The main thing in medical estimation of weather is sharpness of fluctuations of weather factors, their intraday differences.

The scientists of the Yalta climatic scientific research institute named after Sechenov have suggested the common clinical index of weather pathogenicity — the sum of specific indexes of weather changes per 24 hours according to the most important weather factors. If the index is 0-19, the weather is optimal, 20-49 — irritating (it demands intensive medical control), more than 50 — acute (it demands strict medical control). There are also indexes of weather changeability (for estimation of climate).

The department of hygiene of Kiev medical university suggested the scheme of medical estimation of weather according to 15 parameters.

 

The system of prevention of HMR has 3 basic directions:

v Common hygienic methods: rational nutrition, improvement of life and working conditions, etc.

v Organizational measures: medical weather forecasts, medical estimation of weather.

v Medical prophylactic measures, including:

Ø Increase of nonspecific resistance of organism.

Ø Sparing regimen

Ø Medicinal prevention with specific and nonspecific agents, such as sedatives, spasmolytics, neuroleptics, etc. Thus seasonal and urgent preventionis distinguished. The former means a regular intake of small doses of preparations in unfavourable for the given area months (see Table below). The urgent prevention is carried out for meteosensitive cardiological and other patients in hospital in the periods and days of biotropic weather on the basis of urgent medical weather forecasts.

Table 28

Periods for Seasonal Prophylaxis of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Crimea
(V. Bardov, 1985)

Disease	The most unfavorable months for authentic increase of exacerbation rate
hypertonic crises	2, 3, 4, 5 and 12th month
stenocardia attacks	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11th month
myocardial infarction	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8th month
disturbance of cerebral circulation (stroke, etc.)	1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12th month

Hygienic Significance of Climate

Climateisa long-term mode of weather in a given region. The basic climate-forming factors are:

· the geographical latitude influencing the size of solar radiation,

· height above sea level, relief and type of terrestrial surface (ice, snow, etc.),

· features of circulation of air masses,

· proximity to seas and oceans.

Parameters of climate are average statistical (average monthly, average annual) parameters of meteorological factors, wind rose, number of clear days, etc.

An important parameter is the index of weather instability:

 

T = a / b,

 

where a — the number of days with weather changes, b — number of days of the observation period (season, year). If index T is over 0.5, the climate is unfavourable (not good for ill person).

At long living under certain climate a certain dynamic stereotype develops in a person which provides normal vital activity.

At sharp change of climate (moving to different climatic zone) acclimatization is observed, i.e. a complex set of functional-morphological changes in organism, directed at adaptation to new climatic conditions.

Conditionally 2 stages are distinguished in this process:

· partial acclimatization or adaptation — from the first hours up to 14 days (in sick people — about 30 days and over).

· full acclimatization — in 14 days during some months, to conditions of Far North — up to 1.5 years.

During acclimatization the resistance of organism to unfavourable factors of the environment is reduced that results in increase of disease incidence, asthenovegetative syndrome, etc.

Acclimatization should be taken into account in balneology: patients should not be sent to resorts with sharply differing climate (24 days are the basic period of acclimatization). This presents a great problem for the Army, Navy, people working in the Far North.

Recommendations for Practical Classes on the Theme

Key Questions:

1.The basic weather-forming factors and their characteristics:

-meteorological

-Synoptical

-Heliophysical

-Geophysical

-Electical state and content of the atmosphere

2.Reasons and mechanisms of development of heliometeotropic reactions.

3.Manifestations of heliometeotropic reactions, diseases accompanied by them.

4.Medical classifications of weather and its medical estimation.

5.System of prevention of heliometeotropic reactions.

6.Acclimatization, its types and reasons. Features of acclimatization to a hot and cold climate. Significance of acclimatization for balneology.

An Example of a Problem Task on Hygienic Estimation of Weather Conditions

According to the data of the city meteorological station the weather condition in town N. was characterized by the following:

From October 20 till October 24 the anticyclonic weather, partly cloudy, without atmospheric precipitation was observed. The atmospheric pressure was 760 mmHg, the air temperature — +12º, daily temperature difference — 3 º, daily pressure difference — 3 mmHg, relative air humidity — 60 %, content of O2 in the air — 325 mg/l, speed of wind — 1.5 m/sec.

According to synoptic forecast such weather will last for 3-4 days, then there will be its sharp change connected with moving of a cyclone and passage of a warm front. There will be significant clouding, intensive precipitation. According to forecast the meteorological parameters will be the following: atmospheric pressure — 475 mmHg, air temperature — + 6 º, daily temperature difference — 7 º, daily pressure difference — 7 mmHg, relative air humidity — 100 %, O2 content in the air — 250 mg/l, speed of wind — 10 m/sec.

The tasks:

1.To determine the type of weather by medical classifications.

2.To determine the degree of weather changeability.

3.To characterize meteorotropism of the revealed types of weather.

 

 

Appendix No. 1

Medical Classification of Weather by I. Grigoriev (1974)

Type of weather	Characteristics of weather
1. Extremely favourable	It is stable, caused by anticyclone, precipitation is absent. Atmospheric pressure is over 760 mmHg, daily pressure difference is not more than 5 mmHg, wind speed is 0-3 m/sec, O2 content is more than 315 mg/l.
2. Favourable	Insignificant weather changes of a local character, there is short-term precipitation, variable cloudiness. Atmospheric pressure — 760-755 mmHg, daily pressure difference — 6-8 mmHg, daily temperature difference is not more than 5ºC, wind speed — 4-7 m/sec, O2 content is more than 315 mg/l.
3. Unfavourable (requires a special medical control)	It is cloudy, unstable, there is precipitation caused by a cyclone, local storms. Atmospheric pressure is 754-745 mmHg, daily pressure difference is 9-14 mmHg, daily temperature difference is 6-9ºC, wind speed is 8-10 m/sec, O2 content is 289-260 mg/l.
4. Extremely unfavourable (requires a strict medical control)	The weather is caused by a deep cyclone. There are thunder-storms, intensive precipitation. Atmospheric pressure is below 745 mmHg, daily temperature difference is 10ºC and over, O2 content is below 260 mg/l.

Self-control Test

1. A female patient from Kharkov, aged 62, has the diagnosis of arterial hypertension of III stage with hypertensic crises. She is administered the necessary permanent chemo- and physiotherapy. Give recommendations as for the place of health resort treatment in cardiac sanatorium.

A. Black Sea coast of Caucasus (Batumi)

B. Baltic Sea coast (Yurmala)

*C. Local sanatorium (near Kharkov)

D. Sanatorium near Kiev

E. Southern coast of Crimea (Yalta)

 

2. A patient from Kiev, aged 70, has the diagnosis of chronic ischemic cardiac disease with vascular insufficiency of III stage. The necessary permanent chemo- and physiotherapy is administered to him. He heard the weather forecast on TV: “A deep cyclone with low atmospheric pressure is expected tomorrow”. Give recommendations to the patient.

A. Treatment according to the common scheme or by applying a sparing regimen

*B. Application of spasmolytic and anticoagulant preparations in addition to the usual scheme of treatment

C. Hospitalization in the “Biotron” ward

D. To include vitaminotherapy

E. To follow the usual home and working regimen

 

3. The doctor-cardilogist received the urgent warning of the weather bureau. The next day a large magnetic storm due to flare on the Sun was expected. Give recommendations concerning changes in the scheme of treatment of the patients with chronic ischemic cardiac disease in the in-patient department.

*A. To intensify spasmolytic and anticoagulant therapy

B. To administer hypotensive preparations

C. To administer a bed regimen

D. To prolong the administered earlier treatment

E. To cancel the administered earlier medical-diagnostic procedures

 

4. What group of weather-forming factors do temperature and humidity of air refer to?

A. Synoptical

*B. Meteorological

C. Heliophysical

D. Geophysical

E. Microclimatic

 

Theme No 5.

Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Air. Effect of its Components on the Man. Protection of Atmosphere from Pollution

Significance of Atmospheric Air

The atmospheric air is a source of breathing for man, animals and vegetation; stuff for processes of burning and synthesis of chemical substances; material for cooling the industrial and transport installations; the environment for natural and anthropogenic wastes and pollutant emissions.

Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Air

Atmosphere is a part of biosphere which is the gaseous environment of the Earth rotating together with it. This environment has some layers. The upper and lower parts of atmosphere are distinguished. The lower part, particularly troposphere, is of special interest.

The air of troposphere (the surface layer of atmosphere up to 10-25 km) represents a mechanical mixture of various gases:

Table 29

 

Gas	Content volume in %
Nitrogen	78.09
Oxygen	20.95
СО2	0.03 — 0.04
Other gases: argon, neon, helium, etc.	1.0

 

Besides in the air different admixtures of natural and anthropogenic origin arepractically constantly present, e.g. ammonia, methane, nitric oxides, hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbons, etc.

Natural dust pollution of atmosphere is composed of space dust, terrestrial dust (soil, vegetative, fire, volcanic).

Effect of Components of Atmospheric Air on a Human Organism