Chemical pollution of soil and agricultural crops and incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in some regions of Armenia

Introduction. The increasing intensity of environmental pollution dictates the need to monitor the content of priority pollutants in agricultural products and environmental components, since exposure to concentrations that do not exceed established hygienic standards can manifest itself at the population level in the form of increased morbidity.

Aim of the study – study of the possible relationship between the levels of certain pollutants (OCPs, surfactants) in soil, agricultural products of plant origin and the health of the population to assess the impact of agriculture on it.

Materials and methods. The studies were conducted in the Vayots Dzor region of the Republic of Armenia, which is characterized by the lowest values ​​of gross agricultural output (2.3%). Soil (n = 47) and agricultural plant samples (n = 55) were collected to determine the content of certain organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) – γ-HCH, 4,4-DDT, 4,4-DDE, 4,4-DDD by the GLC method (Perkin-Elmer F-17, UK), their total content, and the concentrations of anionic synthetic surfactants (ASAS) by the spectrophotometric method (SF-26) (2019–2021). The phytotoxic and genotoxic activity of soils, as well as the incidence rates of diseases of the digestive system, were studied.

Results. OCPs were detected in soil and agricultural product samples with varying frequencies and levels, without exceeding hygienic standards. OCP levels in agricultural products were significantly lower than in soil. Concentrations of antiseptic surfactants, at normal levels in surface water, were higher than the hygienic standard in all soil samples (by 2–3.5 times), which may be due to migration and transformation patterns in this ecosystem. A study of the genotoxic activity of soil samples revealed no abnormalities. An analysis of the dynamic pattern of gastrointestinal diseases and their individual nosological forms showed no upward trends.

Limitations. The presented results are limited to a study of soil and agricultural produce contamination levels with certain priority compounds, the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases, and the possible contribution of agriculture to the identified situation in one region of Armenia.

Conclusion. The levels of the studied contaminants in soil and agricultural produce did not exceed hygienic standards. Nor changes in indicators of the soil genotoxic activity neither upward trends in population prevalence were observed. The environmental mutagenic status and population health in Vayots Dzor Marz, a well-known area for active recreation and tourism, remain stable.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require submission of the opinion of the biomedical ethics committee or other documents.

Contribution:
Tadevosyan N.S. – the concept and design of the study, statistical processing, analysis and interpretation of results, text writing, the final design and editing, writing and approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript;
Poghosyan S.B. – the concept and design of the study, search for information, laboratory research, data processing, interpretation of results, text writing;
Muradyan S.A. – the concept and design of the study, search for information, material collection and data processing, laboratory research, interpretation of results, text writing;
Khachatryan B.G. – the concept and design of the study, search for information, material collection and data processing, laboratory research, interpretation of results, text writing;
Kirakosyan G.V. – material collection and data processing, search for information, text writing;
Ter-Zaqaryan S.H. – laboratory research, data processing;
Guloyan H.A. – sample analysis and data processing;
Babayan T.L. – material collection.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship. The work was carried out within the framework of funds allocated to Yerevan State Medical University named after M. Heratsi for the implementation of research work.

Received: June 2, 2025 / Accepted: October 15, 2025 / Published: April 17, 2026

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