[Soil heavy metal pollution in Ryazan: ecological and hygienic aspects].

The paper presents the results of investigations evaluating the soil pollution with heavy metals in Ryazan. The authors have determined the priority pollutants, geochemical anomalies on the territory of the town and the qualitative and qualitative composition of the pollutants in relation to the source of waste and to the specific features of an atmospheric and technogenic transfer. They propose measures to improve the urban ecological and sanitary status, which are associated with the utilization of the plants that accumulate heavy metals and with the replacement of the polluted soil with artificial soil-like masses.

[Alternative methodologies for standardization of deleterious environmental factors].

Some ecologists propose in recent papers to replace the ideology of the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) by a new biotic concept of regional environmental monitoring by the method of ecologically allowable levels (EAL). By comparing the basic provisions of MAC and EAL methodologies, by taking into account their advantages and disadvantages, the authors conclude that there is no alternative to the hygienic MAC concept. The principles of EAL substantiation have no well-grounded scientific-and-practical methodology.

[Basic stages for developoing hygiene and ecology].

Hygiene and ecology as closely related scientific disciplines, which provide preservation of human health and the whole animate nature, have assumed a special importance in the second half of the 20th century. In this connection, the authors propose to discuss some general stages in the development and progress of these sciences by the method of a comparative analysis of references.

[Working conditions and morbidity of workers at the present-day shoe manufacturing factory].

Poor working factors of present-day industry (SALAMANDER technology) include high intensity of labour, monotonicity, forced posture, constant wide-range noise, fumes of organic solvents, dust of organic origin, etc. The working conditions in producing departments are considered to be of degrees of 1-3 of hazard class 3. The highest incidence rates were noted in age groups under 30 years and above 50 years and in workers with over 10-year length of service.