Assessment of health risks from environmental factors. 16 Years of collaboration between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), hygiene and environmental organizations in the Russian Federation: results and reflections

Environmental health risk assessment has a long history in both the United States and Russia. Risk assessment methods have arisen and developed to protect against the dangers of the forced use of tens of thousands of chemicals in the modern world. Because chemicals play such an important role, it is impossible to ban their use altogether, and the task of their safe use becomes more and more critical. With the solution of this problem, the creation of modern environmental legislation began, based on an assessment of the hazard or potential hazard associated with the impact of these substances on humans. Risk assessment has become the scientific basis for calculating exposure limits for many chemicals that pollute the environment. Since compliance with environmental legislation is costly to industry, methods have been developed. They are being improved on to quantify the burden of proof and the appropriateness of environmental quality regulation. Environmental Health Risk Assessment was first developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Russia has accumulated a great deal of practical experience in assessing environmental risks and developing appropriate methodological recommendations. Thus, the basis was created for long-term cooperation between the two countries. This article summarizes the history of such collaboration, including a joint project to disseminate practical risk assessment in Ukraine.

Contribution:

Brody M. — concept, design and writing;

Avaliani S.L. — writing and editing the text.

All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The project in Ukraine was funded by the US EPA under an agreement with the US Department of State to implement the Freedom Support Act (1992), which provided financial assistance to foreign countries. The project in Russia was also funded by the US Department of State under a financial assistance program provided to the International Science and Technology Center by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Several participating institutions in Russia and Ukraine paid for the work of their specialists involved in these projects. The study had no sponsorship.

We thank Dr Alexander Golub of the American University, who was then working for the Environmental Defense Fund; Dr Andrey Serdyuk, Director of the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology named after A.M. Marzeeva of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in Kyiv; Dr Elena (Olena) Turos, Director of the Center for Health Risk Assessment under the auspices of the Marzeev Institute; Oleg Kartavtseva and Arina Petrosyan from the Center for Health Risk Assessment in Kyiv; Dr Georgy Safonov from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow; and Angelica Shamerina and Vadim Diukanov, then at Counterpart International, Washington DC). We would also like to thank Doctors M. Kombarova, A. Radilov and V. Rembovsky from the Research Institute of Hygiene, Occupational Pathology and Human Ecology in the Leningrad Region for their technical assistance in carrying out scientific work. We are also grateful to Dr Jane Caldwell, then at the USEPA Office of Research and Development, who provided specialist training for the projects we mentioned. 

Received: October 19, 2021 / Accepted: November 25, 2021 / Published: December 30, 2021