Hygiene and Sanitation

Introduction. Growing progress in scientific research into the impact of water pollution on public water supplies has necessitated continuous improvement in the methodology for developing standard values for new influencing factors and water use conditions, an assessment of which is the subject of this publication.

Materials and Methods. The study’s materials included publications and the results of own research on the hygienic regulation of chemicals in water bodies used for domestic and drinking water, the hygienic aspects of seawater desalination and the preparation of drinking water, as well as regulatory and methodological documents in the field of water hygiene.

Results. The article presents such main scientific achievements in the field of drinking water hygiene as development of coefficients of species-specific differences in laboratory animal health parameters during extrapolation of experimental data to humans, modern histomorphological, biochemical, and genetic methods and various functional loads on experimental animal bodies during toxicological studies, additional criteria for assessing drinking water quality, a six-stage scheme for standardizing essential elements, new biophysical indicators of drinking water quality, hygienic requirements for local systems of additional purification and disinfection of drinking water. Innovative proposals for the scientific substantiation of hygienic requirements for water with a limited purpose of use – domestic and domestic – are outlined, as well as an algorithm for taking into account the proportional contribution of uncertainty factors of its chemical composition in the hygienic assessment of the chemical safety of drinking water quality.

Limitations. The study is limited to the characteristics of water used for domestic and drinking water and domestic water use.

Conclusion. An analysis of the achievements of scientific research on the hygienic standardization of drinking water quality demonstrated its high effectiveness and determined the feasibility of further promising research in this area outlined in the article.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require the approval of a biomedical ethics committee.

Contribution:
Rakhmanin Yu.A. – study concept and design, writing, editing;
Sinitsyna O.O. – material collection and data processing, writing, editing;
Egorova N.A. – material collection and data processing, illustrations;
Turbinsky V.V. – material preparation and data processing;
Alekseeva A.V., Ryzhova I.N. – material collection and data processing;
Kuz N.V. – material collection and illustration;
Kochetkova M.G. – illustration.
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.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: December 10, 2025 / Revised: December 16, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

Introduction. Drinking unsafe water leads to the development of certain viral infectious diseases. The World Health Organization (2022) has identified the role of water in the transmission of Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Norovirus, and other viruses.

The aim of the work is to study the contamination of various types of waters with pathogenic viruses as a microbiological risk factor for intestinal infections.

Materials and methods. During 2014–2023, as part of control and preventive measures, samples (n=4,458,116) of centralized and decentralized water supply, surface water bodies, and wastewater were taken in all Russian Federation regions. Contamination of water with intestinal infection viruses and coliphages was determined by nucleic acid amplification (MANC) (Rotavirus, Adenovirus F, Norovirus, Astrovirus, Enterovirus), serological (hepatitis A) and cultural methods (Enterovirus, coliphages). Linear regression analysis was used to assess the possible relationship between water contamination factors and prevalence.

Results. The as detected higher detectability of nucleic acids of viruses compared to coliphages in disinfected water (p<0.05); higher virus contamination of non-centralized water compared to centralized water supply and surface water (p<0.05); decreased contamination of surface water with rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A virus, enterovirus, coliphages compared to with waste water (p<0.05). Contamination of centralized water supply and surface reservoirs affected the incidence of rotavirus infection (R²=0.56–0.59); non-centralized water supply affected the incidence of viral hepatitis A (R² =0.56).

Limitations. When studying the incidence in the Russian population in the transmission waterway, official statistical data for 2014–2023 were used, which is a sufficient reference sample.

Conclusion. The results of the study indicate the need to introduce additional disinfection technologies and diagnostic tests to determine the infectivity of viruses. The inclusion in monitoring programs of direct detection of Rotavirus for surface and underground water supply sources and HCV for non-centralized water supply in regions with an increased level of viral diseases will allow timely implementating of preventive measures.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require the submission of an opinion from the biomedical ethics committee or other documents.

Contribution:
Badamshina G.G. – research concept and design, material collection and processing, statistical data processing, text writing, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Trukhina G.M. – research concept and design, text writing, editing, approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article;
Fatkhutdinova L.M. – writing the text, editing, approving the final version of the article;
Poptsova E.A. – collection and processing of the material; approval of the final version of the article;
Gafarova L.F. – collection and processing of material; statistical data processing.

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

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: October 31, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

Introduction. The soils of the Murmansk region are experiencing intense anthropogenic stress caused by the activities of mining and metallurgical enterprises, ship repair, and energy. This leads to the formation of profoundly transformed soil landscapes polluted with heavy metals and persistent organic compounds. The specifics of the region, including harsh climatic conditions, low buffer capacity and organic matter poverty of local soils, contribute to the long-term preservation and accumulation of pollutants, which creates increased risks to public health.

The purpose of the study is to carry out a hygienic assessment of the soil quality of populated areas with a ranking of the territories according to the degree of chemical hazard based on the results of field studies performed in the closed administrative-territorial entity (CATE) Alexandrovsk, Murmansk region.

Materials and methods. In 2025, thirty soil samples were taken in various functional zones on the territory of the CATE the Alexandrovsk settlement in the Murmansk region. The studies were conducted in an accredited laboratory in accordance with the requirements of SanPiN 1.2.3685–21, SanPiN 2.1.3684–21, MU 2.1.7.730–99. The assessment of the level of chemical pollution was carried out by the concentration coefficient (CC) and the total pollution index (Zc).

Results. Systemic excess of hygienic standards (MPC/ODC) for the content of heavy metals (copper, nickel, lead, zinc) and benz(a)pyrene was found in all selected soil samples. Soil contamination with substances of the 1^st hazard class (lead, zinc, benz(a)pyrene) is assessed as very severe, and of the 2^nd hazard class (copper, nickel) as severe. The total Zc pollution index was: Olenya Guba – 11 (acceptable), Polyarny – 38.3 (dangerous), Gadzhievo – 45.25 (dangerous), Snezhnogorsk – 60.1 (dangerous). The category of soil pollution in the territory of BUT is assessed as “dangerous”, with the exception of the locality of Olenya Guba (“permissible”).

Limitations are related to the fact that the studies were conducted on soils selected from one territory located in the Murmansk region, with a developed nuclear and chemical industry, and did not affect territories with other sources of pollution.

Conclusion. The identified very strong and severe chemical contamination of the soils of the populated areas of CATE Alexandrovsk, especially with substances of the 1^st hazard class, creates real risks to public health, which requires the development of measures to reduce anthropogenic pressure and strengthen environmental monitoring.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require the submission of a conclusion from the biomedical ethics committee or other documents.

Сontribution:
Evseeva I.S. – concept and design of research, collection of material and data processing, writing, editing;
Ushakova O.V. – concept and design of research, writing, editing;
Ibragimova S.Sh. – collecting material and data processing, writing text, editing;
Yudin S.M. – research concept, editing.
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 the absence of obvious and potential conflicts of interest in connection with the publication of this article.

Funding. The research was carried out within the framework of the state assignment.

Received: November 17, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

Introduction. With the adoption of Federal Law No. 306-FZ of August 8, 2024, “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation,” hospital waste management was integrated into the federal waste management system. However, a closer analysis of certain provisions and their correlation with the practical work of medical institution has raised new questions.

Objective. To analyze regulatory changes and identify new uncertainties that could impact on the practical work of medical institution and the environment.

Material and methods. The provisions of the new law were analyzed in relation to issues related to the practical work of medical institutions, as well as ensuring the environmental and sanitary-epidemiological safety of waste management.

Results. A number of uncertainties have been identified, relating to both specific waste management issues (responsibility for developing environmental documentation and its practical implementation) and broader issues, such as environmental safety (the possibility of further processing of Class A medical waste and the consequences of certain waste from medical institutions being classified as municipal solid waste, even though they are not, by definition, municipal solid waste) and sanitary and epidemiological safety (the lack of priority given to hardware-based treatment methods over physical impact methods). These uncertainties stem from insufficient legislative development of certain issues and provisions (the delineation of responsibilities for ensuring environmental requirements, the clarity of terminology, and the impossibility of legitimately defining hazard classes and issuing certificates by either a medical institution or a regional solid municipal waste management operator).

Conclusion. The identified uncertainties lead to a lack of clear understanding of certain aspects of medical waste management. Their elimination requires a consolidated decision by several government agencies regulating both medical waste management and its production and consumption.

Contribution:
Balakaeva A.V. — the concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, statistical processing, writing a text;
Skopin A.Yu. — collection and processing of material, writing a 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.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: November 18, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

Introduction. The relevance of this study is determined by the need for a scientific basis to support decision-making aimed at achieving the Russian Federation’s national goal of increasing life expectancy (LE) to 78 years by 2030 through the management of sanitary and epidemiological well-being.

The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive hygienic analysis to substantiate tools for supporting managerial decisions in the field of sanitary and epidemiological well-being.

Materials and methods. Data obtained from 85 regions of the Russian Federation for the period 2010–2023 were analyzed. Methods employed included regression analysis, econometric analysis, neural network modeling, cascade modeling, and GIS technologies.

Results. A strong association was identified between urbanization rates and life expectancy (LE) (R² = 0.71; r = 0.84). Significant regional differentiation in LE was established, reaching up to 12.8 years. The primary risk factors were identified as ambient air pollution, drinking water contamination, food pollution, and soil contamination. In 2024, the control, surveillance, and preventive activities of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) prevented an estimated 33.9 thousand deaths and 4.56 million cases of the disease. The economic efficiency of these activities was calculateeighty five at 18.5 RUB per 1 RUB invested. A forecasted deficit in LE growth by 2030 was estimated at 3.06 years. However, the potential growth in LE due to the projected trend in influencing factors by 2030 is 2.1 years. The maximum potential growth from the complete elimination of associated cases attributable to sanitary-epidemiological factors is 3.8 years. The achievable target levels of LE by 2030 across regions were demonstrated, with a projected range from 92.3% to 100.9% of the goal. A prototype for a “digital twin” model of a Russian region was proposed as a tool to support managerial decision-making.

Limitations. This study relied on official statistical data; consequently, inaccuracies in the precision of regional estimates and forecasts are possible. The predictive models are based on retrospective data, and their results are susceptible to the influence of changing external conditions.

Conclusion. Managerial decisions in the field of sanitary and epidemiological well-being play a crucial role in achieving LE targets in Russia. This underscores the necessity of developing and implementing targeted, evidence-based strategies that account for the specificities of specific Russian regions.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study did not require the conclusion of a biomedical ethics committee or other documents (the study was performed using publicly available official statistics).

Contribution:
Zaitseva N.V., Alekseev V.B., Kleyn S.V. – concept and design of the study, editing, approval of the final version of the article;
May I.V., Kiryanov D.A. – writing text, editing, approval of the final version of the article;
Glukhikh M.V. – collection and processing of material, statistical data processing, and writing text.
All authors are of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

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

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: November 20, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

A risk-based approach to the monitoring of undesired substances in food products assumes the number of tests conducted for a given contaminant to be proportional to its potential health hazard and to the frequency of detections above the maximum level. One variant of the risk-oriented approach involves the use of dedicated algorithms whose core element is the ranking of individual compounds or groups of substances by their priority for inclusion in monitoring. This ranking is performed by assigning scores based on the criteria mentioned above, as well as additional criteria, followed by calculating and comparing overall scores. The details of national monitoring systems are generally not publicly disclosed, and therefore only a few such algorithms are described in open access.

The article presents a comparative analysis of the algorithms developed by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Abbott Nutrition (USA), the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM), the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain of Belgium (AFSCA), as well as the algorithm developed by the Russian State Center for Animal Feed and Drug Standardization and Quality.

The reviewed algorithms cover residues of veterinary medicinal products and contaminants (both individual substances and contaminant groups) in raw materials, finished products, and food ingredients. Some algorithms assign scores based on a general “health hazard” criterion, while others rely on specific values such as the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and other health-based guidance values (HBGVs). Certain schemes additionally incorporate criteria related to population exposure to contaminants through food.

The main advantage of these algorithms lies in providing a clear scientific rationale for monitoring plans, whereas their drawbacks include the subjectivity of scoring and, in some cases, methodological complexity requiring the consideration of large volumes of data. The degree to which such algorithms have been practically implemented remains unknown; however, this approach undoubtedly serves the primary goal of national monitoring – protecting public health.

Contribution:
Makarov D.A. – search and analysis if the literature, writing of the manuscript, composing of the Russian State Center for Animal Feed and Drug Standardization and Quality algorithm. The author is 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.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: November 26, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026

Anniversaries and commemorations of hygiene and sanitation in 2026