Abstract
Relevance. Ukraine’s integration into the European Union requires the harmonisation of national legislation with European standards. One of the priority areas is the improvement of the system of medical and sanitary standards for hazardous substances in ambient air. Unlike the EU Member States and the United States, where the regulation of carcinogens is based on a risk-oriented approach that allows for an acceptable level of risk and the periodic revision of limits, the maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) of carcinogens in Ukraine have traditionally been established on the basis of toxicological experiments without mandatory subsequent review.
Aim. To analyse the compliance of the current Ukrainian medical and sanitary (hygienic) standards for carcinogenic substances in the ambient air of populated areas with international standards.
Materials and methods. The Ukrainian regulatory framework governing carcinogenic substances in ambient air, EU legislation and directives, US standards, and the recommendations of the International Agency for Research on Cancer were examined.
Results. A comparative assessment of the current Ukrainian standards for carcinogenic substances was carried out to determine their compliance with internationally accepted carcinogenic risk levels (1 × 10⁻⁴) and reference concentrations. Hygienic standards for 45 substances with established carcinogenic potential were analysed. It was found that the current standards for 34 substances do not comply with international requirements. An improved system of standards is proposed, incorporating annual average concentrations for the assessment of chronic exposure and daily average concentrations for the assessment of acute exposure.
Conclusions. The need to harmonise the Ukrainian system of medical and sanitary regulation of carcinogens with international standards has been demonstrated. The introduction of a risk-oriented approach based on an acceptable risk level (1 × 10⁻⁴), the differentiation of standards according to averaging periods (annual average and daily average concentrations), and the regular revision of the regulatory framework in accordance with current toxicological and epidemiological evidence are scientifically substantiated.