Udokan hearth of mineral resources: factors shaping the quality of atmospheric air

. The consequences of the impact of mining and ore processing industries on atmospheric air are acutely negative. Polluted atmospheric air entails a significant environmental risk to human health. The identification of factors that negatively affect the air quality of a mining enterprise and nearby territories actualizes the problem under consideration. The object of the study is the territory of the Udokan hearth of mineral resources. The subject of the study is the factors that shape the quality of atmospheric air. The purpose of the study is to analyze the negative effects of the main factors determining the ecological state of atmospheric air in the conditions of the Udokan hearth of mineral resources. The methodological basis of the research is the complex, structural, factual principles and approaches. The work uses general research methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization), as well as private scientific - factor analysis, which is understood as a method of complex and systematic study of the interaction of factors on the magnitude of performance indicators. The main factors shaping the ecological situation of the study area are identified: climatic, qualitative and quantitative indicators of polluting emissions. The necessity of constant monitoring of the state of the atmosphere for the development and implementation of a set of measures to reduce the negative impact of polluting emissions into the atmosphere is justified. Conclusions. The practical uniformity of the chemical composition of harmful emissions during the implementation of the main technological processes of mining and mining processing industries makes it possible to develop preventive measures to minimize the negative consequences of the development of mineral deposits in the mine atmospheric space.


Introduction
Environmental problems of humanity are always in the sphere of activity of international organizations (UN, UNESCO, etc.), as well as in the sphere of attention of the world and domestic scientific communities.Understanding of their significance and importance is reflected in the activities of the federal and regional authorities.When developing regulatory environmental documents, Russia has always relied on one of the most important principles of human rights and freedomsthe right to a favorable environment.The main environmental law of the Russian Federation "On Environmental Protection" [13] also declares other fundamental principles of respect for human rights and freedoms, in particular, ensuring favorable conditions for human life; presumption of environmental danger of planned economic and other activities.
According to UN documents, the greatest environmental danger to humanity comes from air pollution.The smallest (0.001...2.5 microns) particles of atmospheric pollutants found in the air at a concentration of 55.5...150.4 µg/m³ are considered harmful to human health and provoke the occurrence of many diseases.
In the said Russian law, atmospheric air is one of the inexhaustible components of the natural environment.Like many other natural components of the environment, atmospheric air has enormous potential for self-purification, one of the types of which is the dispersion of dust and gaseous pollutants in the atmosphere by air flows.Under favorable climatic conditions, this leads to a significant reduction in the concentration of air pollutants at the point of their origin and distribution.
The industrialization of various branches of production, the involvement of undeveloped and underdeveloped north-eastern territories of Russia in the economic turnover, entails significant pollution of the atmosphere and a change in its qualitative composition, often covering large areas.Any production leaves a negative mark on the environment; mining is one of the leading ones.Emissions from enterprises do not go unnoticed.Substances remain in the air, they combine with each other, forming new harmful compounds, and fall out in the form of precipitation (for example, acid rain, snow, hail, fog), creating new problems for the environment.A typical example of this is the intensive industrial involvement in the economy of the state of the northern region of the Trans-Baikal Territory -the Charsky mining region.
The relevance of research.Atmospheric air is the most important resource of the human environment; without it, biological life is impossible.The most terrible human diseases are associated with polluted air: strokes, heart attacks, lung and respiratory diseases, and cancer.
The consequences of the impact of ore mining and ore processing industries on the atmospheric air are acutely negative.Polluted atmospheric air entails a significant environmental health risk not only for mining workers, but also for residents of nearby communities.Every year, 6.5...7 million people die prematurely due to causes related to air pollution, of which more than half a million are children under 5 years of age [16].Therefore, the identification of factors that negatively affect the air quality of the territory of a mining enterprise and nearby areas, the development of preventive measures to protect atmospheric air and minimize the adverse effects of pollution actualizes the problem under consideration.
The object of study is the territory of the Udokan source of mineral resources.
The subject of the study is the factors shaping the quality of atmospheric air.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the negative impacts of the main factors that determine the ecological state of atmospheric air in the conditions of the Udokan source of mineral resources.
The main task is to identify the main factors influencing the ecology of atmospheric air in the study area.
The methodological basis of the study is integrated and factual principles and approaches.The principle of factual support for research is that the research must be built on a reliable factual basis, where facts are selected according to certain criteria and characteristics, in particular, the principle of sufficiency of facts for generalization, analysis or formulation of conclusions.In modern research activities, facts are the basis of evidence, the empirical basis of research.
These principles are widely used in studying the environmental consequences of air pollution.Fundamental publications on geoecology include the works of B.I. Kochurov [9], G.N. Golubev [4].A review of modern literature on the impact of the mining industry on the environment is given in [2].Research in particular areas related to mining production is given in works [1, 3, 7-8, 10, 14].

Materials and methods
In preparing the article, general research methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and specific scientific methods (factor analysis, which identifies factors that complexly affect the quality of atmospheric air) are used.

Results and Discussion
In the context of the article, atmospheric pollution refers to a qualitative change in its composition as a result of the presence of harmful impurities in it associated with the development of mineral deposits.By origin, it is physical pollution (suspensions of dust and solid particles) and chemical (various gases and aerosols).
The subject of discussion of the article is not natural sources of air pollution that arise in nature without human intervention -volcanoes, forest, steppe, peat fires, dust storms, etc.The study area is the Udokan center of mineral resources, which is part of the priority development area (TOP) of the Trans-Baikal Territory "Chara Territorial Mining and Metallurgical Complex".Administratively, the territory belongs to the Kalarsky district in the north of the Trans-Baikal Territory.The core of the Udokan focus is the Udokan copper ore deposit (proven reserves of more than 1.3 billion tons), which is of global importance.The same focus includes unique deposits of vanadium-containing titanomagnetite ores (Chineiskoye) and rare metal (tantalum, niobium, chromium, zirconium, thorium) ores (Katuginskoye), as well as a number of other mineral deposits (Figure 1).The territorial concentration (25...50 km) of such deposits, together with the nearby Apsatsky deposit of high-quality hard coal with reserves of over 2 billion tons, provides favorable preconditions for the creation of powerful mining and metallurgical production.A section of the Baikal-Amur Mainline passes through the territory of the Chara Basin.It is adjacent to the non-public Chara-China railway line, built to support production processes during the development of the Chineyskoye field.
The subject of discussion of the article is the factors shaping the ecological situation of the territory, in particular, climate, qualitative and quantitative indicators of polluting emissions.
The climatic factor plays a very significant role in the lives of people and production processes in the northern regions of the country; an example is the specific natural features of the Chara Basin.As follows from Figure 2, the "wind rose", constructed based on the results of three years of observations [15], has predominantly east-northeast and southwest directions.The long axis of the basin (Figure 1) is close to this orientation of the "wind rose", i.e., a significant part of the deposits of the Udokan source of mineral resources falls within the sphere of influence of the wind.Data averaged over four years (2020-2023) [17], giving an idea of the prevailing wind directions along the main directions of the territory of the Udokan field, are presented in Table 2 and in Figure 3.They illustrate the almost mono-westerly wind direction during the winter months combined with prevailing calm.In the summer months, a minor northwesterly component is added to the westerly direction with noticeably fewer windless periods.It should be noted that the predominance of calm weather in winter can contribute to the formation of smog, a phenomenon quite well known and described.This state of the atmosphere is formed in calm, cloudy, foggy weather, in which pollution creates "heavy" positively charged ionic complexes with water vapor and "press" to the surface of the Earth, where very high concentrations of them can form.
In table Table 3 provides information that gives an idea of the average annual prevailing wind direction at the Rudny site of the Chineyskoye deposit.Such climatic indicators of the field area as maximum and minimum air temperatures, respectively +15.1 and -25.0 o C, and average wind speed (7.0 m/s) with a frequency of exceeding no more than 5% allow us to obtain a holistic picture of the climate territory of the Chineyskoye field.If we compare this information with Figure 4, then we can say that the predominant west-southwest wind direction does not pose an environmental hazard to the populated areas of the Chara Basin.
The next most important factor that plays a significant role in shaping the quality of atmospheric air is the composition of polluting emissions and their quantity during the development of deposits: blasting, ditching, construction of turning areas, drilling operations, construction of access roads, construction of power lines, loading and unloading operations and etc.One of the leading places in this is occupied by large-scale blasting operations, when 100 or more tons of explosives can explode simultaneously.With such an explosion, the dust and gas cloud reaches a height of up to 300 m in 1 minute or less, its volume can be 20 million m 3 or more.It can spread over a distance of more than 20 km from the quarry, especially in the dominant direction of the "wind rose".
An idea of the amount of pollutant emissions into the air during blasting of overburden rocks at the site "Rudny" of the Chineyskoye deposit is given by the data given in Table .4. An idea of the qualitative composition of atmospheric air pollutants for the main types of mining operations during the development of deposits in the study area is given in Table 5.The most diverse set of air pollutants is produced by the beneficiation of minerals, however, other types of work associated with various stages of development of the deposit, in terms of the number of emissions, the intensity of pollutant release, and the volume of polluting space, significantly exceed the beneficiation process and, naturally, in the overall negative impact on the environment.
One of the leading places in this is occupied by large-scale blasting operations, when 100 or more tons of explosives can explode simultaneously.With such an explosion, the dust and gas cloud reaches a height of up to 300 m in 1 minute or less, its volume can be 20 million m 3 or more.It can spread over a distance of more than 20 km from the quarry, especially in the dominant direction of the "wind rose".
Transport work carried out by rail and heavy-duty dump trucks is practically not inferior to blasting work in terms of the degree of impact on the atmospheric air.Vehicles also include a variety of mining equipment -excavators, tractors, front-end loaders, bulldozers, motor graders, etc.The predominant diesel traction of heavy-duty vehicles can release 1.961 kg of CO into the atmosphere every hour; 8.6 kg NOx; 0.804 kg CH; 0.225 kg C [6].The movement of vehicles, as well as the operation of quarry equipment, is accompanied by the release of large amounts of dust, which spreads over tens of kilometers.
Of the five main air pollutants identified by WHO specialists [5], Table .5 only one is missingozone (O3).
A brief description of air pollutants generated during open-pit mining gives an idea of the degree of their impact on the human body:  CO (carbon monoxide) is odorless and colorless, but is toxic to humans: it quickly penetrates the blood and "displaces" oxygen.In high concentrations it can cause death. SO2sulfur dioxidea colorless gas, poisonous in its pure form. NO and NO2 are nitrogen oxides, their emissions are considered one of the main causes of the formation of photochemical smog.Nitrogen dioxide is a poisonous yellow-brown gas, even "diluted" it irritates the respiratory tract, mucous membranes of the eyes, skin and has a general toxic effect. Dustfinely dispersed (2.5...10 microns) solid suspended aerosol particles.Experts consider dust to be the most harmful pollutant in terms of prevalence in the environment and health effects.WHO suggests that the average annual content of small particles in the air (2.5 microns) be considered normal -up to 5 micrograms/m 3 .In table Table 6 shows, as an example, the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) and hazard classes of some air pollutants [11].⁎ average daily maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances in the air; ⁎⁎ maximum one-time maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances in the air; MPCs.s.a concentration that, under conditions of indefinitely long round-the-clock inhalation, does not have a harmful effect on humans (generally toxic, carcinogenic, etc.); MPCm.r.a concentration that should not cause reflex reactions in the human body (sense of smell, light sensitivity of the eyes, etc.) during short-term exposure to the pollutant (within 20 minutes).
A factor that helps reduce the negative consequences of air pollution is constant monitoring (monitoring) of the state of the atmosphere [12].Without organizing such observations, work on the development of deposits cannot be carried out.Systematic receipt of operational information on the concentration of pollutants in the air is based on the introduction of automated systems for monitoring atmospheric air quality.The entire monitoring system is aimed at obtaining objective information about the quality of the air environment, developing and implementing appropriate environmental protection measures.
For this purpose, an inventory of the main sources of emissions was carried out at the considered objects of the Udokan source of mineral resources -the Udokan and Chiney deposits.In accordance with methodological guidelines and regulatory documentation, systematic calculations of the volume of pollutant emissions from sources and calculations of surface concentrations are carried out at the Medny site of the Udokan deposit and the Rudny site of the Chiney deposit.The basis for the calculations are meteorological characteristics that determine the conditions for the dispersion of pollutants in the atmospheric air and maps of the dispersion of pollutants.Calculations of the dispersion of harmful impurities were made for the period of maximum equipment load.Increased attention is paid to periods of particularly unfavorable meteorological conditions (calm layer below the source, fog, unfavorable wind direction), when the maximum concentration of impurities in the surface layer of the atmosphere is predicted.
Control over emissions of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere is carried out by a special service of the enterprise in accordance with the emission control plan-schedule.The responsibility of the environmental engineer in terms of the atmosphere is to maintain primary accounting forms, compile statistical reporting in Form 2 TP air (once a quarter), and calculate payments for actual emissions annually.
The above allows us to note that the management of companies developing deposits in the Chara Basin has a deep understanding of the importance and necessity of the measures taken to control air pollution.

Conclusion
Atmospheric air is a basic and vital element of the human environment.The most terrible human diseases are associated with polluted air: strokes, heart attacks, lung and respiratory diseases, and cancer.
The study, based on factual and statistical information, identified factors that shape atmospheric air quality.The territorial uniqueness and natural features of the Chara Basin, where the deposits of the Udokan source of mineral resources are located, made it possible to substantiate the climate factor as the most important, determining the conditions for air pollution in the territory.Other important factors that play a significant role in shaping the quality of atmospheric air are the composition of polluting emissions and their quantity emitted during the development of deposits.
The practical homogeneity of the chemical composition of harmful emissions in the processes of quarrying, ore beneficiation and the functioning of infrastructure support for mining industries makes it possible to develop preventive measures that help minimize the negative consequences of the impact of quarry mining on the mine atmospheric space.
Taking preventive measures to protect atmospheric air and minimize them in the event of adverse consequences from pollution necessitates the formation of an effective atmospheric air quality management system.

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.Udokan hearth of mineral resourcesof the north-east of Russia.Landscape-wise, the study area is confined to the Chara Basin, located between two ridges: Kodar with pointed peaks and canyon-like slopes from the north and Udokan with flat domed peaks from the south.The maximum absolute elevations on the area of the Udokan deposit are 1800...2100 m and the minimum -1200...1300 m.The climate of the

Table 1 .
Climatic indicators of the territory of the Chineyskoye field.

Fig. 4 .
Fig. 4. The territorial location of the Udokan and Chinaisky deposits and settlements of the Charskaya basin.

Table 3 .
The average annual prevailing wind direction in the Rudny section of the Chinaisky deposit, % by main points.

Table 4 .
Quantitative emissions of pollutants during the production of multiple explosions.

Table 5 .
Qualitative composition of atmospheric air pollutants.

Table 6 .
Maximum permissible concentrations and hazard classes of air pollutants.