Assessing and ranking of brownfields per health risk criteria: experience gained in the Perm region

Everywhere objects of accumulated environmental damage (brownfields) pollute surrounding areas and create elevated incidence rates among population. The necessity to establish an order for elimination of such objects is a primary task set within the General Cleaning Federal Project. The aim of this study was to assess and rank regional brownfields per their hazards for people’s lives and health in order to establish the order for their elimination. Human health risk assessment under exposure in brownfield-influenced areas was conducted by experts of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Perm region in accordance with the Rospotrebnadzor’s certified methodology based on the fuzzy set theory. Forty to fifty indicators were estimated for each object considering specific features and types of brownfields. The analysis covered 29 objects located in the Perm region. Background materials were examined on each object; overall, 1100 additional laboratory tests were performed to assess quality of environmental objects (ambient air, soils, natural and drinking water. According to the results obtained by the complex assessment, 4 brownfields were ranked as ‘high risk objects’ (R = 0.75÷0.62); 16 were ranked as ‘medium risk objects’ (R = 0.51÷0.41); 9 were ranked as ‘moderate risk objects’ (R = 0.39÷0.25). Among the identified high risk objects, three were represented by industrial waste landfills of mining and chemical enterprises; one was an unregulated dump. High risk objects were characterized with substantial volumes of accumulated wastes of formed economic activities, long existence period and unregulated effects on the environment; they were located within settlements where safe standards for the quality of the environment were violated in residential areas per indicators, which were typical brownfield markers. Medium and moderate risk objects were located in small settlements or beyond their boundaries and safe standards for the quality of the environment were not violated in residential areas. Data on health risks and priorities for funding and implementing activities aimed at eliminating objects of accumulated environmental damage were submitted to Rospotrebnadzor and executive authorities of the Perm region.