Health effects of the Aral Sea environmental disaster
Disappearing lakes are one of the most disturbing symptoms of global climate change – from Central Asia to Africa and South America, entire bodies of water are shrinking, leaving behind dust, salinity and health risks for millions of people. One of the most dramatic examples is the Aral Sea. A recent publication by Polish scientists sheds new light on this disaster, showing the long-term health effects and the importance of restoring the ecosystem to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.
Aral Sea: the story of the disaster
The publication, which appeared in the April 4 issue of the journal Ambio (Roman et al., 2026), recalls that the Aral Sea (known as the Aral Sea) back in the 1960s. In the 1970s. It covered more than 67,000 square kilometers and was the world’s fourth largest inland body of water. However, intensive irrigation of the surrounding cotton and rice fields led to the cutting off of the water supply from the Amu-daria and Syr-daria rivers. As a result, by the 1980s the basin’s surface area had already shrunk by nearly half and its volume to a third of its original value.
The consequences were dramatic: the rapid increase in salinity led to the extinction of most of the species living there and the collapse of the fishery, which had previously supplied tens of thousands of tons of fish annually. At the same time, the exposed lake bed has turned into an Aralkum desert – a source of toxic dust. Their emissions rose from 14.3 Tg/year in the 1980s to 27.1 Tg/year after 2010, increasing the dustiness of all of Central Asia by about 7 percent.
Partial restoration of the ecosystem
The northern part of the lake, located within Kazakhstan’s borders, has been isolated and remediated. A key moment was the construction of the Kokaral Dam in 2005, which stabilized the water level and reduced the salinity from about 30 g/L to 6-8 g/L.
Today, the North Aral Lake has an area of about 3,400 square kilometers and a volume of 27.5 km3, with an average depth of 8.5 meters. Improved environmental conditions have enabled the return of fish – the number of species has increased to 17, and catches today reach 6-20 thousand tons per year (about 17 percent of Kazakhstan’s fishery production). This is a rare example of partial recovery of an ecosystem after an environmental disaster.
Dust from drying lake as major threat
The authors of the study focused on analyzing the health effects of changes in the Aral Sea region over the past two decades. They found that the nature of the risks has changed dramatically over time.
In the past, the main problem was the high concentration of dust containing pesticides and heavy metals. Currently, the situation has improved. Winter PM10 concentrations in 2018-2022 were 11.1-14.0 µg/m3, close to WHO standards, and in summer 20.1-23.0 µg/m3 – above the annual norm, but well below the daily limit (45 µg/m3).
Although reclamation efforts have significantly reduced dust emissions, the problem has not disappeared completely and makes itself known especially during episodic dust storms from the southern part of the former lake bed. A key role in further reducing this phenomenon is played by the development of soil-stabilizing vegetation. Particularly important is the planting of saxaul (plants of the amaranth family of the genus Haloxylon spp.), which is expected to cover up to 11,000 square kilometers, or about 40 percent of the Kazakh portion of the dried-up bed.
In addition, supporting methods are being tested, such as mechanical sand fixation using reed barriers, which increases plant survival rates to 32-57 percent. The restoration of wetlands in the Syr-daria Delta is also an important part of the strategy. These act as a natural barrier to reduce dust uplift.
Long-term health effects: hormonal and reproductive
Analysis of data from 2005-2019 shows a decline in mortality, stable birth rates and population growth, indicating an overall improvement in living conditions. On the other hand, 22 percent of residents still suffer from chronic diseases, mainly of the digestive, hematopoietic and respiratory systems. The study also showed an increased risk of cardiovascular disease – in the city of Aralsk it was 3.8 times higher than in the control region 775 kilometers away. Biochemical abnormalities were frequently observed in men: elevated levels of protein (61 percent of subjects), cholesterol (38 percent) and triglycerides (34 percent).
The results on reproductive health are particularly disturbing. Women reported, among other things, inflammatory diseases of the genitals (34 percent), frequent infertility and miscarriages – almost one in four experienced them repeatedly.
The study involving 2205 women also found that about 12 percent suffered from thyroid goiter, and 32 percent had antibodies indicative of autoimmune disease. Overt hypothyroidism affected 2-3 percent, while subclinical forms were much more common. Men showed deterioration in semen quality, indicating long-term effects of environmental conditions.
The authors emphasize that current health problems are no longer the result of current dust exposure. Rather, they are multifactorial and the result of historical environmental contamination, nutritional deficiencies, socioeconomic stress and limited access to health care.
Need for time and comprehensive action
The study’s authors emphasize that the restoration of North Aral Lake has brought real environmental and health benefits, primarily by reducing dust. However, the effects of the disaster are still evident, mainly in the form of chronic diseases, endocrine disruption and reproductive problems. Continuing to improve the health of the population requires comprehensive measures – from environmental protection, to the development of health care and water and sewage infrastructure, to improving nutrition and education.
Bibliography:
Rzymski, P., Marszelewski, W., Rybak, M. et al. Health impacts of the Aral Sea disaster: Current state, research gaps, and mitigation perspectives in the North Aral Sea region. Ambio (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02385-z
