Features of atmospheric air pollution in a non-industrial city: risk for the population

Purpose – to study the territorial features of atmospheric air pollution of the regional administrative center without specific industrial sources of pollution, to determine carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for the population. The study was carried out in Rivne. The results of our own observations, the materials of the State Institution “Rivne Regional Laboratory Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine”, the materials of the Central Geophysical Observatory of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Ukraine were analyzed. It was found that in the atmospheric air of Rivne, a regional center with a number of industrial facilities of communal property and a developed road network, the presence of chemical compounds of different classes is stably recorded, the concentrations of which in 20-40% of the samples exceed the MPC and reference concentrations. Territorial indicators of the content of harmful substances are in the following relationship: motorway ≥ industrial zone > park zone. Hygienic assessment of air quality by MPC criteria allows it to be classified as slightly hazardous. According to the criteria of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, air pollution in the city is not safe for the population and requires the adoption of preventive measures. It was shown that with exposure of detected air pollution there is a rather high probability of damage to the respiratory system of the body and the appearance of congenital malformations, as well as the development of cancer pathology. Hazard assessment of air pollution by carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks indicators is more informative and critically significant for determining its effect on public health.