[100 years of drinking water regulation. Retrospective review, current situation and prospects].

There is considered the history of the development of legislative requirements to the regulation of the quality of drinking water in different countries and international organizations during the period from 1912 to the present time. In terms of comparative analysis there is analyzed the current state of regulatory frameworks of the Russian Federation, WHO, EU, Finland, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Japan, China, Nigeria, the United States and Canada in the field of providing favorable conditions of population drinking water use. There has been noted the significant progress in standardization of the content of the biogenic elements and chemical pollution of drinking water in the absence of uniform requirements to the composition and properties of drinking water globally, that is bound to the need to take into account the national peculiarities of drinking water supply within the separate countries. As promising directions for improving regulation of drinking water quality there are noted: the development of new standards for prioritized water pollution, periodic review ofstandards after appearance of the new scientific data on the biological action of substances, the use of the concept of risk, the harmonization of the normative values and the assessment of the possibility of introduction into the practice the one more criterion of profitableness of population water use--the bioenergetic state of the water.

[Hygienic assessment of drinking water chlorination by-products in view of multiroute exposure].

On the example of threstationary sampling points in houses of the Western Administrative District data on presence of trihalomethanes (TGM)--the main by-products of chlorination--in cold drinking and hot tap water of Moscow were analyzed. Since 'tthe middle of 2007 the concentration of chloroform and other TGM in tests of tap water were established to be defined at levels steadily below hygienic maximum concentration limits. In the performed experiments it is revealed that, despite rather low content of chloroform in water, when using a hot shower considerable receipt of substance in air of the bathing room--in the concentration exceeding average daily maximum concentration limit in atmospheric air is possible. In calculations by the three methods of chloroform doses which can influence the person in living conditions, inhalation receipt was shown to be less if compared with an peroral way (with drinking water) and absorption through skin appear and can make the greatest contribution to the general complex loading of chloroform.

[Hygienic problems of hot water supply for the population].

The paper reviews the literature on the current hygienic problems of centralized hot water supply for the population. It gives data on the types of domestic hot water used by the population in quantities and at temperatures. The paper considers the importance of meeting the standards for the temperature of hot water at the points of water pumping to prevent legionellosis and other diseases associated with the opportunistic microflora being in hot water. The possible negative effect of chlorinated water disinfection byproducts, present in hot water on the population's health is considered in detail.

[Hygienic assessment of the characteristics of centralized hot water supply in case of Moscow].

The paper considers the characteristics of domestic hot water consumption by Moscow dwellers. It gives the results of questionnaire surveys in 100 respondents aged 20-80 years about the modes and intensity of hot water use, by indicating the time and frequency of contact with hot water complaints about hot water supply. According to the authors'studies, the daily consumption of hot water per capita was 1.1-2 times greater than that of cold water; at the same time the total water use remained to be 1.3-3 times less than the Moscow standard levels. Top stationary point measurements of water temperature showed the noncompliance with its hygienic requirements: 95 of 98 hot water samples had a temperature of 5-22 degrees C less than the standard temperature (60 degrees C). A decrease in hot water temperature in the centralized hot water supply systems creates conditions for Legionella pneumophila propagation and ensures no hot water safety with regards to the possible development of Legionella pneumonia.

[Hygienic bases for listing the indicators for evaluation and control of the safety of drinking water].

The authors describe their developed methodology to draw up lists for drinking water quality control on the whole territory of the Russian Federation and at specific waterworks of its subjects. The paper considers a 4-step scheme for applying the methodology and a possibility of its use to add and shorten the lists, by keeping in mind the local sanitary situation. The proposed scheme for listing the priority substances and indicators may be regarded as the optimal solution for equalization of mutually exclusive trends in the quality control of drinking water by a sanitary service and water canals and ensures its safety to human health, reasonably focusing attention only on the minimum of actually priority substances that are individual to each water supply system.

[Red-breasted goose colonies on the Taimyr Peninsula: factors responsible for the proximity of goose nests to nests of peregrine falcons, rough-legged buzzards, and snowy owls].

Red-breasted goose colonies have been studied near Medusa Bay (73 degrees 21' N, 80 degrees 32' E), on the northwestern Taimyr Peninsula, and along the Agapa River (70 degrees 11' N, 86 degrees 15' E) down to its mouth (70 degrees 26' N, 89 degrees 13' E), in the central Taimyr Peninsula. Red-breasted geese nesting near peregrine falcons are protected by the falcons from arctic foxes; however, they are sometimes attacked by the falcons themselves. In the colonies near peregrine falcon nests, the vast majority of goose nests were situated no farther than 100 m from the falcon nest. When food is abundant, falcons protect a larger area around their nest. The distance between the falcon nest and the surrounding goose nests is inversely related to the falcon's activity. In years of higher falcon activity, falcons prevent red-breasted geese from nesting as close to their nest as in years of lower falcon activity. Additional stimuli are required for red-breasted geese to form colonies near rough-legged buzzard nests. The distance between snowy owl nests and red-breasted goose nests was smaller when arctic foxes were abundant than when they were scarce.

[Topical aspects of hot water supply to the population].

The aspects of hot water supply, which determine the safety of hot water delivered to the population, are considered. The authors underline the antiepidemic value of hot water temperature maintenance at the water pumping points of not below 60 degrees C as only this measure liably prevents water multiplication of Legionella pneumophila that induces legionellosis, a severe disease, as well as other high temperature-resistant microorganisms. The results of estimating the residential use of hot water, according to which the hot water script is diverse and accounts for as many as 17 different operations made by women and, in some cases, taken an average of 1.5 hours to the maximum of up to 4 hours a day, are given. There is a need for mandatory monitoring for the level of chloroform in the chlorine-decontaminated water supplied to the population.

[White-fronted and bean geese breeding near snowy owls, peregrine falcons, and rough-legged buzzards at the Taimyr Peninsula].

Studies were carried out in 2000-2007 near Medusa Bay (73.21' N, 80.32' E) and along the Agapa River (from 70 degrees 11', 86 degrees 15' E. down to the mouth 71 degrees 26' N, 89 degrees 13' E), in the northwestern and central parts of the Taimyr Peninsula. White-fronted goose nests are usually spread in the tundra or placed in 1-3 nest colonies near nests or staging points of snowy owls, peregrine falcons, or rough-legged buzzards. The intent of white-fronted geese to breed near birds of prey or owls increases sharply when arctic fox numbers are high. In the area near Medusa Bay, white-fronted geese nest much closer to peregrine falcon nests than in the area along the Agapa River. At the latter location, white-fronted geese lose the competition to red-breasted geese, which are more numerous here. Bean geese, in spite of their greater size and ability to protect their nests against arctic foxes, really tend to breed near peregrine falcons or buzzards, where they manage to compete with red-breasted geese.

[Methodology of harmonizing hygienic standards for water substances, and its application to improving sanitary water legislation].

The article deals with methodology of harmonizing hygienic standards in order to correct and improve Russian sanitary water legislation. This methodology allows drawing on the world experience in the field of water hygiene, which is profitable in terms of cost-effectiveness and can contribute greatly to the national legislation.

[Classification of hazards of water pollutants].

The paper considers materials on the substantiation of criteria, indices, and their gradation for a new variant of the hygienic classification of hazards of water-contaminating substances. Emphasis is placed on the significance of a ratio of the maximally inactive concentrations (MIC) in terms of the toxicological sign of harmfulness to the threshold concentrations (TC) in terms of their effects on the organoleptic properties of water and on the general sanitary regime of water reservoirs. Only two types of late effects of substances, which are of individual significance for classification, such as carcinogenicity and reproductive effects, are identified. It is stated that a class of hazard may be toughened for high-stable substances, but neither the stability nor any other indices of the potential hazard of substances is the ground for reducing their hygienic standards in water.

[Confirmation of safety and therapeutic effect of betaxolol in the treatment of mild and moderate hypertension in general medical practice].

Data on office blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate as well as information on adverse effects were collected from 148 patients with mild and moderate hypertension during 12 week treatment with long acting lipophilic selective beta-adrenoreceptor blocker betaxolol (20 mg/day). BP normalization was achieved in 72.5% and in 16.8% of patients BP was lowered more than 10% without achievement of target values. Pulse rate lowering by more than 15 beats/min occurred in 40.3% of patients. Combined therapy was required in 15.2% of patients. Adverse effects specific for the class of beta-adrenoblockers caused cessation of betaxolol therapy in 3 patients. The drug was found ineffective in 4 patients (2.7%). Thus we confirmed high clinical efficacy and good safety and tolerability of betaxolol in patients with mild and moderate hypertension.

[Biotesting drawbacks in the hygienic evaluation of sewage].

The paper considers unfavorable consequences of the use of biotesting to define the conditions of effluent discharge into water objects. Evaluation of discharge hazard by the index "no toxicity" in the biological tests has been shown to allow both safe 100-1000-fold excesses of hygienic MAC in water; routine short-term experiments on biotest objects are not informative as to the substances that have carcinogenic and other long-term and specific effects; biotesting cannot replace the existing state system of sanitary standards and regulations which remain the basis of the population's health care in the field of water hygiene and sanitary protection of water reservoirs.

[Harmonization of hygienic standards with the foreign requirements for the quality of drinking water].

The concept of and criteria for harmonization of hygienic standards with the foreign requirements for the quality of drinking water were developed. On their basis, more than 100 sanitary standards for water substances were harmonized with the WHO and EC recommendations and the USA and Canadian standards for drinking water quality. Thirty sanitary standards were corrected and 12 ones were newly established without making experimental studies, among them 18 for carcinogenic substances. The paper provides evidence for the reliability and effectiveness of the Russian sanitary standardization system as to most standardized water substances. It also presents the harmonized standard normal values included into the documents of the water sanitary legislation of Russia.

[Cytogenetic investigation of geranium plants in tissue culture]. / Tsitogeneneticheskoe issledovanie rastenii éfiromaslichnoi gerani, poluchennykh v kul'ture tkanei.

Cytogenetic study of six cultivars and six selection lines of geranium (Pelargonium spp.), as well as of 100 plants regenerated from callus cultures has been performed. The majority of cultivars and lines had somatic chromosome numbers 2n = 7x = 56. Among regenerated plants of different cultivars (Rozovaja, Dushistaja, Krunk, Aist, Regar) obtained in vitro from various types of explants (internode, petiole) 61% of diploids and 39% aneuploids were revealed. Chromosome numbers in aneuploids varied from 46 to 82, among them 25.6% regenerated plants had 2n = 72; 10.2% -2n = 68; 5.1% -2n = = 64 and 12.8% -2n = 62. Addition of colhicine to nutrient medium increased the number of aneuploid plants.

[Chlorination of water as a high hazard to human health]. / Khlorirovanie vody kak faktor povyshennoi opasnosti dlia zdorov'ia naseleniia.

The problems associated with the formation of halogen-containing compounds (HCC) during water chlorination are under consideration. It is indicated that their wide spread (in drinking and reservoir water, air, foodstuffs), the multitude of routes by which they enter the body (through the gastrointestinal tract, inspired air, and undamaged skin), their high toxicity, accumulation, and carcinogenic effects now determine the significance of HCC as a factor that constitutes a serious hazard to all contingents of the whole population of the country. Cardinal solution of the HCC-related problem is to ban chlorination of water, to expose it to UV, and to use other up-to-date safe modes of its decontamination.

[Hygienic and ecological criteria of hazards in the protection of aqueous biota]. / Gigienicheskie i ékologicheskie kriterii vrednosti v oblasti okhrany vodnykh ob"ektov.

Man is not always sensitive to toxic agents than the representative of the aqueous biota. Almost in every fifth case, human sensitivity to water pollutants is higher and that to a number of compounds is more than 100 times greater. Therefore, there cannot be unified environmental and hygienic standards and fishery and sanitary MAC of water agents should be taken apart to provide a reliable safety of human water consumption.