Rudnaya Pristan
Encyclopedia
Rudnaya Pristan is a village
(selo) located at the mouth of the Rudnaya River, on the Pacific
coast of Primorsky Krai
. It is situated 35 km east of Dalnegorsk
(in the jurisdiction of which it is located) and approximately 514 km north of Vladivostok
. Its population was 2,389 in 2002, down from 2,947 in 1989.
Lead
smelting
has been the town's primary industry since a plant was built there in 1930. The plant has provided steady employment for most of the area's families since that time, but at enormous cost to both the health of the residents and the local environment. The residents suffer from many health problems, including an inordinately high rate of cancer
, and the soil has become heavily contaminated with lead-related by-products. The Blacksmith Institute
consequently declared Rudnaya Pristan, along with Dalnegorsk
, one of the ten worst polluted places on earth, although Anatoly Lebedev, leader of the ecological NGO
BROK, disputes this inclusion.
Despite its coastal location, Rudnaya Pristan's harbor has remained largely undeveloped, and its climate
is harsh, dominated in winter by the vast Siberian high-pressure system and in summer by remnants of the East Asian monsoon
. This combination results in very cold, dry winters with generally high winds, and muggy summers that provide ideal conditions for the breeding of mosquito
s.
Types of settlements in Russia
The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared to the classification systems in other countries.-Modern classification in Russia:...
(selo) located at the mouth of the Rudnaya River, on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
. It is situated 35 km east of Dalnegorsk
Dalnegorsk
Dalnegorsk is a town in Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population: It was formerly known from its founding in 1899 as Tetyukhe , until it was renamed in 1972 as part of a campaign to change any Chinese-derived placenames in the Primorsky Krai.-History:...
(in the jurisdiction of which it is located) and approximately 514 km north of Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. Its population was 2,389 in 2002, down from 2,947 in 1989.
Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
has been the town's primary industry since a plant was built there in 1930. The plant has provided steady employment for most of the area's families since that time, but at enormous cost to both the health of the residents and the local environment. The residents suffer from many health problems, including an inordinately high rate of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and the soil has become heavily contaminated with lead-related by-products. The Blacksmith Institute
Blacksmith Institute
Founded in 1999, Blacksmith Institute is an international non-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in the developing world. Blacksmith identifies and cleans up the world's worst polluted places, focusing on communities where children are most at risk. Based in...
consequently declared Rudnaya Pristan, along with Dalnegorsk
Dalnegorsk
Dalnegorsk is a town in Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population: It was formerly known from its founding in 1899 as Tetyukhe , until it was renamed in 1972 as part of a campaign to change any Chinese-derived placenames in the Primorsky Krai.-History:...
, one of the ten worst polluted places on earth, although Anatoly Lebedev, leader of the ecological NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
BROK, disputes this inclusion.
Despite its coastal location, Rudnaya Pristan's harbor has remained largely undeveloped, and its climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is harsh, dominated in winter by the vast Siberian high-pressure system and in summer by remnants of the East Asian monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
. This combination results in very cold, dry winters with generally high winds, and muggy summers that provide ideal conditions for the breeding of mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s.