The perestroika processes occurring in our country to improve all spheres of life in the Soviet society - which began with the April (1985) Plenum of the CC CPSU - have generated an objective need to focus on solving a series of ripening major problems, including the ecology. Recently, there has been a developing community movement for environmental protection which has been transformed into a mass movement, spilling over to the political sector. It is sufficient to say that these problems have become a primary issue in the pre-election programs of many candidates for political deputies of the USSR. At meetings and conferences of workers, in presentations made on radio and television, and in the pages of central and local newspapers and journals, there is sharp criticism of many non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises and the ministry overall with respect to the ecology. Although, some extreme views have been expressed, the criticism is basically correct and well founded. Non-ferrous metallurgy is in fact one of the "general" polluters of the environment. Non-ferrous metals production is characterized by the formation of large amounts of solid, gaseous, and liquid pollutants per unit of output. These include compounds of highly toxic heavy non-ferrous and rare metals such as lead, cobalt, copper, nickel, mercury, as well as sulfur, chlorine, fluorine, and other substances.
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