340 



was found that the effect on the human organism of air pollution, combined with 

 extreme natural ecological factors, causes specific pathologies and an increase in the 

 incidence of somatic diseases: pneumonias, bronchitis, allergies (bronchial asthma). This 

 is also supported by the cancer morbidity and mortality statistics in Magadan. Thus 

 during the last decade, the overall cancer morbidity increased by 42.4%, and cancer of 

 the respiratory organs by 65%. Over the same period, mortality among the inhabitants 

 of Magadan from cancer of all localizations has increased by 73%, and that from cancer 

 of the respiratory organs almost doubled. 



The morbidity and mortality of the Magadan population from diseases related to 

 radioactive contamination have increased sharply. Thus during the last decade, 

 oncological morbidity related to the radiation factor has more than doubled. It should 

 be mentioned that during the same period mortality from cancer of the digestive organs 

 dropped by 15% in Magadan. 



Due to that cause, general and standardized mortality of the Magadan oblast 

 population increased, except for the rural population (males) where the standardized 

 index stabilized at the 1979 level. Among urban males, mortality from 1970 to 1986 

 increased by 31.6%, and among rural males it decreased during the same period by 6%, 

 which is linked to the increase in outmigration from rural areas, particularly by men. 



Among urban females, mortality from malignant tumors has increased by 19.4%, 

 and among rural females by 23.4%. 



Besides the migration factors, changes in mortality from malignant timiors are 

 related to environmental pollution, mainly atmospheric pollution. This is supported by 

 mortality statistics for cancer of the respiratory organs and other sites, which indicate 

 that the rate of increase in mortality from cancer of the respiratory organs is significantly 

 higher them that for other sites. 



A certain contribution was made by demographic factors of the population's aging, 

 particularly for females in rural areas, age 60 and older, for whom the established 

 mortality rate increased 12.5 times from 1970 to 1986, while for rural males of the same 

 age group it dropped by 3%. 



In comparison with other areas and the Far East as a whole, the general mortality 

 index is lower in the Magadan oblast. Thus, constantly increasing enviroimiental 

 pollution (atmospheric air) and demographic processes (changes in migration patterns 

 and the age and sex distribution of the population, particularly in rural areas), contribute 

 to present-day trends in mortality from malignant tumors in the Magadan oblast 



Comprehensive socio-ecological studies evaluating the effect of the natural and 

 anthropogenically modified environment on the hecilth of the population in Magadan 

 indicated that anthropogenic and technogenic factors do affect the hygienic and health 



