The first step in improving the ecosystem

The Faculty of Medicine and Health of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University has a new form of research that requires medical personnel and health professionals. Thus, the main task is to respond to public needs. Employees of the Health and Environmental Research Laboratory of the Faculty are engaged in the study of the impact of environmental and work process factors on human health.

The results achieved in the field of public health through the study of occupational stress and respiratory diseases in the population are sufficient. However, priority is given to the analysis of air quality in the work area, where certain types of production and technological processes take place. Laboratory staff published a number of works based on in-depth mathematical analysis and assessment of workplace air quality in 2020-21.

Laboratory staff made a comparative analysis of the mass concentration of PM2.5 particles in the air during the production of metal products at the plant of metal structures. As a result, this year the analytical work of scientists was published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. According to Denis Vinnikov, head of the Health and Environment Research Laboratory, the research object includes four production processes: plasma cutting, machine tool making, welding and assembly of metal structures. In particular, it was proved that the metal aerosol is released the most during plasma cutting. In this process, the maximum concentration per minute was 8,551, and the geometric mean of all samples was 1,727 mg / m3. Such high levels of metal aerosols require monitoring of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among workers.

- This work was continued in another study. KazNU scientists measured the level of nitrogen monoxide (NO) at the plant and performed spirometry. Nitrogen monoxide can be considered a marker of inflammation. The highest concentrations of this marker were detected in welders, not in plasma cutting operators. Therefore, it requires additional research, - says the head of the laboratory.

Researchers at the research laboratory studied the effects of coal-fired aerosols on shashlik cooks. The results of the special expert work were published in the Journal Of Exposure Scienceand Environmental Epidemiology. The results of the examination showed that the concentration of PM2.5 particles in the air at the barbecue area was very high. Experts unanimously conclude that chefs who cook kebabs are more likely to suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

National Hydrometeorological Service "Kazhydromet" is an official organization that regularly monitors air pollution in the country. For many years, Kazhydromet has been determining the total number of all PM particles found in the air, and only recently has it been monitoring PM2.5 particles. However, only five of the 16 stations in Almaty have been mobilized for this purpose. This is not enough to see the full picture.

The World Health Organization does not conduct such research on our country. Therefore, the complex relationships between emissions in the largest cities of Kazakhstan should be studied scientifically. Scientists should also pay attention to the chemical interactions between meteorology and the atmosphere.

According to D. Vinnikov, the lack of information hinders the development of an effective program aimed at assessing the current state of the environment and risk prevention.

- Therefore, the cities of Kazakhstan need a comprehensive analysis of air composition using modern research methods and modeling tools. This study identifies the main sources of PM2.5 emissions in Almaty and Nur-Sultan. The project also uses the latest scientifically proven areas, including chemical analysis and multivariate factor analysis (PMF). Including the two cities, the population is over 3 million. This figure excludes tourists and visitors to the city. The work in the research laboratory of KazNU is not limited to hygienic work. For the first time in Kazakhstan, the project staff conducted a population study (published in the International Journalof COPD) to determine the risk of obstructive chronic lung disease in the performance of their professional duties, - he said.

As a result of the analysis, laboratory experts found that working in places where dust, steam, gas and smoke are emitted increases the risk of obstructive chronic lung disease by 1.71 times.

- This indicator does not take into account the main factors that cause this disease, such as smoking, physical activity, age and sex and socio-economic status. The staff of the research laboratory does a lot of work, mainly in the field of air pollution in the workplace. However, there are other studies in the field of occupational medicine and respiratory pathology, - says Denis Vinnikov.

For example, the laboratory staff is currently involved in the following research projects: association with the study of respiratory health and professional activities of firefighters; Conducting a population study on the prevalence of obstructive chronic lung disease among the population of Almaty and the risk of contracting the disease due to professional duties; Carrying out a systematic review of the damage caused by occupational factors for the occurrence of respiratory diseases in the framework of the working group of the European Respiratory Society and the Thoracic Respiratory Society; Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of cytisine for the treatment of tobacco dependence; Study of exposure to PM10 floating particles in "clean" workplaces in winter with polluted air as a result of burning solid fuels; Monitoring of air pollution with PM2.5 floating particles due to the heating season and solid fuel combustion in Almaty, etc.

Thus, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is successfully developing a new scientific direction - medicine and health. It also contributes to scientific and innovative activities and the transformation of November into a research university.

KAMILA DUYSEN