Baia Mare, with its long-lasting mining and metallurgical tradition, is
one of the country’s most problematic cities in terms of historical pollution
and resulting consequences. This paper is the final chapter of a complex
three-part work and aims to present a series of air pollution effects on public
health in Baia Mare between 1980 and 2006. The first part focused on an overall
view of historical air pollution sources in Baia Mare. The second part
presented the evolution of air quality in Baia Mare and highlighted the chronic
air pollution, consisting of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia,
particulate matter, and heavy metals between 1995 and 2006. The historical
environmental (including air) pollution in Baia Mare had 3 main sources:
National Company of Precious and Nonferrous Metals (NCPNM) - Remin Corporation;
Cuprom Corporation; Romplumb Corporation. The three companies were active for
decades and, until the early 2000s, environmental protection was not a priority
of their technological process management. After the year 2000, investments in
ecological technologies were undersized, and the 2008 economic crisis affected
the companies’ activity. Air quality in Baia Mare between 1995 and 2006, as
well as prior to this period, was particularly critical due to high
concentrations in particulate matter with high lead and cadmium content, but
also due to high sulphur dioxide concentrations between 1995 and
of inadequate air quality was the deterioration of the city inhabitants’
health. The paper is based on data provided by the Maramureş Public Health
Directorate, World Health Organization reports, Cluj Napoca Hygiene and Public
Health Institute reports, as well as Romanian and foreign experts who conducted
investigations on air pollution-related illnesses in the study area. Our
historical analytical approach mainly aims to address the effects of the
technological processes of the Cuprom and Romplumb companies on the health of
their employees and of the local population. One of the main causes for the
high incidence of respiratory diseases in the local population was the
historical pollution in the analyzed area, which had cumulative effects over
time. In addition to these illnesses, it was found that in the study area,
between 1980 and
more notable deterioration of public health occurred compared to other
settlements (lower life expectancy, higher overall mortality index, more
frequent D2 avitaminosis and metabolic conditions linked to lead
pollution, etc.), and one of the main reasons was the city’s chronic air
pollution. Morbidity reports were generally dominated by acute and chronic
respiratory diseases, and digestive and cardiovascular disorders. National
Company of Precious and Nonferrous Metals (NCPNM) - Remin and Romplumb
Corporations are currently in a state of insolvency, and Cuprom Corporation is
bankrupt, which resulted in an improvement of air quality in the study area.
Baia Mare historical pollution air pollution public health illness incidence morbidity
Birincil Dil | İngilizce |
---|---|
Bölüm | Makaleler |
Yazarlar | |
Yayımlanma Tarihi | 30 Nisan 2018 |
Gönderilme Tarihi | 14 Ocak 2018 |
Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2018Cilt: 4 Sayı: 10 |
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