Ecological problems of the Sumgayit petrochemical complex

Sumgayit is an industrial center of Azerbaijan, where situated a number of large enterprises of black and color metallurgy, power, chemical and especially of the petrochemical industry. Vast economic successes was achieved here for extremely short time (1950-1965. But extensive way of development of industry in Sumgain has already resulted by intensive pollution of environment by industrial unit in the middle of 70's. It was expressed in following:
1 Industrial complex of city is characterized by the high degree of territorial concentration of industrial manufacture, what in 6 times is higher than the appropriate parameter on Àpsheron economic region (switching on Baku ). This parameters of Sumgayit are higher in comparison with many other industrial centers of the former USSR.
2 Preservation and operation on manufactures by the backward technologies. As a result it has become a plenty non-utilized collateral products and wastes,
3 Operation in plenty by physically worn out equipment and fixed capital, distinguished by unstable work, often by failures what increased unorganized and accident emissions.

Absence of consecutive work on modernization and updating of working manufactures have brought in that more than half of equipment of industrial complex is maintained more than 20 years,.
The quantity of waste waters outflows from Sumgait industrial objects to water basin of the country from 1990 till 1998 decreased from 45 up to 14 mln cubic m.. The totals of formed drains thus were made 136-421 mln cubic m..
Emissions of harmful substances to atmosphere from stationary sources has decreased from 96.5 up to 15.8 thousands tons during the year. The concentration of harmful gases in atmosphere of city exceeds allowable norm in 1.5 time for dusts and up to 2 times for oxides of nitrogen. The industry of Sumgait will be annually formed 16.5-32.3 thousand tons of toxic wastes. The most dangerous of them is dioxin. Dioxin on toxicity and force, exceeding strychnine, cyanide, zarine, is capable to collect and to remain in organic medium the long time (approximately 20 years in human). In Sumgait region the concentration of dioxin in ground makes about 0.15 mcg/kgs, that 1000 time higher than a safe level of influence.
As a result of decline of productivity of a petrochemical complex, industrial emissions to the environment in period of time from 1991 till 1998 have a little bit decreased. Despite it the concentration of these substances in the environment is rather great and continues negatively influence on the health of population, causing heavy diseases, influence on reproductive function of female bodies. Among the women working on chemical manufacture were observed premature birth (5-6 %), birth of the dead children (14-15 %). According to data of 19997 year every 111 person from each 100000 population have the oncology diseases.