A retrospective hygienic analysis of long-term changes in the content of benz(a)pyrene in the air basin of the cities of the Donetsk industrial region

The air basin is the most important part of the environment, largely determining its quality and the degree of potential danger to public health. Benz(a)pyrene belongs, on the one hand, to the most common aeroplutants, and on the other, to the most toxic air pollutants, especially in technogenic regions such as Donbass. Purpose: To establish the current patterns of distribution of this xenobiotic in the air environment of cities in the Donetsk industrial region. Materials and methods: With the help of sanitary-hygienic and medical-statistical research methods for a 36-year time period (1985–2020), the potential of technogenic pollution of the atmosphere with benz(a)pyrene was determined, the features of its average long-term content in the atmospheric air of the eight largest cities of Donbass, as well as the patterns of long-term dynamics of this indicator. Results and discussion: The data obtained in the course of this study reflect the impact of hygienic features of industrial development and the main sources of technogenic release of BP into the air basin on the content of the analyzed xenobiotic in the atmosphere of populated areas, which is consistent with the results of other researchers who noted an increase in atmospheric concentrations of BP as the amount of hydrocarbon fuel burned increased in industrial enterprises and in heating systems of utilities. The greatest potential for technogenic pollution of the WS air basin is established in the largest industrial-urban agglomerations of the Central Donbass, in the structure of atmospheric emissions of which the maximum specific gravity (39.3–85.5 %), belongs to industries based on the combustion of large amounts of hydrocarbon fuel (ferrous metallurgy, chemistry, coke chemistry). Conclusion: The results obtained will further optimize the scheme of socio-hygienic monitoring, reduce the degree of contamination of the air environment by the studied aeroplutant and, thereby, reduce the carcinogenic load on the population of Central Donbass.