Air pollution.

The dangerously high level of air pollution in Kazakhstan, due to multiple sources including various industrial enterprises and automobile emissions, is threatening the health and well being of Kazakhstani citizens.

Lead

Мetal that is emitted into the air as small particles (from automobile emissions, industrial emissions)

Auto transport emits polluting substances (sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide) with exhausted gas which total at over 2 million tons.

Contribution of auto emissions to the air basin pollution has reached more than 60% in recent years

90% in Almaty Substance LevelEmissions from stationary sources surveyed resulted

in 2308 thousand tons of polluting substances.

Sources of Pollution A 1998-99 analysis of various economic

activities and their role in air pollution showed the following enterprises to be at fault:

-Industrial pollution -Production of Crude -Oil/Natural Gas -Manufacturing -Metallurgy -Production of Materials for Power -Production/Distribution of Gas, Electric

Power, and Water -Automobile emissions -Mining Activity -Transport and Communication -Radioactive/Nuclear testing

Industrial enterprises. The majority of the Kazakhstan

population resides in areas around or near industrial centers, due to the job opportunities offered in these areas.

About 1/3 of these enterprises have no sanitary zones meeting size standards.

Besides harmful chemicals and emissions, residents living near industrial centers experience pollution in the form of noise, electric magnet fields, dust, and vibration.

These enterprises emit dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants

Balkhash copperLake Balkhash region suffers greatly from

disulphide pollution Balkash Copper Smelter recently restarted operation after a long period of Idleness .Copper is produced without purification in the utilization of disulphide.The operation also creates dust, sulphur, and nitrogen oxide pollution.

Nuclear RadiationAfter effects of nuclear arms testing in the

Semipalatinsk Nuclear .Testing Range left Kazakhstan territories as “Environmental Disaster Zones”.From 1949-1989, radioactive fall-out over the bordering territories occupied over 300,000 km including Pavlodar, Karagandin, and Eastern KazakhstanOblasts

Oil and Gas EnterprisesSubstances emitted by these industries are

relatively dense. Many are emitted without treatment.Treatment methods are either not up to code or in some cases simply not implemented at all. In 2002, the total gas and oil enterprise emissions gone untreated reached 7.7% .Тhese emissions include dangerous chemicals such as nitrogen oxides, carbondioxides, sulphur dioxides, benzypyrene, and also suspended dust particles.

Effects on Kazakhstan

In recent years, vital statistics have continued to deteriorate at a rapid rate due to multiple factors, including the high level of air pollution.For example, birth rates decreased from 19.9 in 1992 to 14.9 in 1997 (down by 25.2%).

Mortality rate increased from 8.1 in 1991 to 10.2 (up by 20.6%)

Health Hazards

The incidence rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases have increased.

Natural population growth has dropped from 11.8% in 1992 to 4.6% in 1997 (or by 2.6 times).Deterioration of various health factors have been mainly caused by both natural and occupational environmental influences. Higher morbidity rates have been linked to increasing incidences of conditions such as respiratory disease,nervous system and sensory organ disturbances, gastrointestinal disease, and circulatory disease.Poor air quality has been cited as a factor in these conditions.

TuberculosisAmong the infectious diseases, tuberculosis

stands out as a problem of special concernThe number of deaths associated with

tuberculosis is rising annually 11.7 (per 100,000) in 1992 and 34.6 in 1996

Harmful EmissionsPollution has been found to have

a chronically damaging impact on the health of the general population of Kazakhstan (cancer, respiratory diseases, damage of organs and systems, reduction of total resistance, and cardio-vascular diseases)

Health status of the populations is negatively affected by the unfavorable environmental situation, emissions in general, and technogenic hotspots.

What Are the Major Outdoor Air Pollutants?Carbon oxides Nitrogen oxides (NO) and nitric acid (HNO3)Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4)ParticulatesOzone (O3)Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Outdoor air pollution may be decreased bySettling of particles due to gravityRain and snowSalty sea spray from the oceanWinds Chemical reactions

Several Factors Can Decrease or Increase Outdoor Air Pollution.

Air pollution in Kazakhstan is significant environmental problem. Acid rain damages the environment within the country and also affects neighboring countries. In 1992 Kazakhstan had the world's 14th highest level of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, which totaled 297.9 million metric tons, a per capita level of 17.48 metric tons. In 1996, the total had dropped to 173.8 million metric tons. Pollution from industrial and agricultural sources has also damaged the nation's water supply. UN sources report that, in some cases, contamination of rivers by industrial metals is 160 to 800 times beyond acceptable levels. Pollution of the Caspian Sea is also a problem.

Kazakhstan's wildlife is in danger of extinction due to the overall level of pollution. According to current estimates, some areas of the nation will not be able to sustain any form of wildlife by the year 2015. In the areas where pollution is the most severe, 11 species of mammals and 19 species of birds and insects are already extinct. As of 2001, 15 mammal species, 15 bird species, 5 types of freshwater fish, and 36 species of plant are listed as threatened. Threatened species include the argali, Aral salmon, great bustard, snow leopard, and tiger. The mongolian wild horse has recently become extinct in the wild.

Mobile

NaturalStationary

Secondary Pollutants

SO3

HNO3H2SO

4H2O2 O3 PANs

Most NO3− and SO4

2− salts

Primary Pollutants

CO2

SO2 NO NO2

Most hydrocarbons

Most suspended particles

Level of Air pollution in cities. As a result in the residential zone of the cities various chemical

combinations of the 1st-2nd danger classes are registered, to say nothing of the combinations of the 3rd-4th danger classes (nitrogen, sulphur, carbon oxides, and others). Thus on the average in the cities the concentration of benzaperen – a substance of the 1st danger class exceeds the Maximum Admissible Concentration 2.5 times, and in the city of Almaty - 307 times, and sometimes up to 33 MAC, in Taraz - 16 MAC, in Ust-Kamenogorsk - 11 MAC. A content of specific combinations is high. Thus in the city of Shymkent there are high maximum one-time concentrations of phosphorus anhydrate, fluoric hydrogen, copper, lead, and cadmium. In the cities of Ekibastuz and Pavlodar there is benzaperen, zinc, chrome, lead, rubidium, nickel, manganese, iron, chlorine, and mercury. In 1996 the content of lead exceeded a sanitary standard in Zhezkazgan (1.3 MAC), Leninogorsk (1.1 MAC), Shymkent (1.5 MAC), Ust-Kamenogorsk (1.7 MAC) that is lower in comparison with 1995. In 1995 in Zhezkazgan there was 2.3 MAC, in Leninogorsk 3.3 MAC, Ust-Kamenogorsk 2.3 MAC, Shymkent 2.4 MAC.

Our community must take steps to improve air quality, but everyone should know the risks that climate change poses and learn how to best protect themselves when bad air days get worse.

Solutions.Use mass transitWalk or bikeUse less polluting fuelsImprove fuel efficiencyGet older, polluting cars off the roadGive large tax write- offs or rebates

for buying low-polluting, energy efficient vehicles

Solutions.Outdoor IndoorImprove energy efficiency to reduce fossil fuel use

Reduce poverty

Distribute cheap and efficient Cook stoves or solar cookers to poor families in developing countries

Rely more on lower-polluting natural gas

Rely more on renewable energy (especially solar cells, wind, and solar-produced hydrogen)

Reduce or ban indoor smoking

Transfer energy efficiency, renewable energy, and pollution prevention technologies to developing countries

Develop simple and cheap tests for indoor pollutants such as particulates, radon, and formaldehyde

Solutions.IndoorSolS Air PollutionPrevention Cleanup or Dilution

Clean ceiling tiles and line AC ducts to prevent release of mineral fibers

Use adjustable fresh air vents for work spaces

Ban smoking or limit it to well-ventilated areas Increase intake of outside

air

Change air more frequently

Set stricter formaldehyde emissions standards for carpet, furniture, and building materials Circulate a building’s air

through rooftop greenhousesPrevent radon infiltration

Use efficient venting systems for wood-burning stoves

Use office machines in well-ventilated areas

Use less polluting substitutes for harmful cleaning agents, paints, and other products