Ecologists have named the likely source of pollution near the Taman port.

Pollution near the Taman port is a separate episode against the backdrop of numerous oil spills in the Black and Azov Seas, where beach recreation should be avoided under such conditions. In the absence of oil collection, the consequences of such spills take years to eliminate, say ecologists interviewed by "Caucasian Knot."

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", satellite images recorded pollution in the Black Sea near Taman. A film visible from the Taman port in the western and southwestern directions up to 13 kilometers away may correspond to oil products or vegetable oils.

A separate spill of such length as that recorded near the Taman port poses an ecological threat, but is lost against the backdrop of the total number of pollutions in the region, says ecologist Igor Shkradyuk. "A single spill 13 kilometers long is news of federal scale. But against the backdrop of numerous pollutions in the Black and Azov Seas, it is lost. In just over a month, as a result of drone attacks, more than 200 vessels, including tankers, have been damaged, and port terminals have been affected. The area of some oil product spots reached 200 square kilometers," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

In his opinion, the source of pollution could be a vessel at the Taman bulk cargo terminal. "The spill spots in the image extend southwest from the Taman bulk cargo terminal. This terminal ships coal, iron ore, and sulfur, and is the largest in Russia for coal and sulfur. Sulfur is shipped in lumps of yellow or reddish color, it does not wet with water, so it can remain on the surface for a long time. It is most likely that the source of pollution in the sea was a cargo ship at the Taman bulk cargo terminal. Fuel and sulfur got into the sea," Shkradyuk believes.

Establishing the source of specific pollution is difficult due to the lack of information, says ecologist Elena Sizova. "Of course, everything affects: endless accidents, explosions, and sinking ships all contribute to the global catastrophe in the Black Sea. We receive daily reports of attacks on ports and vessels, but no word on the consequences. It is hard to understand where the pollution comes from and what another poison has entered the sea," she said.

Toxicity of pollutants and threat to fauna

The greatest danger comes from aromatic compounds in oil products, not technical sulfur, notes Igor Shkradyuk.

"Technical sulfur shipped by TTMG is classified as low-hazard waste (IV class). Both oil products and vegetable oil are hydrocarbons. The most toxic component of oil products is aromatic compounds such as benzene, xylene, toluene, naphthalene, benzo[a]pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and similar substances. The paraffins contained in oil products are low in toxicity. For birds, pollution of feathers with both oil products and vegetable oil is dangerous because it reduces the thermal conductivity of feathers, and the bird can freeze," the ecologist explained.

Fish, in his observations, suffers less from pollution than one might assume. "Fish can also be affected by oil products, especially the ingestion of fuel oil and contamination of gills with oil products. I remind you that the film of oil products prevents the dissolution of oxygen, in this case, in the blood of fish. But according to fishermen I spoke with, after the fuel oil pollution in Anapa, only a small portion of the fish was damaged. Perhaps because fish have a very good sense of smell and can detect even small amounts of dissolved oil products and swim to where the water is cleaner. Rospotrebnadzor has repeatedly stated that fish samples have been taken, and no exceedances of permissible concentrations have been found," Shkradyuk noted.

Health risks

Contact with contaminated water is dangerous both when inhaling vapors and when the film gets on the skin, noted therapist Veronika Izotova. "A person has a certain gas composition of blood, at which the body is viable. Inhaling any toxic substances, including gases, naturally affects health, as the gas composition of the blood changes. Accordingly, neurohumoral systems react, poisoning of the body begins, bronchospasm, headaches, malaise, and so on. At certain concentrations, this is even life-threatening," she said.

Direct contact with skin can cause chemical burns from oil products. "When the skin comes into direct contact with a film of oil products and aromatic hydrocarbons: benzene, toluene, xylene, there is a high risk of developing contact allergic dermatitis, chemical burns of I–II degree, as well as toxic eczema. Volatile compounds aggressively destroy the lipid barrier of the epidermis, opening the way for secondary infections," Izotova stated.

The main threat when consuming seafood comes from bottom organisms, she noted. "Although adult fish can swim away from the pollution zone, bottom organisms such as mollusks, mussels, and crustaceans, which are served as delicacies in restaurants along the Black Sea coast, quickly accumulate carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene and heavy fractions of oil. Consuming such seafood threatens acute food toxic infections, liver damage, and cumulative carcinogenic effects. So the risk after visiting a restaurant or buying such seafood at the market is to end up in a hospital bed with severe poisoning. Therefore, in emission zones, a strict sanitary and epidemiological ban on fishing and selling seafood without laboratory spectrometry is necessary. But whether this is done or not is unknown. Personally, I have never found such information," the doctor concluded.

Skin lesions in people who worked with contaminated shore have been recorded in practice, confirmed Shkradyuk. "Oil products, especially those with a high aromatic content, can cause skin lesions, poisoning of the digestive tract, and damage to the nervous system. I witnessed the development of eczema on the hands of volunteers in Anapa and even took photographs of these skin lesions," the ecologist said.

Recovery times for the ecosystem

Pollution of the sea occurs not only as a result of incidents related to military actions in Ukraine - along with mountain rivers, wastewater from landfills, illegal constructions, and untreated sewage flows into the sea along the entire coast, noted Elena Sizova.

According to Igor Shkradyuk, without human intervention, the consequences of the spill are eliminated in four years. "There are microbes in the sea that eat oil products. In particular, they live on algae. If nothing is done, the consequences of oil spills in warm seas are eliminated in four years. With active collection of oil pollution, this period will be reduced, ideally to one season," he said.

The main problem, the ecologist noted, is the information policy of the authorities. "While the authorities strive to pretend that nothing is happening after the emergency occurs, they are effectively concealing the real state of affairs, even in the face of threats to the lives and health of people. Therefore, the role of volunteers and independent media, urging the state to take action, is important," Shkradyuk believes.

Recommendations for tourists

Both ecologists believe that one should refrain from vacationing on polluted coasts. "What can I recommend to tourists? In 2026, avoid the beaches of the Black and Azov Seas. Recommendations for 2027 will depend on the continuation of military actions," Shkradyuk said.

"For those who value life and health, stay home. You will definitely not benefit from swimming in poisons, working air defense systems, and falling drones, but you will surely encounter problems," Sizova stated.

The ecologist noted that this season she traveled to coastal cities of the region. "I witnessed vacationing at the resorts of the region this season. On the seaside promenades of the cities, there are almost everywhere street musicians, crowds of people strolling through the recreational areas, restaurants are full, and military exercises are taking place at sea, with something exploding, I saw tracer bullets. It's surreal. Our people, in their majority, fear nothing and, like the authorities, do not notice what is happening around them," she said.

As of now, "Caucasian Knot" does not have comments from the authorities of the Krasnodar region and Rospotrebnadzor regarding the pollution near the Taman terminal.