacts water quality. Of the chemical indicators of drinking water, 104 water supplies did not conform to the fluoride content requirements in 2008. Of these, in 103 water supplies the problem involved excessive fluoride content (over 1.5 mg/l) – and in the case of 7, excess boron was involved – and in one supply (city of Narva water supply) the total trihalomethane C content. With regard to indicators, the most frequent problem in water supplies was non-conformity of iron, manganese and chlorides to the requirements. These compounds are of natural origin or are due to the poor condition of pipes. The high iron and manganese content of drinking water causes deviation in colour, taste and opacity. In the Cambrian-Vendian groundwater complex in northern Estonia, occasional high radionuclide content has been noted, as a result of which the effective radiation dose exceeds the limit of 0.1 mSv per year established by Estonian law for drinking water. Besides drinking water, the quality of bathing water also impacts human health; it is in general good. The number of analyses that have disclosed substandard bathing water has decreased over the years and is under 5%. Table 10.2. Number of people who use drinking water from public water supplies not in conformity to the requirements (%). Data: Health Protection Inspectorate. Years Non-conformity with regard to microbiological indicators (%) Non-conformity with regard to chemical indicators (%) 2002 0.02 1.3 35.3 2003 0.006 2.3 28 2004 0.004 2.5 29.6 2005 0.01 2 29 2006 0.01 7 27 2007 0.01 8.9 26 2008 0.1 8.6 21.6 Non-conformity with regard to indicators (%) 164 10.4. Ionizing radiation The more radiation the human body absorbs, the more cellular damage occurs and the higher the risk of tumours and hereditary diseases. A predominant part of the ionizing radiation that surrounds us is of natural origin, but manmade radio-isotopes also exist. Manmade radionuclides are released into the environment due to human activity, as it is unlikely that radiation will leak into the environment from manmade radiation sources. Possible sources of radioactive contamination are primarily considered to be nuclear power plants in Russia (Sosnovyi Bor); in Finland (Loviisa) and in Lithuania (Ignalina). C Trihalomethanes – undesirable byproducts of chlorination of water with a high content of organic matter. The activity of radionuclides found in nature is routinely measured, but traditionally the yardstick for whether the environment is polluted or not is the manmade radionuclide Cs-137. The caesium found in the environment originates in equal parts from the extensive atmospheric nuclear testing conducted in the mid-20 th century and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986. Due to the action of wind and forest and bog fires, pollution that has fallen to earth re-enters the atmosphere. Caesium levels (microbecquerels per cubic metre) are measured in Estonia in tropospheric air at three points (Harku, Narva-Jõesuu and Tõravere). The systematic several-fold variation in the results measured at Narva-Jõesuu and Harku (3.7 microBq/m 3 in the former, 1.5 microBq/m 3 in the latter in 2005–2007) can be attributed to the fact that the Cs-137 from Chernobyl fell here primarily in north-eastern Estonia.
Results of analysis of tropospheric air shows that the level of Cs-137 in Estonia is more or less uniform, which means that no additional atmospheric contamination has occurred. Nevertheless, toward the end of the late summer of 2006, Narva-Jõesuu station data showed an order of magnitude higher activity concentrations (the maximum value was 89.7 microBq/m 3 , while the average value in 2006 was 3.6 microBq/m 3 ). This is believed to be related to extensive forest fires in Russia, in the course of which caesium from Chernobyl in forests was re-dispersed into the atmosphere, and carried to Estonia by wind. The primary source of environmental radiation in Estonia is radon, a colourless and odourless gas, which becomes concentrated in the indoor air in homes. Radon seeps into buildings due to poor construction quality and through cracks formed as the building ages. The primary source of radon is soil. The areas with the highest radon content are related to the dicthyonema shale formation in the klint zone in northern Estonia. The areas with a radon risk are also the areas of glauconitic sandstone and karst. As a result, the areas with the highest radon risk – where radon levels in homes range from 400–1000 Bq/m 3 – primarily occur in rural municipalities in northern Estonia, as well as in Rapla County, Viljandi County and Tartu County, but high radon levels can be found nearly everywhere in Estonia. In terms of the level of radon in indoor air in homes and areas with a potential radon risk, Estonia is comparable to Sweden and Finland, which are among the countries in Europe with the highest radon risk. In 2001–2004, joint Estonian-Swedish research project measured indoor radon levels. The study found that radon levels in homes, expressed as averages for rural municipalities, ranged from 58–641Bq/m 3 , except for Kunda, which had an average level of 2,349 Bq/m 3 . The average radon level in the buildings studied was 268 Bq/m 3 . Of the measurements, 38% exceeded the allowable level, which is 200 Bq/m 3 . Inhalation of air high in radon increases the risk of lung cancer D . 10.5. Noise Noise is disruptive to humans and harms human health and well-being. Environmental noise is an integral part of modern living environments; it is created by various equipment, transport, technological systems and industrial enterprises. In Tallinn, ships and aircraft are an additional source of noise pollution. In early 2008, the first noise maps were completed of the city of Tallinn and road segments with heavier traffic E . Noise from traffic has the greatest impact on Tallinners. Twenty per cent of Tallinn’s population lives in areas where the noise level from traffic exceeds a level of 55 dB (decibels), and 9% live in areas where the night-time noise level is over 50 dB. The number of people impacted by railway traffic noise is lower than in the case of road traffic. Due to the night-time freight train traffic, the noise level near the railway is relatively high – over 70 dB. A total of 5.5% of Tallinners live in an area where the noise is over 55 dB and 4.3% live in a territory where the night-time noise level is over 50 dB. About 1,400 people – 0.35% of Tallinners – live near Tallinn Airport, where the aircraft noise is over 55 dB during the day. A total of 47 people, or 0.01% of Tallinners live in places where the night-time noise level is over 50 dB. Skilful and timely planning allows disruptive environmental noise to be reduced. It is important to perform a prior environmental impact assessment in the planning process; the EIA must include an assessment of noise caused by the planed activity (industrial enterprise, road etc). The primary basis for planning is the strategic noise maps. Read more: • Estonian Environment Information Centre webpage. [WWW] http://www.keskkonnainfo.ee/ index.php?lan=EN&sid=25&tid=24&l2=22&l1=2 (air, quality of urban air) • Estonian Environment Information Centre webpage. [WWW] http://www.keskkonnainfo.ee/ index.php?lan=EN&sid=657&tid=591&l2=655&l1=2 (bathing water and drinking water quality) D Eesti Keskkonnaseire 2004–2006. (Estonian Environmental Monitoring 2004-2006.) (2008) / Ed. K. Väljataga. Tallinn : Estonian Environment Information Centre. [WWW] http://www.keskkonnainfo.ee/index.php?lan=EE&sid=65&tid=67, pp 114–115 E Noise maps can be found on the Health Protection Inspectorate website (in Estonian), http://www.tervisekaitse.ee/?page=237 165
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Estonian Environment ESTONIAN ENVIR
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Published in the “Estonian Enviro
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Table of contents Foreword 3 Introd
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10. The environment and health 162
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Summary Socioeconomic background In
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Part 1 Socioeconomic background 1.
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1 600 000 1 550 000 1 500 000 popul
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Sources: • Ainsaar, M., Maripuu L
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2. The economy Estonia’s economy
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Table 2.3. GDP per capita as measur
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agriculture and fishery 3%, 3859 pr
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2.4. Transport Transport gives peop
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2.5. Tourism After independence was
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2.6. Agriculture The relative impor
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Fertilizer use With regard to inorg
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Agri-environmental support monitori
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3. Natural resources
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Construction mineral resources were
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10000 thousands of cubic metres 800
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Status of fish stocks in inland bod
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3.2.3. Restocking As a consequence
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Map 3.2. Average volume per hectare
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15 increment felling volume optimum
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3.3.5. Forest fires One of the exte
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3.4. Hunting Hunting is closely rel
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20 000 population size hunting bag
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4. Weather patterns and causes of c
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o C Ristna -22.9/-28.4 Vilsandi -21
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4.2. Greenhouse gas emissions and o
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agriculture 6% waste 3% industrial
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According to Statistics Estonia, CF
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5. Ambient air
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5.2. Emissions 5.2.1. Emissions of
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5.2.2. Tropospheric ozone precursor
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Finland Bulgaria Spain Latvia tropo
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40 35 fine particulate matter (PM 2
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other mobile pollution sources 0.04
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6 5 4 3 2 tonnes 1 0 5.66 5.41 4.30
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Compared to years past, the number
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Hiiumaa 100 89 Saaremaa Läänemaa
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6. Water The existence of clean fre
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300 250 30 agriculture 200 13 manuf
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6.2.2. Mining and cooling water In
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250 wastewater volume total phospho
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Tallinn Kohtla-Järve Rakvere Tartu
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6.4. Status of water 6.4.1. Groundw
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6.4.2. Evaluating the status of sur
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6.4.4. Status of rivers Proceeding
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Hirve Imsi Pale Uia Keila_1 Neeva S
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6.4.5. Status of lakes The ecologic
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7. Soil and land use
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7.1.2. Soil formation Soil is creat
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7.1.4. Soil status The status of so
Page 115 and 116: 7.2. Changes in land use 7.2.1. Cha
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Page 119 and 120: partly attributable to unrealized p
Page 121 and 122: 7.3. Urban sprawl Suburban sprawl i
Page 123 and 124: green network core areas and corrid
Page 126 and 127: 8. Biological diversity Considering
Page 128 and 129: Table 8.2 Abundance and trends for
Page 130 and 131: Species habitats The status of habi
Page 132 and 133: non-initiation of Natura environmen
Page 134 and 135: 8.2.3. Achieving protection of biol
Page 136 and 137: Management plans Currently there ar
Page 138 and 139: 8.3. Inland water bodies The divers
Page 140 and 141: Small lakes The equilibrium of smal
Page 142 and 143: 8.4.2. Species: seals With the mild
Page 144 and 145: Proliferation of macroalgae Costal
Page 146: 9. Waste
Page 149 and 150: 20 total waste generated hazardous
Page 151 and 152: 9.4. Municipal waste generation and
Page 153 and 154: The primary reasons for the delay a
Page 155 and 156: 2004 2006 80 2005 2007 target of 15
Page 157 and 158: 9.8. Recovery of waste Recovery of
Page 159 and 160: deposition in landfills other dispo
Page 161 and 162: Table 9.2. Number of landfills in 2
Page 164 and 165: 10. The environment and health The
Page 168: 11. Economic instruments for enviro
Page 171 and 172: and payment, rates and use of the s
Page 173 and 174: tion, environmental educational ini
Page 176 and 177: 12. Environmental management tools
Page 178 and 179: 12.3. Environmental labels Consumer
Page 180: Appendix
Page 183 and 184: year month, day place event indicat
Page 185 and 186: Abbreviations used ARC - Agricultur
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ESTONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 2009

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