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“The drying up of the Aral Sea has been described as one of the most staggering environmental disasters of the 20 th century.“. ___________________________________________________________________.

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  1. “The drying up of the Aral Sea has been described as one of the most staggering environmental disasters of the 20th century.“ ___________________________________________________________________ Giles F S Wiggs; Sarah L O'Hara; Johannah Wegerdt; Joost van der Meer; et al: The dynamics and characteristics of aeolian dust in dryland Central Asia, The Geographical Journal; Jun 2003; 169 (2), 142-157

  2. Over the last 40 years, over 36,000 km2 of the former seabed have been exposed. This created a potentially significant dust source. ________________________________________________________________ Giles F S Wiggs; Sarah L O'Hara; Johannah Wegerdt; Joost van der Meer; et al: The dynamics and characteristics of aeolian dust in dryland Central Asia, The Geographical Journal; Jun 2003; 169 (2), 142-157

  3. International Journal of Epidemiology 2007;36:1103–111 Bennion P. et al: The impact of airborne dust on respiratory health in children living in the Aral Sea regiony

  4. “The massive decline of the Aral Sea represents one of the worst examples of human mismanagement of the environment. “ ___________________________________________________________________ Bennion P. et al: The impact of airborne dust on respiratory health in children living in the Aral Sea regiony International Journal of Epidemiology 2007;36:1103–111

  5. The massive decline of the Aral Sea represents one of the worst examples of human mismanagement of the environment. Since the 1960s, the rivers feeding the Aral Sea have been overexploited for irrigation and the sea has lost 80% of its volume and now covers only a third of its former area . This has created a new dust source and a marked increase in local dust storm activity.

  6. A recent survey in Karakalpakstan has revealed that ‘self-rated health’ is poor, with many people citing the ecological disaster as the main causal factor. _______________________________________________________________ Crighton EJ, Elliott SJ, Upshur R, Van der Meer JWM, Small I. The Aral Sea disaster and self-rated health. Health & Place 2003;9:73–82.

  7. Other studies in the Aral Sea region have revealed a high prevalence of multidrug resistant tuberculosis, anaemia and renal tube dysfunction. _____________________________________________________ Cox HS, Orozco JD, Male R et al. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Central Asia. Environ Health Perspect 2004;10:865–72. 7 Kaneko K, Chiba M, Hashizume M et al. Renal tubular dysfunction in children living in the Aral Sea region. Arch Dis Child 2003;88:966–68. 8 Hashizume M, Shimoda T, Sasaki S et al. Anaemia in relation to low bioavailability of dietary iron amongst school aged children in the Aral Sea region, Kazakhstan. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2004;55:37–43.

  8. Karakalpakstan is located to the south of the Aral Sea, and since the prevailing winds in the region come from the northeast and northwest, the people living in this region are those most exposed to ecological disaster. The airborne dust deposition rates in eastern Turkmenistan, an area which borders Karakalpakstan, are amongst the highest in the world.

  9. The two papers attached in the block on air pollution and health provide information obtained in the scientific studies of this subject by a group of international researchers

  10. REFERENCES: Giles F S Wiggs; Sarah L O'Hara; Johannah Wegerdt; Joost van der Meer; et al: The dynamics and characteristics of aeolian dust in dryland Central Asia, The Geographical Journal; Jun 2003; 169 (2), 142-157 Polly Bennion, Richard Hubbard, Sarah O’Hara, Giles Wiggs, Johannah Wegerdt, Sarah Lewis, Ian Small, Joost van Impact of airborne dust on respiratory health in children living in the Aral Sea region, International Journal of Epidemiology 2007;36:1103–1110

  11. Since the 1960s, the rivers feeding the Aral Sea have been overexploited for irrigation and the sea has lost 80% of its volume and now covers only a third of its former area . This has created a new dust source and a marked increase in local dust storm activity.

  12. Karakalpakstan is located to the south of the Aral Sea, and since the prevailing winds in the region come from the northeast and northwest, the people living in this region are those most exposed to ecological disaster.

  13. The airborne dust deposition rates in eastern Turkmenistan, an area which borders Karakalpakstan, are amongst the highest in the world.

  14. We will return to the subject of the Aral Sea Disaster in the sections on “Food Production” and “Air Pollution”

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