N O M I N A T I O N / I N I T I A L    R E P O R T


Popov Island, Vladivostok, Russia

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress


Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Popov Island, 25 km southwest of Vladivostok lies in the Primorskii Krai Region of Russia's Far East.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
Tests conducted by scientists from the Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute revealed mercury levels that were 8 times the maximum permissible concentrations in the drinking water at Popov Island. Mercury levels still exceeded permissible levels by 2-3 times even after 80% of the pipelines were replaced.

Transmission Pathways
Water

Number of Potentially Affected People
2,500 local residents and a large number of tourists.

Health Impact of Pollutant
In general mercury affects the immune system, alters genetic and enzyme systems and damages the nervous system, including the coordination and the senses of touch, taste and sight. Elemental mercury, which is assumed to be the form contaminating the water here, causes tremors, gingivitis and excitability when vapors are inhaled over long periods of time. According to a local NGO the incidence of neurological damage in newborns has shown an increasing trend on the island but there is no direct evidence linking it to the mercury contamination.

Site Progress 
January 2005: This site was reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board.