Estimation of air pollution

Two Neural Network Methods in Estimation of Air Pollution Time... 

Cigizoglu, H.K., K. Alp and M. Kbmurcu Estimation of air pollution parameters using artificial neural networks, in Advances in air pollution modelling for environmental security. NATO Advanced Research Workshop, 8-12 May 2004, Borovetz. Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht (2004). 

Terron Alfonso, A., Barreno Rodriguez, E., 1994. Estimation of air pollution in the area of influence of the coal power station at La Robla (Leon, Northwest Spain) using epiphytic lichens as bioindicators. Cryptogam. Bryol. Lichenol. 15, 135-151. 

Zanobetti A, Schwartz J (2007) Particulate air pollution, progression, and survival after myocardial infarction. Environ Health Perspect 115 769-775 Zeger SL, Dominici F, Samet JM (1999) Harvesting-resistant estimates of air pollution effects on mortality. Epidemiology 10 171-175... 

Brook, J.R., L. Zhang, R Di-Giovanni, and J. Padro. 1999. Description and evaluation of a model of deposition velocities for routine estimates of air pollutant dry deposition over North America. Part I model development. Atmospheric Environment, 33 5037-5051. 

Each year, EPA pubHshes a summary of air pollution emissions and air quaUty trends for the criteria pollutants (4). Table 1 contains the summary for 1989. U.S. emissions estimates for these pollutants are available back to 1940 (5). 

W. M. Vatavuk, Estimating Costs of Air Pollution Control, Lewis Pubhshers / CRC Press, Boca Raton, Ela., 1990. 

To develop an emission inventory for an area, one must (1) list the types of sources for the area, such as cupolas, automobiles, and home fireplaces (2) determine the type of air pollutant emission from each of the listed sources, such as particulates and SO2 (3) examine the literature (9) to find valid emission factors for each of the pollutants of concern (e.g., "particulate emissions for open burning of tree limbs and brush are 10 kg per ton of residue consumed") (4) through an actual count, or by means of some estimating technique, determine the number and size of specific sources in the area (the number of steelmaking furnaces can be counted, but the number of home fireplaces will probably have to be estimated) and (5) multiply the appropriate numbers from (3) and (4) to obtain the total emissions and then sum the similar emissions to obtain the total for the area. 

Holzworth, G. C., Climatic data on estimated effective chimney heights in the United States, in "Preprints of Joint Conference on Application of Air Pollution Meteorology," Nov. 29-Dec 2, 1977, Salt Lake City, UT. American Meteorological Society, Boston, 1977, pp. 80-87. 

V atauk, W. M., "Estimating Costs of Air Pollution Control." Lewis, Chelsea, Ml, 1990. 

Erode, R.W., 1991. A Comparison of SCREEN Model Dispersion Estimates with Estimates From a Refined Dispersion Model. Seventh Joint Conference on Applications of Air Pollution Meteorology with A WMA, 93-96. 

Screening Level or Screening Level Value (SLV) the concentration or dose of air pollution below which estimated impacts from proposed new or modified sources are considered insignificant. The SLV is dependent on existing air quality and on the condition of the AQRV of concern. 

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. 

Burning fossil fuels can release air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and particulate matter. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain ozone is a component of urban smog, and particulate matter affects respiratory health. In fact, several studies have documented a disturbing correlation between suspended particulate levels and human mortality. It is estimated that air pollution may help cause 500,000 premature deaths and millions of new respiratory illnesses each year. 

Transportation is a major source of air pollution, particularly in urban environments. The total number of cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles in the world in 1990 was estimated at about 650 million. All these vehicles produce exhaust, and an esti-... 

The applied research laboratory has developed a new substance that they feel has great potential as a gasoline additive. It improves the antiknock characteristics of gasoline, and does not noticeably increase the amount of air pollution. The marketing department estimates that within 5 years the market could reach 10,000,000 lb / yr. The process engineer is asked to design a plant to produce 10,000,000 lb / yr (4,500,000 kg / yr). 

In a report comparing community responses to low-level exposure to a mixture of air pollutants from pulp mills, Jaakkola et al. (1990) reported significant differences in respiratory symptoms between polluted and unpolluted communities. The pollutant mixture associated with the pulp mills included particulates, sulfur dioxide, and a series of malodorous sulfur compounds. Major contributors in the latter mixture include hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and methyl sulfides. In this study the responses of populations from three communities were compared, a nonpolluted community, a moderately polluted community, and a severely polluted community. Initial exposure estimates were derived from dispersion modeling these estimates were subsequently confirmed with measurements taken from monitoring stations located in the two polluted communities. These measurements indicated that both the mean and the maximum 4-hour concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were higher in the more severely polluted community (4 and 56 g/m3 2.9 and 40 ppb) than in the moderately polluted one (2 and 22 g/m3 1.4 and 16 ppb). Particulate measurements made concurrently, and sulfur dioxide measurements made subsequently, showed a similar difference in the concentrations of these two pollutants between the two polluted communities. 

The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment is of obvious concern and, apart from specific occupational environments, human exposure to these compounds derives from combustion products released into the atmosphere. Estimates of the total annual benzo[aJpyrene emissions in the United States range from 900 tons (19) to about 1300 tons (20). These totals are derived from heat and power generation (37-38%), open-refuse burning (42-46%), coke production (15-19%) and motor vehicle emissions (1-1.5%) (19,20). Since the vast majority of these emissions are from stationary sources, local levels of air pollution obviously vary. Benzo[aJpyrene levels of less than 1 pg/1,000 m correspond to clean air (20). At this level, it can be estimated that the average person would inhale about 0.02 pg of benzo[aJpyrene per day, and this could increase to 1.5 pg/day in polluted air (21). 

As informed Dr. A.I. Korableva from Institute for Environmental Management and Ecology under the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the report "Environmental impact of automobile transport by example of Dnepropetrovsk", Dnepropetrovsk with its annual discharge of air pollutants of 177,000 t (as of 1996) is among the worst affected cities in Ukraine. In these, the automobile transport was found to be responsible for at least 30 % of the total emissions which are 15 times the maximum permissible level. Aside from the dust, chemical, photochemical and noise pollution, there is the aspect of street washout of automobile-related pollutants into the River Dnieper. The measured annual receipts of lead, particulates and petroleum derivatives via rainwater and thaw water to the river are 0.45, 80,000+ and 1.8+ t respectively. The actual levels of petroleum derivatives in storm water sometimes were 206 times the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) for the fishery basins. At 34 km downstream from the city, the estimated levels of petroleum derivatives and particulates are 61 and 10.8 times the respective MPCs. The airborne lead is mainly accumulated in the soil of housing areas. 

The assessment of air pollution in the Central Asian region is of great significance for environmental risk estimates. Case study countries, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are located in Central Asia and have long boundaries with China, the Asian part of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Emissions from these countries as well as the... 

General References Britter and McQuaid, Workbook on the Dispersion of Dense Gases, Health and Safety Executive Report 17/1988, Sheffield, U.K., 1988. Mannan, Lees Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 3d ed., Chap. 15, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, U.K., 2005. Panofsky and Dutton, Atmospheric Turbulence, Wiley, New York, 1984. Pasquill and Smith, Atmospheric Diffusion, 3d ed., Ellis Horwood Limited, Chichester, U.K., 1983. Seinfeld, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics of Air Pollution, Chaps. 12-15, Wiley, New York, 1986. Turner, Workbook of Atmospheric Dispersion Estimates, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1970. 

Majer, J. R., R. Perry, and J. M. Reade. The use of thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry for the rapid estimation of trace quantities of air pollutants. J. Chromatogr. 48 328-333, 1970. 

The national network of air pollution measurements is keyed to the 247 air quality control regions (aqcr s), which were classified according to the relative severity of their pollution problems. The classification is a ranking of measured ambient air concentrations or the estimated air quality in the area of maximal severity. The priorities for air quality problem severity are as follows ... 

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