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WELCOME to STATE of the ENVIRONMENT IN UKRAINE

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CHANGES in the STATE of the ENVIRONMENT

Contamination of soils

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Pollution by pesticides

In 1998 selective investigations of the content of surplus amounts of pesticides included certain agricultural lands of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea as well as 35 districts and 18 regions of Ukraine.

In the soil samples the content of pesticides of five denominations was determined: organochloride pesticides - DDT and its metabolite DDE, isomers alpha and gamma HChCH, thiodan, treflan and rogor.

Average content of surplus amounts of total DDT in soils of agricultural lands was 0.3 times the maximum permissible concentrations. Of the examined area 9% was generally polluted (in 1997 - 16%).

The regions with the highest levels of pollution and largest polluted soil areas are as follows: Artemivsk District of Donetsk Region (average content of surplus amounts of total DDT in the samples were 2.2 times the maximum permissible concentration) and Vinnytsia District of Vinnytsia Region (1.1 times the maximum permissible concentration).

Maximum content of surplus amounts of total DDT was extremely high (42 times the maximum permissible concentration) in soils of gardens of horticulture establishments of Melitopol District of Zaporizhia Region belonging to the Ukrainian Scientific-Research Institute if Horticulture. The highest level - 5 times the maximum permissible concentration - was observed in the soils of gardens of the Scientific Production Association "Elita" of Vinnytsia District of Vinnytsia Region and in soils of gardens of the Ukrainian Scientific-Research Institute for Horticulture of Artemivsk District of Donetsk Region.

In comparison to 1997 the average level of soil pollution in some regions of Ukraine by surplus amounts of total DDT has decreased slightly.

Surplus amounts of total HChCH below the level of maximum permissible concentration (highest value 0.01-0.1 times the maximum permissible concentration) were found in soils of some regions.

Tiodan, treflan and rogor were not found in the soil samples of the investigated regions.

Pollution by Industrial Toxicants

Fifteen cities and 12 settlements of Ukraine (Table 4.6) have been investigated for contents of industrial toxicants in soils.

The highest content of lead in the soils of Kryvyi Rig was 94 times the maximum permissible concentration in the vicinity of the concentration plant of the Northern Mining and Concentration Integrated Works; 24 times the maximum permissible concentration in soils of Kostyantynivka (in "Ukrtsink" plant area); 20 times the maximum permissible concentration in soils of Ivano-Frankivsk; and 17 times the maximum permissible concentration in Illichivsk. The highest content of cadmium in soils of Kostyantynivka was 18 times the maximum permissible concentration; in soils of Kryvyi Rig 16 times the maximum permissible concentration; the content of copper in soils of Kyiv was 47 times the maximum permissible concentrations (in the area of SC "Bilshovyk"), and in soils of Kharkiv 15 times the maximum permissible concentration. The greatest concentration of water-soluble fluorine in the soils of Kryvyi Rig was 12 times the maximum permissible concentration.

The degree of soil pollution by heavy metals was estimated using maximum permissible concentrations. Besides, the characteristics of soil pollution in the units of maximum permissible concentrations, and the degree of soil pollution was estimated in accordance with the State Standard GOST 17.4.3.06 -86 in which soils were classified as:

 highly polluted soils where the content of pollutants exceeds several times the maximum permissible concentration;

 moderately polluted soils where the content of pollutants exceeds the maximum permissible concentration but without obvious changes in soil properties;

 mildly polluted soils where the content of pollutants does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration.

From analysis results one can conclude that in some cities and towns of the country, soils have accumulated considerable amounts of heavy metals. In the towns of Kostyantynivka and Mariupol, where observations are carried out annually, the content of heavy metals remains too high.

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