News El 6 Novosibirsk

400 Linyovo-based employees of EL6 Novosibirsk took part in voluntary cancer diagnostic surveying. The anonymous survey is a part of the national project “Cancer Is Afraid of the Brave. Make Sure That You Are Healthy!”, which is run by medical volunteers and N.N. Blokhin National Cancer Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health.

The project kicked off in 2022 in 24 regions across Russia, aiming to reduce cancer in the working-age population through preventive screenings and cancer awareness-raising. EL6 Novosibirsk’s plant in the Iskitimsky district, Russia’s major electrode producer, was the first project participant in the Novosibirsk Region. In October, 148 out of 400 employees who took part in diagnostic surveying were invited for screening at the mobile medical unit to undergo thyroid function tests, PSA tests for men and mammography screening for women, blood tests for cancer, and cytologic evaluation. The volunteers handed over booklets, gave lectures and taught master classes on how to identify cancer symptoms.

“Every year we send more than one hundred workers for sanatorium treatment,” says Andrey Rogachev, HSE Director EL6. “The company has an equipped health center offering regular medical examinations for the personnel. In other words, we do everything to protect and improve the health of our colleagues. Therefore, we have readily responded to the suggestion to run high-quality cancer screenings for employees at the plant.”

 “When it comes to cancer, timely diagnosis is of vital importance. If a pathological condition is diagnosed at an early stage, in most cases this means a favorable prognosis. This principle is especially relevant for people who are at risk of cancer,” said Marina Fomicheva, Chief Prevention Expert in the Ministry of Health of the Novosibirsk Region and Siberian Federal District, Director of the Regional Center for Public Health and Medical Prevention.

A few more regional enterprises are preparing to take up the initiative and run screening programs. In November, employees of a big agribusiness took cancer screening tests at the Krivodanovka district hospital.

Reference: El6 produces a wide range of carbon-graphite products at its El6 Novosibirsk branch. An advantage of the Novosibirsk-based site is its geographical location, including proximity to key buyers (i.e., Russian aluminum producers). Furthermore, it is certified for compliance with international standards for environmental management (ISO 14001), occupational health and safety management (OHSAS 45001), and quality management (ISO 9001).