A. Kurmankozhaev, K. Kaysenov, E. A. Meyramov 
Almaty, Kazakhstan

PROBLEMS OF A NOO-ECOLOGICAL APPROACH  TO THE NORMATIVE REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

        On the basis of analysing actual valid ecological norms for pollution of environment components we have justified a noo-ecological approach to the problem of ecological limits prescribed for environmental pollution accordingly to a system of operative hygienic specifications. Examining the legitimacy of this conclusion we were considering that ecological regulations and evaluations of ecological effects of environmental pollution should have a noo-ecological basis. The rationality of noo-ecological substantiations of ecological norms proceeds from the nature and from the destination of operative hygienic specifications. The necessity of noo-ecological substantiations of ecological norms results from outcomes of numerous activities obtained by different explorers in various countries. Today many recommended criteria are known in addition to hygienic specifications.

       The analysis of operative and offered ecological norms shows that they can be aggregated in a system consisting of three groups: sanitary - hygienic, industrial - ecological and ecological - economic. The operative group is that of sanitary - hygienic specifications, designed in the form of maximum permissible concentrations and emissions of hazardous substances polluting air, soil and water objects.

The group of sanitary-hygienic specifications plays a role of a methodological basis of ecological regulation and it is the unique methodical and organizational factor permitting to determine the borders of maximum permissible impact of the man-caused environmental factors on a population health. The main specifications are – maximum permissible concentration of hazardous substances in components of environment (air, water, soil) and values of maximum permissible and temporarily agreed emissions, and the waste disposal developed on their basis. Maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of hazardous substances as the main parameter of sanitary-hygienic specifications in system of ecological regulation of pollutants is used almost worldwide. This value is a main coordinating "core" parameter of the mechanism of normative regulation of pollution when evaluating environment quality as a whole. Maximum permissible concentration in the capacity of a fundamental quantity of ecological regulation takes a dominating place in structures of design formulas of defining specifications of pollutions (MPD) (Maximum Permissible Discharge - MPD) and waste disposal in water objects (MPWD) (Maximum Permissible Waste Disposal – MPWD), and also it forms the starting basis of all ecological payments for environment pollution. MPC. Its modification by law is considered to be the norm of condition for environmental quality and it serves as a function of supervisory control of its condition. It is necessary to take into account that the actual foreign techniques of ecological regulation are based on values of maximum permissible concentration of ingredients or maximum permissible flow of these ingredients on surface. Thus the foreign techniques take into account not only primary, but also the secondary pollutants, resulting from photochemical reactions in the atmosphere.

        Alongside with maximum permissible concentration the major parameters in system of ecological norms are specifications of impact surface, which are maximum permissible discharges (waste disposal) MPD (MPWD), temporarily agreed emissions (disposal) of pollutants -  (TAE) (TAWD).

 

        As the analysis founded on calculations by a method of ultimate load in the form of sanitary-hygienic specifications of the sources illuminating the operational system of regulation of influences per capita and ambient of natural medium has shown, this system has the following limitation:

  1. There are no normalized lists of the priority controlled parameters, differentiated under concrete terrain and technical features, and also norms of influences that are safe for the man but resulting in global climate fluctuations (carbonic gas, thermal pollution, etc.).  In branch specifications there are no parameters permitting to evaluate their influence on concrete terrain, both environmental requirements to separate technologies, structures and equipment, and also the standard ecological norms regulating character and volumes of emissions and waste disposal for the different enterprises depending on applied technology.

        The problem of a complete evaluation of errors in measurements under the Technique of execution of measurements of hazardous substances and errors of definition of MPD, MPWD according to design formulas stipulated in the operational Methodical indications demands a special research. Thus the actual certainty of established norms of MPD, MPWD for different branches of products from the point of view of conceded errors in defining their initial parameters generates serious doubts and relating consequences.

  2. Now the scientific and industrial circles realize enough the considerable limitation of the existing sanitary-hygienic concept of regulation of waste disposal of pollutants in water objects, based on use of system of maximum permissible concentrations. Principal causes of this conceptual defect are: first, as the sanitary-hygienic specification value the maximum permissible concentration is directed to proofing health of the person, but does not ensure the "health" protection of water ecosystem. Thus the synergism and antagonism of different pollutants and process of accumulation by different aquatic organisms remains unaccounted. Second, the regulation of system of maximum permissible concentration becomes inconvenient and inefficient because of not less essential factors, such as a toxicity of pollutants, which depends on a concrete hydrochemical situation on which background it appears. In some cases the organic substances can slacken the toxic effect of heavy metals and in other - to increase it. Analogously the difficulty of regulating the maximum permissible concentration arises also in conditions of processes of converting pollutants in water ecosystems what includes a whole line of stages. Thus quite often the intermediate products of transformation appear more toxiferous than initial pollutants (transformation of phenols into hydroquinones, etc.). Thirdly, the majority of pollutants - though the norms of MPC for them are established - remains until now to be not safe enough as an analytical inspection method. Therefore the nature of the hygienic specification of maximum permissible concentration complicates the development of such inspection methods.

3.   The neglecting of ecosystems features at establishment and use of sanitary-hygienic norms results in originating of the considerable indeterminacy that stipulates the reduction of efficacy and certainty of the supervisory control above the environmental impact and evaluations of its condition. Alongside with it the high level of indeterminacy at use of the operational norms of MPC conditions as a rule increases the existing contradiction between a required conservation of necessary quality of natural medium in the environment and increase of economic and other resources necessary for it.

4.   At a sanitary-hygienic regulation one of essential disadvantages consists in unique only and stippling character of parametric evaluations where both general influence of different ingredients of gas emissions and accumulation of harmful ingredients during the long-lived periods of exposure are not taken into account. This defect of modern methodological evaluations arises from the substantial complexity of measurement of fields of distribution of average annual concentrations of ingredients of gas emissions. It is necessary to mark that such disadvantages are now inherent also in foreign techniques of ecological regulation of pollutants. Thus the special difficulties are provoked by impossibility and necessity of the full account of diversification of the factors defining a pollutant air level. They can be used only for some standard productions located in approximately equal conditions. Values of MPD obtained as results of stippling single measurements of concentrations of ingredients of gas emissions in different points of terrain around chemical, oil refining and other enterprises in essence represent components, i.e. they represent component structure of MPD evaluation.

5.   It is necessary to mark the actual deduction that, despite of gained experience in sphere of ecological regulation in developed countries, in scientific sphere there was no general view on formation of a unified system of normative parameters fitting for practical use in water-protection activity in all situations. Thus the increasing rate of realization of investigations directed to increase efficiency of ecological norms of pollutants on a global scale is observed. This tendency is stipulated by that fact that in conditions of increasing man impact, the increase of technogenic flows of different pollutants, intensifying of their pressure at all bio-spherical components and surface and water ecosystems becomes inevitable. First of all it is caused by unsystematic separation character of their development and frequently by mismatching of the requirements incorporated in them. It is evident that intensifying the rate of establishment of norms of maximum permissible concentration cannot meet today's demands.

6. At the operating sanitary-hygiene method of normalization of pollutants as the leading concept the logic connection between Maximum Permissible Concentration and Maximum Permissible Discharge (Maximum Permissible Waste Disposal) is set up that was formulated as ratio in which the required conditions of normalization are expressed. At that Maximum Permissible Concentration acts as the determining value, and Maximum Permissible Discharge (Maximum Permissible Waste Disposal) acts as a secondary index in the meaning that its permissible level should be determined on the basis of assessment of difference between hygiene boundary and its existing qualitative situation. The less this reserve difference is the lower the permissible level of impact should be.

        At “hygiene” approach the ultimate load is defined as maximally non-operating one, i.e. not causing deterioration of the state of recipients (the man, biological species). However there is a range of problems in practice related to definition of actual values of normative impact indices. They are particularly caused by difficulties in formation of dependence dose-effect, determining of permissible limits of measurement of ecosystem state. Essential complexities of such assessment are stipulated by ambiguity of the choice of parameters characterizing the force of impact and the qualitative situation of the ecosystem.

        At present time - as it results from the review - it becomes obvious to add natural (multiplicity of exceeding of Maximum Permissible Concentration) and social (decrease of sickness rate of population and losses of the work time) indices, not directly reflecting the change of environment quality, by the system of new normative indices. They can be summarized in the view of: 1) critical level of impact on the man, natural complexes, violation of which causes medical and biological, social and ecological consequences considered as absolutely impermissible; 2) criteria of the basic functional zones of the region: resident, recreational, industrial, agricultural, specially reserved territories (protected zones), etc. including a) ultimate permissible concentrations of pollutants in different geographical spheres, corresponding adaptive and adjusting abilities of the man in relation to probable changes in environment; b) ultimately permissible anthropogenic loads on natural complexes (landscapes); 3) dynamic and stepwise normative environmental quality indices for the separate seasons (terms) with allowance for substantial resource, technical and technological capabilities. These criteria of ecological norms are inter-related, on the first two groups flocks of ecologically allowable territorial parameters are delimited, and definition of the best panel of nature protection measures is implemented with use of criteria of socio economic efficiency of nature protection costs. At that they are amounting components of nooecology as a whole.

        The above-stated assay values of both effectiveness and acceptability of the operational ecological norms (maximum concentration limit, Maximum Permissible Discharge, Maximum Permissible Waste Disposal) with secretion of limitations inherent to them by the way not accountable diverse factors of influence not taken into account in them, can be taken into account with a sufficient completeness on the basis of methodologies of nooecological substantiations of set values of these hygienic specifications.

         The concept "nooecology" covers such directions of science as human ecology, social ecology, ecology and noosphere genesis; what to consider as the main purpose of research - the person or population - what branch of knowledge should be the key branch of development of human ecology problem. The term "nooecology" consists of noo (from the Greek) = reason, eicos (the Greek) = home, logos (the Greek) = doctrine, i.e. reasonable study of the own house. In the modern researches the human ecology is not considered separately as a scientific direction. However the socio economic reality demands placing of the man and the problem of creation of high-performance medium for his habitation in the center of research, i.e. comfort for human life. In a general comprehension the human ecology is a complex study of the man, the new trend, the interdisciplinary field of knowledge, the complex synthetic problem requiring to join gains of all scientists of different specialties. Accordingly nooecology is the science of the man of sense and search by overcoming the different ecological crises, permitting to predict the future and requiring broader collective world perception and world feeling, deeper intellection and collective reason. Nooecological researches are not only penetrated by pragmatism, but also educate civil liability for state of the environment, attitude to natural resources, attitude to the most valuable biological capital – the reasonable man. Complexity of this activity is stipulated by absence of the orderly concept of ecology of the man which would allow to create and systematically investigate the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this multicomponent and dynamic system. Transition of bioecology to reasonable life will be represented as a nooecological approach.

         If the term “bioecology” is ecology in its initial comprehension introduced by E. Häckel [1], as protective ecology, i.e. the social ecology is considered as the scientific discipline establishing relations in the system "society - nature", investigating interactions and interrelations of the human society with the nature environment.

         Now the socio economic ecology operates more widely, special complexity is produced by separating human and social ecology - their object of study is very close. The difference consists in the fact that the social ecology does not cover the biological side of the man, his autoecology and demecology as such (for example, influence of natural factors on health of the man and his population).

         In a general comprehension the social ecology includes human ecology, and in the meaning, to the contrary, this discipline is included into human ecology. The human ecology is considered as the complex discipline investigating general laws and relations of biosphere and anthroposystem influence of natural environment on the man and groups of people, ecology of the human personality and populations, including ethnic. The human ecology accentuates socio - psychological and ethnological relations of people among themselves, attitude of people to nature in which all souci-economic and natural conditions are considered as equally important components of medium of the human life ensuring his different requirements.

         The modern ecology is closely related to the moral, introducing nowadays an imminent ecological aspect in our comprehension of ideals of goods and evil, criteria of the good and the bad. The common culture, which constituent part is science and problems of ecologization of manufacture, improvement of the environment quality and education of the reasonable man, acquires special significance in life activity of people now. Education of ecological world outlook passes through all phases of education of the person - family education, social influence, enlightenment in educational institutions with the help of ecological propaganda. So, on the verge of ecology and economy economic ecology - econology emerged which is divided into economics of nature management, ecological planning and other sections.

         V.I.Vernadsky [2] marks that transformation of science, knowledge into productive force does not save mankind from foolishness, that behind each act of reason there should be the man but not technically rational anonymous device generating knowledge wherefore such a knowledge can form the basis for fallacy. He persistently repeats that biosphere passes to the "noosphere" that in life of mankind there is not any crisis but explosion of scientific ideas, an emergence of new envelope of the Earth - "noosphere". His expression is very important stating that nowadays it is impossible for natural sciences to proceed from description of physical contacts to description of contacts of nature and the man not having constructed the new onthological picture of the world, not having changed the logic and a methodology, and this new logic and methodology of natural sciences, by his judgment, has not yet been established. Natural character of judgment follows that the "noosphere" fundamentals in some aspects pass into problems of nooecology.

         From the works of significant scientists - thinkers of XIX-th and XX-th centuries the main essential fragments of science – nooecology are tracked. They stated about possible and visible stages of transition from the biosphere to the technosphere.

 

        The world is waved from contradictions and the man will always interfere with his environment to settle it for himself. All logic of development of life on the Earth has resulted in that the Man and his activity have become main factors of the biosphere evolution. Therefore the primary problem and the purpose of science of nooecology, as well as human actions, generally, are not to save the world in its primeval state but to find such forms of interaction of the Man and the Nature which would ensure joint development of biosphere and human population as its integral constituent part.

        Problems of nooecology and coevolution take the major place and will consist in developing the theory of forecasting directed development of world evolutionary process for maintenance of joint development of the man and the biosphere. At that the "co-evolution" concept is much wider than its synonym "noosphere". Matters of the ratio of requirements of the person and capabilities of biosphere of the planet are a natural problem. Human activity becomes the main "geologoformative" (and transforming) factor in development of the planet and biosphere. As a result biosphere can begin to acquire the properties which are not at all promoting development of the civilization, transition from the biosphere to the technosphere. Therefore the man should control and already has begun to control this development, reasonably to dispose of his power in order to save the conditions in favoring of the life on the planet. That results in something more - the further development of not only biosphere but also technospheres and agrosphere.

        Thus, as it comes from the above-stated, the social ecology, human ecology, socio economic ecology upon the content and problems in the complex determine and represent obviously and not obviously expressed aspects of formation of the new scientific and ecological direction - nooecology.  The process of  nooecological formation of ecological norms consists in such an approach by which the completeness of the account of all and the most diversified and equally significant factors of influence of environmental pollution on people is provided that was not achieved by the method of ultimate loads on the man, i.e. it remains not taken into account upon the technology of establishment of the operating hygiene-sanitary norms (maximum concentration limit, Maximum Permissible Discharge, Maximum Permissible Waste Disposal). At that hygienic norms take into consideration just some aspects of nooecology connected with the human factors.

 

 

Résumé                                              

 

a) The results of nooecological researches, impacts of pollutants in conditions of the object investigated are to be placed in the basis of ecological normalization of pollutants of environment; nooecological foundation of ecological norms, assessments, forecasts and ecotechnological solutions allows to increase their completeness, certainty and acceptability.

b) Development of a unified methodology of ecological normalization of environment pollutants on the basis of nooecological concept of the complex account of all major factors of impact of pollution on people allows to expand the significance, to increase efficiency and effectiveness of ecological normalization as a whole.

c) Scientific and disciplinary capacity and broad possibility of covering most
diverse factors of impact of pollution on environment inherent to nooecological approach make it more efficient and progressive in the sphere of today´s ecological methodology.

References

1.     Нäсkel Е.: Generalle Morphologie der Organismen. Berlin, 1866., Bd1.

2.     Vernadsky V.I.: Speculations of the naturalist. М., 1977. – Book 2 - pages 98-112.

3.     Vernadsky V.I.: Chemical constitution of biosphere of the Earth and its surrounding.-
М., 1965.- p.324.