Assessment air pollution

Campbell, G. G., G. G. Schurr, and D. E. Slawikowski. Final Rqimrt on A Stwty to Evaluate Techniques of Assessing Air Pollution Damage to Paints. Chicago The Sherwin-Williams Research Center. 1972. 85 pp. 

Human civilization interferes more and more with the cycles that cormect land, water, and atmosphere, and pollution seriously affects water quahty. In order to assess the stresses caused to aquatic ecosystems by chemical perturbation, the distribution of pollutants and their fate in the environment must be investigated (see Air pollution). 

E. Wehet, Air Pollution, Assessment Methodology and Modeling Plenum Press, New York, 1982. 

A railroad tank car has derailed and overturned, and some material is leaking out and apparently evaporating. The car is labeled "Toxic." In order to take appropriate emergency action, which meteorological factors would you consider and how would you assess them In addition to air pollutants, what meteorological factor has a profound effect on decreasing visibility, and what is the approximate threshold of its influence ... 

The initial direction of transport of pollutants from their source is determined by the wind direction at the source. Air pollutant concentrations from point sources are probably more sensitive to wind direction than any other parameter. If the wind is blowing directly toward a receptor (a location receiving transported pollutants), a shift in direction of as little as 5° (the approximate accuracy of a wind direction measurement) causes concentrations at the receptor to drop about 10% under unstable conditions, about 50% under neutral conditions, and about 90% under stable conditions. The direction of plume transport is very important in source impact assessment where there are sensitive receptors or two or more sources and in trying to assess the performance of a model through comparison of measured air quality with model estimates. 

In order to build new facilities or expand existing ones without harming the environment, it is desirable to assess the air pollution impact of a facility prior to its construction, rather than construct and monitor to determine the impact and whether it is necessary to retrofit additional controls. Potential air pollution impact is usually estimated through the use of air quality simulation models. A wide variety of models is available. They are usually distinguished by type of source, pollutant, transformations and removal, distance of transport, and averaging time. No attempt will be made here to list aU the models in existence at the time of this writing. 

A Competitive Assessment of U.S. Industrial Air Pollution Control Equipment Industry. " U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC, 1991. 

Details of any proposed release of prescribed substances and an assessment of the environmental consequences of emissions. (Eor local authorities air pollution controlled processes this applies only to atmospheric emissions.)... 

Air Pollution Dispersion Application of air dispersion modeling principles and EPA tools to assessing environmental impacts from stack and area releases of pollutants Dispersion theory Gaussian plume model Ground-level concentrations Worst case scenarios Air quality impact assessments Stationary source emissions... 

An overview of important terms and definitions useful in assessing the potentially harmful effects of air pollutants, and... 

North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE) a study to assess the contribution of continental air pollution to the North Atlantic Ocean. 

Southern Oxidant Study (SOS) a study to assess the sources and transport of air pollutants contributing to ozone formation. 

This section illustrates by way of example, the application of simphfied dispersion estimates to assessing a catastrophic venting operation. In this example, an analysis was performed to predict the fate of air pollutants, specifically vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), originating from an episode type upset (reactor blow) condition from a reaction vessel. 

EPA, 1992, Work Book of Screening Techniques for Assessing Impacts of Toxic Air Pollutants. EPA-454/R-92-024, December. 

Assists state and local air pollution control agencies and EPA regional offices with technical matters pertaining to health, exposure, and risk assessment of air pollutants. Services are also extended to the general public, small businesses and international agencies. Thursday 8 00 a.m. to 5 00p.m., EST Friday 8 00 a.m. to 4p.m., EST. 

What arc the general duties of state, territorial, and local air pollution control agencies as they relate to health risk assessments ... 

Hazardous/toxie air pollutants Eslimaled 2000 oanoers aimually based on an assessment of 20 siibslanocs. 

Note The souree for the above risk values is Table III-7, Preliminary Caneer Poteuey Values for Uie Air Toxies Hot Spots aet, found in California Air Pollution Control Offieers Assoeiation, Air Toxics Hot Spots Program, Revised 1192 Risk Assessment Guidelines," page III-28, published Oetober 1993. 

The wide participation of countries In the WHO air monitoring project ensures that representative distributions of the levels of SO, and SPN are obtained for urban areas. In order to assess other pollutants In conjunction with the SO, and SPN data, additional Information on NOj, CO and Pb were obtained from national reports. 

Ottar, B. (1978). An assessment of the OECD study on long range transport of air pollutants (LRTAP), Atmos. Environ. 12, 445-454. 

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