Table 1.
Review of the Environmental and Human Health Impacts in the Region of the Aral Sea Basin
| Authors | Study area(s) | Health assessment | Environmental assessment | Findings (health) | Findings (environmental) | Study limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennion et al. (2007) | Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan | Questionnaire‐based assessment of household exposures and self‐reported respiratory health (asthma, allergic rhinitis, pneumonia) | Dust deposition rates (PM10 and PM2.5) within 5 km of study populations | Some evidence for an inverse relationship between FEV1 and dust exposure, but no significant relationship was found | Highest rates of dust deposition occurred during the summer months and in the region closest to the original shoreline | Unable to test difference between asthma and allergic rhinitis |
| Cross‐sectional study does not allow for testing for children with wheezing | ||||||
| No significant variation between PM10 and PM2.5 fractions | ||||||
| Pulmonary function (FEV1) collected via portable spirometer | ||||||
| Crighton et al. (2003) | Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan | Questionnaire‐based assessment of perceived environment, social support networks, psychosocial health, and self‐rated somatic health (general) | None | High rates of poor self‐rated health | None | Lower‐than‐expected ratings of poor health and environmental may be due to mass out‐migration from the region, leaving behind individuals who were less oncerned about these issues |
| Respondents were more likely to have poor self‐rated health if they were concerned about environmental problems and had an intermediate or higher education level | ||||||
| Indoitu et al. (2015) | Aral Sea region | None | Remote sensing observations (satellite imagery, ozone mapping spectrometry) to track frequency, size, and sources of dust storms andaerosol concentrations over the region | None | The Aral Sea dry lake bed has been a strong source of dust emissions since 2000 and has included the northern and southern desert areas as dust sources | Absence of meteorological monitoring stations on the dried Aral Sea surface |
| Dust storm frequency, composition, and structure have changed as a result of the Aral Sea desiccation process | ||||||
| Dust emissions originating from the Aralkum desert are capable of traveling hundreds of kilometers | ||||||
| Kaneko et al. (2003) | Kazalinsk District, Kazakhstan and control area | Questionnaire‐based assessment of overall health, gastrointestinal symptoms | None | Significantly higher prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms, abnormal renal labs in children living in the Aral Sea region vs. control | None | Unknown specific cause for renal tubular dysfunction found in the study area |
| Renal tubular cell injury as measured by urine sampling | ||||||
| Kunii et al. (2010) | Kazalinsk District, Kazakhstan and control area | Questionnaire‐based assessment of household exposures and respiratory symptoms (pneumonia, chest infection, wheeze) | None | Significantly higher prevalence of wheeze and restrictive pulmonary dysfunction among subjects in the Aral Sea region compared to those living farther away | None | Confounding factors related to measurement bias during questionnaire administration and weather‐related variability in pulmonary function performance |
| No significant difference for asthma or obstructive pulmonary dysfunction | ||||||
| O'Hara et al. (2000) | Eastern Turkmenistan | None | Airborne dust deposition rates (PM10) and physical/chemical composition | None | Dust deposition rates were higher in desert monitoring sites than those closer to the Aral Sea | None noted |
| At sites near irrigated areas, PM10 values were greater | ||||||
| High levels of phosphalone (organophosphate) contamination were found across sites and were highest in irrigated areas despite the cessation of pesticide spraying | ||||||
| Wiggs et al. (2003) | Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan | Questionnaire‐based assessment of household exposures and respiratory symptoms (chronic cough, wheeze, asthma) | Dust deposition rates (PM10) within 5 km of study populations | Children living closer to the former shoreline had a lower prevalence of respiratory health problems compared to main agricultural and urban areas | Summer months experienced conditions (i.e., temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns) that were conducive to increased sediment erosion and dust transport, especially in the northern portion of the study area | Likelihood that dust is not the only environmental factor that may cause changes in human health |
| Dust deposition data indicates multiple potential sources of dust | ||||||
| Pulmonary function (FEV1) collected via electronic volume‐flow spirometer | ||||||
| Monthly aggregate data may mask short‐term effects on health caused by single dust events | ||||||
| During the dusty season, deposition rates of PM10 far exceeded US EPA standards |