The article presents information about the life and work of Boris Tikhonovich Velichkovsky — a famous scientist, specialist in the field of occupational health in XX-XXI centuries. His scientific interests encompassed all aspects of preserving workers’ health, ranging from comprehensive studies of occupational respiratory diseases, molecular biology and ecology to creation of a new scientific medical discipline — human social biology focused solely on saving the nation and preserving health of working population.

Deep mining is widely spread in Russia; therefore, it is truly vital to determine how labor resources in the branch can be preserved. Adverse working conditions cause elevated risks of not only occupationally induced diseases, but also production-related ones, make medical and social consequences of such diseases even worse, and result in a decrease in overall labor potential of a society. Miners’ working conditions are ones of the most adverse. When participating in technological processes, workers are exposed to a set of adverse and dangerous industrial factors, both common for any deep mining and specific ones related to a type of mineral resources which are mined. We performed a complex assessment of working conditions existing in deep mining of chromic ores in order to detect risks of chronic diseases for miners as well as to determine an extent to which such diseases were production-related. We revealed that working conditions for miners involved in chromic ores mining were associated with joint negative effects exerted by physical and chemical factors of the working process; as per this combination of factors, they can be assigned into “adverse working conditions with 3–4 hazard degree” category. Workers involved in deep mining at chromic mines ran 1.5–5.2 times higher relative risks of cardiovascular system diseases, respiratory system diseases, endocrine system diseases, and hearing organs diseases, than personnel employed at mines but dealing with production processes on the surface. Nervous and respiratory system diseases, endocrine pathologies, and hearing organs diseases in miners employed at chromic mines were to a great extent production-related while cardiovascular system diseases less significantly depended on industrial factors.

Complex evaluation covered health state of population residing under combined exposure to physical (noise) and chemical (manganese, formaldehyde, phenol, benzene) risk factors caused by airport activities. Findings are unacceptable chronic risks expressed through risk index for development of nervous system diseases (HI=9.45–51.75), respiratory disorders (HQ=2,62–6,95) and immune system ailments (HQ=1,75–4,23). In children, functional disorders of nervous system (parasympathetic type vegetative dystonia) and respiratory organs (chronic disorders of upper respiratory tract) are diagnosed 1,5–1,8 times higher than those in the reference group; over 5% of children aged 4–7 years demonstrate bilateral conductive deafness. Reliable cause-effect relationships were revealed between functional nervous system disorders (parasympathetic type vegetative dystonia, astheno-neurotic syndrome, vascular cephalgia, sleep disorders) and increased serum level of manganese and benzene (proportion of explained dispersion, R²=0,55–0,87, 26,44≤F≥389,54), between respiratory diseases (chronic rhinitis, chronic pharyngitis) and increased serum level of formaldehyde (R²=0,73–0,91; 350,8≤F≥778,3), with high statistic significance (p < 0,0001). For sanitary epidemiologic examination purposes, case-based reasoning for relationships of children health disorders, management decisions, the authors suggested and justified a list of parameters for negative combined impact of risk factors caused by airport hub.

In accordance with the requirements of paragraph 3.2.6 of sanitary rules and norms «Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for physical factors at workplace», in the event of exceeding noise level at workplace above 80 dBA, an employer is obliged to assess the health risk of workers and confirm an acceptable risk to their health. The connection between the incidence of occupational and occupationally conditioned diseases with noise exposure exceeding the maximum permissible levels (80 dBA) was estimated. The assessment was carried out at a food industry enterprise of Perm Region. Assessing the relationship between morbidity and noise exposure is the first step in evaluation of occupational health risks for workers exposed to noise exceeding MAL. If a reliable relationship between morbidity and noise exposure is established, an assessment of occupational risk is conducted. The odds ratio (OR) for diseases characterized by high blood pressure and disorders of autonomic nervous system was <1 (confidence interval CI=0.11–1.61 and CI=0.08–2.78, respectively). The relative risk (RR) for diseases characterized by high blood pressure and disorders of autonomic nervous system was <1. The received data testify absence of connection of morbidity with exposure to industrial noise, calculation of etiological share of responses and levels of risk is not required.

The study covered immune state of workers on enterprise extracting and processing chromium ores, with length of service under and over 5 years. The workers (length of mining service over 5 years) demonstrated changes in cellular immunity: increased expression of T-cell receptors (СD16+56+, СD3+СD 95+), high level of fetal proteins (cancer-embryonic antigen, CA–19–9), hypersensitivity in criterion of IgE specific to chromium. Findings are suppressed apoptotic processes characterized by low levels of proteins involved in bcl–2, bax transcription and deficiency of expression of TNFR receptor (length of mining service over 5 years). The examinees with short length of service (under 5 years) demonstrated activation of immune response during first years of exposure to chromium ores at work. Cellular immunity was characterized by adaptation processes with increased parameters (СD127-, bcl–2, baх, TNFR) participating mostly in cell death. According to the study results, the recommendations are control diagnostic measures for workers engaged into chromium ores extraction and processing (once per year), that include monitoring of apoptotic (CD127-, bcl–2, baх, TNFR) and fetal (CA 19–9, cancer-embryonic antigen) proteins, IgE to chromium — which should serve as parameters indicating malignancies and allergy for length of service over 5 years in this enterprise.

The authors considered a problem of duality of existing approaches to classification of industrial and consumption waste in Russian Federation. The suggestions also are methodical approaches to unified method for classification of household and industrial waste, which take into account the particularly dangerous properties of individual components of waste — carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reprotoxicity — and categorize waste into 5 classes. Preliminary calculations of jeopardy classes for an enterprise waste were carried out and additional economic costs of a large enterprise are analyzed with a new technique introduction. It is shown that for about 10% of waste types the jeopardy class will increase. An economic entity will need funds for special preparation of temporary waste storage sites with a higher jeopardy class. Environmental charges for negative environmental impact are increasing. To increase objectivity of accounting hazardous properties of waste, necessity is to form a list of chemicals with proven hazardous properties and clear identification of physico-chemical parameters of the waste components that are responsible for those properties manifestation.

Increased attention to highly hazardous waste, adequate methods of collection, temporary storage, transport, disposal should lead to improvement of environment quality, reduce health risks for those in occupational contact with waste and for general population.

The authors specified a new method to assess 15 rare earth elements in one workplace air sample by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. The article contains conditions of workplace air sampling and settings of mass spectrometer Agilent 7500сх (USA) for quantitative assessment of 15 rare earth elements in wide range of concentrations. The authors selected concentrations to build calibration curves, justified a choice and use of internal standard for consideration of matrix effect, transport disturbances and more precise analysis. Experiments helped to evaluate necessary optimal volume of air sample and allowable speed of sampling, to justify choice of aerosol filters, to study matrix influence on analysis accuracy by «input-found» method, to set conditions of preparing aerosol filters of AFA-HA, AFA-HP types with use of microwave system, muffle furnace and acid dissolution in thermal chamber. High sensitivity of the specified method measuring mass concentrations of 15 elements in workplace air, when sampling 0,1 m³ of air by ICP-MS method with use of reaction collisional cell with helium, enables to detect lanthanum in range of 0,001–25 mg/m³, cerium — 0,001–10 mg/m³, praseodymium — 0,0005–10 mg/m³, neodymium  — 0,001–100 mg/m³, samarium  — 0,0005–100 mg/m³, europium  — 0,001–50 mg/m³ with 21% error; yttrium — 0,0005–25 mg/m³, gadolinium — 0,0001–100 mg/m³, terbium — 0,0001–10 mg/m³, dysprosium, holmium, erbium — 0,0005–50 mg/m³, thulium — 0,0005–10 mg/m³, ytterbium — 0,0005–100 mg/m³, lutetium — 0,0001–25 mg/m³ with 20–21% error.

Content of rare earth elements in workplace air of metallurgic enterprise at workplaces, mg/m³: lanthanum 0,003–0,0019, cerium 0,00065–0,0036, praseodymium 0,00006–0,00034, neodymium 0,00002–0,0009, samarium 0,00001–0,00 006, europium 0,000008–0,00001, yttrium under 0,00001, gadolinium 0,00002–0,000034, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium under 0,000007.

Arterial hypertension is a significant problem for occupational fitness examination in workers engaged into heavy work and exposed to hazardous and (or) jeopardy work conditions. In expert decisions, necessity is to consider medical contraindications which are difficult to interpret in practice. The authors systematized literature data on diagnosis and clinical importance of isolated office hypertension («white coat» hypertension).

Despite wide legislation basis of regulating relations in work safety and workers’ health, one third of workplaces demonstrate exceeded allowable normal levels of workers’ exposure to occupational hazards and present occupational risk for health disorders.

In accordance to national legislation acts, evaluation should cover factors of occupational environment and working process, and occupational risk is understood in context of mandatory social insurance. This approach has been formed due to mostly compensatory trend in legal principles of work safety in Russia by now. Implementation of new preventive concept of work safety, based on idea of risk management for workers, necessitates development of legal acts that regulate requirements to evaluation of occupational risk and its reports with consideration of changes in Federal Law on 30 March 1999 №52 FZ “On sanitary epidemiologic well-being of population”.

Those acts can include Sanitary Rules and Regulations “Evaluation of occupational risk for workers’ health”, that will contain main principles of risk assessment, requirements to risk assessment, including its characteristics which can serve as a basis of categorizing the risk levels with acceptability.

To standardize requirements for informing a worker on the occupational risk, the expediency is specification of sanitary rules “Notifying a worker on occupational risk”. These rules should contain requirements: to a source of data on occupational risk level at workplace, to informational content and to ways of notifying the worker. Specification and implementation of the stated documents enable to fulfil legal requirements completely on work safety — that will provide preservation and increase of efficiency in using work resources.

Occupational conditions of female workers engaged into main occupations of mechanical rubber production (rubber mixing machine operator, rubber mixture rolling-mill operator) are characterized by hazardous combined influence of chemical and physical factors of occupational environment: acrylonitrile vapors, occupational noise, vibration. Equivalent noise levels exceed maximally allowable level up to 22 dBA (MAL<80 dBA); the work conditions are assigned to hazardous (class 3.1– 3.3). The air at workplace of rubber mixing machine operator and rubber mixture rolling-mill operator demonstrate 5.5 times increased acrylonitrile level, if compared to the one in a reference group. Female workers of the main group demonstrated dysbalance of sex hormones: up to 2.0 times increased serum levels 17-OH-progesterone, prolactin and estradiol and 1.3 times lower serum FSH, when compared to the same serum levels in female workers of the reference group. Higher serum level of 17-OH-progesterone and lower serum FSH appeared to have high (EF=54.12%) and extremely high (EF=78.74%) degree of occupational conditionality.

The study was aimed to refine a method evaluating level and dynamics of skin surface temperature as an indicator of heat state in a worker exposed to intermittent influence of workplace ambient high temperatures during a working shift. The measurement technique was automated continuous detection with registration of parameters every 5 seconds and the data backup to memory card. Findings are that actual scenarios of heat load on the workers significantly differ from the calculated ones. Mathematic models of relationships between air temperature and skin temperature were obtained and helped to play various scenarios of the workers’ presence in “heat” zones and evaluate them according to criteria of weighted average and maximal skin temperature. Results are thatoCcupational conditions of workers engaged into underground oil thermal mining necessitate specification and implementation of preventive measures and improved regulatory support, concerning creation of safe microclimate parameters.

Features of work schedule in continuous technologic processes necessitate study of its influence on vegetative functions dynamics, to develop early diagnostic measures and prevention of health disorders. The examination covered 22 males exposed to occupational hazards at work schedule including night shifts; average age 35,3±4,1 years, average length of service 10,2±3,1 years. The reference group included 28 males with analogous occupations and work conditions with work schedule without night shifts; average age 37,9±3.3 years (p>0,05), average length of service 13,2±3,2 years (p>0,05). Clinical evaluation of the autonomous nervous system was performed according to standardized protocol and questionnaire of A.M. Vein. Variability of heart rhythm was assessed with software complex «Poly-Spectr–8/EX» by standard method. Findings are that the workers exposed to occupational hazards and engaged into work schedule with night shifts during 5 years demonstrate the level of vegetative regulation at rest corresponding to the physiologic one; but on exertion there is intense stress of adaptation mechanisms and significant decrease of functional resources. If length of service from 5 to 10 years, the vegetative regulation is characterized by dysbalance of adaptation mechanisms and vegetative dysfunction development; additional exertion cause overstrain sympathetic part with depletion of compensatory mechanisms. If length of service over 10 years, there is excessive involvement of sympathetic influences after orthoclinostatic test — that indicates severe strain of vegetative regulation mechanisms.

The authors evaluated influence of study conditions on adaptive resources of students mastering occupation of wood-processing machine operator (80 youths) and secretary-assistant (88 girls), aged 18 years, during practical training. The evaluation method covered regulatory adaptive resources by parameters of cardio-respiratory synchronism test with consideration of genetically determined types of higher nervous activity. The regulatory adaptive resources decreased by 65.3% in a group of less adapted students of wood-processing machine operator occupation, by 57,1% — in a group of the students with more adaptation. In the groups of secretary-assistant occupation the decrease was 29,2% and 20.5% respectively. The regulatory adaptive resources appeared to change in dependence on factors acting on the students during the practical training (maximal in wood-processing machine operators, minimal in secretary-assistants).

For early diagnosis of health disorders in workers exposed to excessive levels of phenol, the authors identified parameters of immune state, characterizing apoptosis of immune cells. The identification used contemporary method of laboratory immunologic studies including flow cytometry. Findings are that biologic media highly contaminated with phenol demonstrate statistically significant (twice; p < 0.05) decrease of transcription factor p53 expression and TNFRI cells count, as well as 1.2 times lower percentage of apoptosis-associated Annexin V-FITC+7-AAD- cells — that characterizes a course of cell death as its inhibition by apoptosis mechanism. Phenol-containing compounds when continuously incorporated into workers’ bodies transform components of cellular signal pathways and by changing ratio between pro-apoptotic and contra-apoptotic intracellular signals negatively modify survival of cells in carcinogenesis and form potential danger of malignancies.