Environmental health impact: Atyrau region to begin large-scale scientific research
This year Atyrau region will begin large-scale scientific research of the environmental footprint on health, deputy governor Zhassulan Bissembiyev said, Qazinform News Agency reports.
He said representatives of the World Health Organization, who arrived in the region last September, and local akimat held talks and agreed to conduct medical research.
Bissembiyev revealed that the three-year action plan for WHO and akimat cooperation was developed and submitted to the WHO. According to the plan, the roadmap will be approved this February. The WHO representatives are expected to provide consultations and all the ecological research will be carried out by WHO-accredited laboratories. There are several laboratories accredited by the WHO in Kazakhstan.
One of the WHO’s partners in Kazakhstan is the Astana Medical University, whose specialists meet international standards. He noted that about 300 million tenge will be allocated from the local budget for research.
He explained that it is not yet certain which laboratory will conduct research. He stressed that strict requirements will be applied, the laboratory must hold a special license, and its staff must meet international standards.
According to Bissembiyev, in line with international standards, it is crucial to monitor water and air quality indicators over time. Therefore, environmental and medical studies will be conducted for three years in a row. The main goal is to explore the impact of oil extraction and its processing on human health. He emphasized that the issue of granting the region the status of an environmentally disadvantaged territory will only be considered after the results of the study are summed up.
