A group of Russian scientists and environmentalists on Tuesday urged Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to deal with the capital's critical environmental situation.

Moscow's environmental degradation is among the worst in the country and is having a disastrous effect on residents' health, they said in an open letter.

"It is imperative to organize consultations between representatives of the legislative and executive branches of government and broad public to address the situation that has evolved and map out ways of overcoming it," the letter said.

The environmental situation and its adverse impact on human health is not receiving the due attention it deserves, environmentalists say.

"Moscow is among the three worst [regions] in malignant tumor development among children," Alexei Yablokov, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.

Cancer cases increased by 9% in 2004-08, the highest in Russia, he said.

MOSCOW, November 9 (RIA Novosti)