Scientists were able to analyze how much the land where active battles were fought is polluted, and which of them cannot be restored for use.. This is stated in the study "

Research was carried out on the lands of the Olkhov community near Kharkov. Last spring, active battles were fought there, the territory was even temporarily occupied.

Scientists have come to the alarming conclusion that as a result of the fighting, part of the land of this community may be unusable..

[see_also ids\u003d"

To determine the level of pollution, scientists examined high-precision satellite images from April-May 2022, when active fighting was taking place in the community.. They tracked actions that pose a danger to the soil: troop maneuvers, the construction of fortifications or trenches, explosions and shelling. In addition, scientists conducted laboratory studies of soil samples provided by the Ukrainian military prior to the temporary Russian occupation of these territories..

The level of soil damage was determined for each site separately, taking into account the types and degree of pollution, for example, weediness of the territory.. And on the basis of this, they determined how suitable the lands are for further use and how they should be restored..

The Olkhovsky society was characterized mainly by mechanical and chemical effects..

[see_also ids\u003d"

For example, the movement of heavy machinery has compacted the soil, impairing the ability of water to penetrate into it and making it more vulnerable to erosion.. The construction of fortifications resulted in landslides, waterlogging, soil subsidence, etc.. And the formation of craters after the explosions violated the air-water regime in the soils.

Chemical Contamination – Sample analyzes showed high levels of heavy metal contamination. In particular, the level of cadmium was exceeded 5 times, zinc - 3.5 times, molybdenum - 2 times.

Fortunately, due to the characteristics of the rocks, these pollutants were of little threat to groundwater, but could pose a risk to plants..

[see_also ids\u003d"

And if food crops are grown on such lands, then heavy metals can enter the human body through food and harm their health..

It is noted that studies of the effects of such pollution on health are sporadic, but evidence of its damage already exists..

It has been proven that heavy metals can contribute to disruption of the nervous system or hematopoiesis, and some may even have a carcinogenic effect..

Heavy metal pollution can threaten pregnant women and children. Thus, due to the influence of the high content of barium, molybdenum, cobalt and cadmium in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, cases of premature birth and congenital malformations in infants have become more frequent..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Recall that earlier the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine reported that the damage to Ukraine's land resources from the war is almost 500 billion hryvnia.. According to the agency, it was recorded that as of November 30, 2022, as a result of armed aggression, more than 291 million square meters were polluted and more than 8 billion square meters of Ukrainian land were littered, the amount of damage caused was 448.9 billion hryvnias..