[Railway use of asbestos-containing rubble: environmental hygienic aspects]. / Ekologo-gigienicheskie aspekty primeneniia asbestsoderzhashchego ballasta na zheleznykh dorogakh.

The paper presents the results of a study of the gravimetric and counting concentrations of respirable asbestos fibers while working with sand-and-crushed stone mixtures, obtained from the concentration of chrysotile asbestos, at distances of 25, 50, and 100 m from the working place, as well as in a car saloon when the electric train passes along the area of these operations following an hour, a day, and a year after the completion of work, in warm and colds seasons of a year. It is concluded that the use of asbestos-containing sand-and-crushed stone mixtures on the railway leads to a higher anthropogenic asbestos load on the population living in the railway right-of-way, on railway workers and passengers. In this connection, it is necessary to evaluate risk factors of asbestos-induced diseases among the above contingents. The authors consider that due to the fact that asbestos-containing sand-and-crushed stone mixtures are well wetted with water, followed by the formation of a firm surface crust that prevents dust formation, as well as the short duration and rare frequency of operations relating their change, it is necessary to irrigate the repair areas with water or surfactant liquids after work termination.

[Sanitary monitoring of the procedure of cleaning hopper cars after carriage of mineral fertilizers: ecological and hygienic aspects]. / Sanitarnyi kontrol' tekhnologii ochistki vagonov -- khopperov posle perevozki mineral'nykh udobrenii.

The paper presents the results of field tests of a hopper wagon after carriage of mineral fertilizers, which are further to be used for grain carriage. The tests were carried out step by steps: washings from the inner surface of the hopper wagon after carriage of mineral fertilizers in order to identify chemical substances and 12 hours after its abrasive sandblasting; washings from the inner surface, air sampling for filters and into absorbable solutions after completion of wagon blowing 2 hours after dust removal and 30 days after application of an Epovin enamel. It has been concluded that most ions as components of mineral fertilizers were found in the amounts greater than the maximum acceptable concentrations on the walls and inside the hopper wagon after mechanical cleaning of its inner surface of the wagon that carries minerals, as well as its subsequent abrasive sandblasting and blowing.

[Progress and prospects in the development of catastrophe medicine in the prevention and cleaning up of accidents caused by hazardous cargo]. / Dostizheniia i perspektivy razvitiia meditsiny katastrof v profilaktike i likvidatsii avarii s perevozimymi opasnymi gruzami.

Progress in emergency medicine in the prevention and liquidation of hazardous cargo-induced accidents is analyzed. The results of development of theoretical aspects, search for adequate individual protective means and methods for chemical decontamination of hazardous cargo residues are summarized.

[Health status of workers contacting chrysotile asbestos waste on railway objects]. / Sostoianie zdorov'ia rabotaiushchikh s otkhodami khrizotil-asbesta na ob"ektakh zheleznodorozhnogo transporta.

Asbestos dust associated with other factors induces more hazardous effects, than if acting solely. That is seen especially in women whose morbidity grows 1.5-2.0 times higher than in men of the same occupations. Further studies are recommended for better knowledge asbestos dust influence under provocative action of other hazards.

[Scientific bases of improving the regulations of hazardous cargo transportation]. / Nauchnye osnovy sovershenstvovaniia pravil perevozki opasnykh gruzov.

The authors report their experience on improvement of Rules for Transportation of Dangerous Load and related legal documents and recommendations. The materials necessitate systematic research in urgent medical care, transport hygiene, ecology and all fields forming basic science for improvement of Rules for Transportation of Dangerous Load. The article considers scientific and informational value of emergency cards escorting dangerous load (exemplified by high concentrations of hexamethylene diamine).

[Medical information system regarding the control of the results of the railroad accidents involving hazardous substances]. / Mediko-informatsionnoe obespechenie sistemy likvidatsii posledstvii avarii s opasnymi gruzami na zheleznodorozhnom transporte.

Medical and informational supply of the system liquidating the consequences of accidents concerning the dangerous railway goods was analysed. Emergency cards of dangerous railway goods were described as a new type of medical and technical information. 130 of such cards concerning 567 dangerous railway goods were published in 1984, additional prophylactic sections of emergency cards for 400 substances (goods) were published in 1991. Materials for 1,000 substances are prepared for publishing. Automatic system for information search was proved to have good prospects for the further development and putting into practice on railways.

[Hygienic and physiological aspects of evaluation of new types of protective clothing for railroad workers]. / Gigienicheskie i fiziologicheskie aspekty otsenki novykh obraztsov spetsodezhdy dlia zheleznodorozhnikov.

In the Soviet rail-road transport system, timely provision of individual protective devices was authorized by a special instruction of the Rail-Roads Transport Ministry. New materials and overalls are being introduced to adapt the individual safety measures to new labour conditions and the new chemical substances used in the rail-road transport system. Hygienic, physiological and laboratory techniques are widely used to assess the properties of new devices. The evaluating techniques and approaches used and improved in the transport industry can be applied to in other branches.