Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia:

M. A. Pashkevich, Head of Chair, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences
V. A. Matveeva, Associate Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
A. S. Danilov, Post-Graduate Student, danilov_as@pers.spmi.ru

Vigorous industrial development and high-rate expansion of cities and industrial agglomerations results in accumulation of waste, the major portion of which belongs to the mining industry. Mining and processing waste (tailings ponds, overburden dumps, stockpiles of secondary materials, dams, etc.) are the source of integrated and pointed effect on all components of the environment. At present, the problem of mining and processing waste is one of the burning issues in the mining industry as the waste is exclusively hazardous for the environment and health. In the impact zones of mining and processing waste, there are signs of worsening health: human longevity decreases while frequency of illnesses and congenital pathologies rises. The major cause of the unfriendly environment in the areas of location of mining and processing waste is the appearance of vast scattering halos and flows of pollution resulting in irreversible alterations of natural ecosystems. This study assesses the ecological stress due to anthropogenic activities in mining in terms of mining and processing waste on the Kola Peninsula, which induces pollution and disturbance of soil, water and air and, as a consequence, life quality degradation.

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