On 2-9th of August, 2026 Human Health Institute, EHPMI, and TIFO conducted a field assessment of soil contamination with heavy metals in three industrial cities of East Kazakhstan: Oskemen, Ridder, and Altai. This work was done as part of Partnership for Environmental Health (PEH) initiative of the three organizations and was supported by The Sigrid Rausing Trust.
On 12th of August 2026, EHPMI held an annual workshop in Cholpan Ata, Kyrgyzstan. The workshop brought together by environmental health experts from 10 countries: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Russia, the United States, Vietnam, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. At the workshop representatives of each country shared their experience of environmental health projects and discussed future steps in development of EHPMI as an expert organization and a regional network.
On April 7th, 2026, a workshop was held in Astana to discuss the problem of lead poisoning of children in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the current situation of high lead and other heavy metal contamination in Shymkent soil and discuss how to mitigate the risks of lead poisoning of children in Shymkent and other cities of Kazakhstan.
On April 8th, 2026, a workshop was held in Tbilisi to present study findings from one of the most contaminated sites in Georgia: Litafoni, Kutaisi is perhaps the largest contaminated sites in the country, with high levels of lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. The primary goal of the meeting was to discuss the study results and remediation options suitable for the future development of the area.
On 20th of November, 2025 EHPMI and National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) of Georgia conducted a field assessment of a contaminated site in Kutaisi, Georgia.
In early 2025, the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance, and the Republican Center for Health Promotion and Mass Communication, together with international partners Pure Earth, Vital Strategies, and ECOIS-Bishkek, completed the first nationwide assessment of blood lead levels among preschool children aged 13–72 months. The study, conducted across 18 regions, represents the country’s most comprehensive effort to date to assess lead exposure in young children.
On October 30, 2025, a Roundtable Discussion on “Results of the Study on Lead Contamination in Soil and Joint Solutions” was held in Shymkent, Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the current situation with high levels of contamination of soil with lead and other heavy metals in Shymkent and how to mitigate the risks of lead poisoning.
From May 11 to 18, 2025, EHPMI conducted a series of activities in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The key event of the visit was the EHPMI annual workshop, held on May 14 in Dushanbe, bringing together experts and partner organizations from across Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Southeast Asia.
In April–May 2025, Peshsaf continued its remediation work at the former pesticide storage site in Settlement #1, as part of a regional FAO initiative. The activities were carried out in collaboration with international experts, including FAO consultant Boudewijn Fokke and EHPMI President Petr Sharov, as well as representatives from the Stockholm Convention Centre.
On November 24 EHPMI held the annual workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam. The purpose of the annual workshop was to review the progress made by EHPMI in 2024, exchange experience and make plans for future work. The workshop was held in in SOS headquarters and had a hybrid format when some members were present in person and some participated online.
In March 2024, Petr Sharov the President EHPMI has visited his colleagues in Mexico City. During this visit, he participated in three environmental actions organized by local activists.
On 16th of April 2024, the EHPMI president Petr Sharov participated in the International Workshop on Emerging Green Technologies for Pest and Pesticide Management in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The conference united experts and representatives of the government and international organizations from EU, UK, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia.
