This was found out by the experts at the National Academy of Sciences and the OSCE Yerevan Office, examining the environment of Kapan and Kajaran.
The environment of people living in the communities of Kapan and Kajaran in the region of Syunik poses a serious threat to human health.
Scientists at the Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, along with experts from the OSCE Yerevan Office, have been making a research for four year already and have found out that the concerns of the residents of Syunik have actually serious grounds. These settlements, along with their surroundings, having considerable resources of metal, also bear unpleasant consequences of extracting natural resources. As a result of everyday research of both institutions’ experts, heavy metals were found, which dangerous for all living organisms in the air, water and ground. Let us mention that heavy metals are those, the atomic volume of which exceeds that of iron in Mendeleev’s Period Table of Elements. However, in the popular science, heavy metals are considered as most dangerous metals – those are lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and chromium.
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The danger is more tangible in the soil covering the tailings and in the water flowing from the tailings. There are fruit and vegetable gardens and pastures in the mentioned places, where hundreds of domestic animals pasture. Farms also unavoidably contact with the tailings and the water flowing from them in their everyday lives. As a result, heavy metals penetrate human organism through ground, water and air. Armen Saghatelyan, the director of the center, says that besides main minerals, there are secondary elements (economically less valuable substances) in those settlements and their surroundings. According to Mr. Saghatelyan ores contain small amounts of those and they are highly bioaccumulative.
Moreover, getting rid of the ores, they actively move in the ground and water and penetrate plants, forming supernormal densities. The researches also found out that all crops grown there contain mercury, arsenic and nickel at supernormal densities, which means that heavy
metals have penetrated the food chain. In experts’ words, from here heavy metals “visit” milk and meat, after which they penetrate into human organism. After the penetration of those substances, human doesn’t feel their impact at the first stage. There is no mechanism of getting rid of those in the nature. Specialists assure that heavy metals, penetrating organism, disrupt biochemical balance. This refers to the necessary balance of metals in the organism.
For example, dangerous change in proportions of zinc and mercury may cause cancer and mutations.
According to Armen Saghatelyan, heavy metals exist not only in Kapan and Kajaran, but also in all those places, where mining industry is spread.
Experts at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia have been making reports on heavy metals to the officials of local administrations and dozens of NGOs for more than four years, they have alerted the Cabinet, but no one has responded so far.
ARAMAYIS GHAZARYAN
