of Coal

The Russian Federal Natural Resources Management Regulatory Service, Rosprirodnadzor, is
responsible for the air condition monitoring. But as the agency admits, the existing network of
environmental monitoring stations is insufficient. Data on air conditions for major cities of the region,
such as Belovo, Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Mezhdurecensk, Myski, Polysaevo, Osinniki, is unavailable.
Meanwhile, the main inhabited area of Kemerovo Oblast is located in a cavity, therefore harmful
substances emitted by the industry are not carried away with wind but accumulate right there forming
photochemical smog.
Unavailability of objective information about the state of the atmospheric air is a violation of the
Russian citizen constitutional right to have an access to reliable information about the state of the
environment.
According to the Kemerovo Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring Center, in 2014, there
was a very high level of air pollution in Novokuznetsk, a high level of air pollution in Kemerovo, and a
heightened level of air pollution in Prokopyevsk. Air pollution in these cities is for the most part due to
high concentrations of benzpyrene and nitrogen dioxide.
As medic experts estimate, chronic poisoning by air polluted with harmful substances and dust
increase risks of sickness among the cities’ residents. As the analysis of health risks related to
environmental contamination in Novokuznetsk shows, in 2007 the most contribution to chronic air
poisoning was made by carbon oxide (77.4%), dust (15%), and nitrogen dioxide (3%).
A characteristic for Kuzbass phenomenon visualizing the level of air pollution is black snow fallout.
According to the official report, snow in Kuzbass contains sulphur compounds, nitrites, nitrates,
chlorides, potassium, and manganese.
Gazeta Kemerovo: “An excess of a maximum allowable concentration of
polluting substances in the air was registered by meteorologists in Kemerovo
and Novokuznetsk. An increased content of carbon black experts relate to stove
heating in the private residence sector, while nitrogen oxide and dioxide as well
as carbon oxide are due to industrial emissions and windless weather conditions.
Air
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