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Air Quality Indicators for Environmental Impact Assessment

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Air Quality Indicators for Environmental Impact Assessment Institute FOR Systems Engineering Informatics JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE EUROPEAN COMMISSION Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics ÇjfU /»«134 Air Quality Indicators f or A\VN Environmental Impact Assessment 'StfO A.Zanetta (Ispra Trainee) 1994 Report EUR 15864 EN LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. Catalogue: CL-NA-15864-EN-C © ECSC-EC-EAEC Brussels · Luxembourg, 1994 Printed In Italy SUMMARY SUMMARY This paper deals with air quality indicators. First, the concept of air pollution is introduced and main features of air pollutants are discussed. Features considered are: definition and general concepts, unit, natural and man-made emission sources, diffusion and transport, lifetime in the atmosphere and sinks, effects (local, global, on human health and on vegetation), reference values according to regulations and guidelines. Then, the most important air pollutants are examined with reference to the above features. Finally, the indicator reference values according to EU directives, Italian legislation and WHO guidelines are reported. The paper is intended as a reference document to implement the "Air" module of the informatie tool INES-EIA being developed at the JRC Ispra to support Environmental Impact Assessment of technological plants. It can also be used as a source of reference data on air quality indicators in performing a wide range of environmental studies. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction pagel 1 Atmosphere and Air Pollutants 3 1.1 Atmosphere ....'. 3 1.2 Air Pollutants 5 1.2.1 Definition and General Concepts 6 1.2.2 Unit 8 1.2.3 Emission Sources 8 1.2.3.1 Natural Phenomena 8 1.2.3.2 Man-Made Activities 8 1.2.4 Diffusion and Transport 9 1.2.5 Lifetime in the Atmosphere and Sinks 10 1.2.6 Effects 11 1.2.6.1 Local Effects 11 1.2.6.1.1 Damage to Construction Elements and Other Materials 11 1.2.6.1.2 Visibility Reduction 12 1.2.6.1.3 Photochemical Smog 12 1.2.6.2 Regional Effects 13 1.2.6.2.1 Acid Depositions 13 1.2.6.3 Global Effects 16 1.2.6.3.1 Depletion of Ozone Layer 16 1.2.6.3.2 Greenhouse Effect 16 1.2.6.4 Effects on Human Health 19 1.2.6.5 Effects on Vegetation 19 1.2.7 Reference Values 20 2 Air Quality Indicators 22 2.1 Sulphur Dioxide and Other Sulphur Compounds (SOx) 22 2.2 Nitrogen Oxides (ΝΟχ) and Other Nitrogen Compounds 28 2.3 Carbon Monoxide and Dioxide (CO*) 31 2.4 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 35 2.5 Heavy Metals and Their Compounds 38 2.6 Suspended Particulate 39 2.7 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 42 2.8 Carcinogenic Substances 45 2.9 Ozone (03) 45 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Indicator Reference Values According to Regulations and Guidelines 49 3.1 Regulations 49 3.1.1 Air Quality 49 3.1.2 Emissions from Industrial Plants 58 3.2 Guidelines 66 3.2.1 HumanHealth 66 3.2.2 Vegetation 66 References 69 Legislation and Guidelines 69 Articles and Books 70 Abbreviations and Acronyms 74 π LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1 Composition of the atmosphere Fig. 2 Layers of atmosphere: variation of temperature and density as a function of altitude Fig. 3 Air quality: sources of pollutants, atmospheric interactions and receivers Fig. 4 Transfer of an air pollutant to the other compartments of biosphere as far as man Fig. 5 Different types of aerosols characterised according to their process of origin Fig. 6 Most important emission sources of atmospheric pollutants Fig. 7 Composition of a photochemical smog Fig. 8 Mechanism of photochemical air pollution from emission to deposition Fig. 9 Definition of deposition on the basis of the process that causes it and on the basis of the view point of depositing compound or receiving surface Fig. 10 Scheme of the possible deposition pathways for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide Fig. 11 Changes in concentration of atmospheric gases Fig. 12 Greenhouse gases and their importance for climate Fig. 13 Trends in surface air temperature during the last century Fig. 14 The greenhouse effect and its possible impact on sea level Fig. 15 Degree ofinjury to man in an air pollution episode depending on the exposure time Fig. 16 Schématisation of a method for the evaluation of impact on health of toxic and cumulative micropollutants Fig. 17 Effects of SOx on materials: materials attacked and related damage Fig. 18 Effects of different concentrations of sulphur dioxide on man Fig. 19 Health effects due to various exposures to S02 Fig. 20 Effects of S02 on vegetation Fig. 21 Relative sensitivity of woody species to S02 Fig. 22 Level of NOx in unpolluted air and in polluted air Fig. 23 Effects of nitrogen dioxide on man Fig. 24 Level of CO in unpolluted air and in polluted air Fig. 25 Maximum CO concentrations and exposure times to prevent the COHb level exceeding 2.5 - 3% (taken from WHO guidelines) Fig. 26 Level of C02 in unpolluted air and in polluted air Fig. 27 Physiological effects of increased C02 on plant growth Fig. 28 Calculated tropospheric lifetimes of selected biogenic VOCs due to reaction with OH and N03 radicals and ozone Fig. 29 Calculated tropospheric lifetimes of selected anthropogenic VOCs due to photolysis and reaction with OH and N03 radicals and ozone Fig. 30 Content of SP in unpolluted air and in polluted air Fig. 31 Sources of pollutants and most representative particulate bound compounds Fig. 32 Deposition velocity of particles as a function of their size Fig. 33 Fractional amounts of particles of various size deposited in the different areas of the respiratory tract in LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 34 Destruction mechanism of the stratospheric ozone following the release of CF2C12 in the environment Fig. 35 Substances that deplete the ozone layer Fig. 36 Effects of ozone on some materials Fig. 37 Relative sensitivity of woody species to ozone Fig. 38 Guide Values for sulphur dioxide expressed in /tg / m3 Fig. 39 Guide Values for suspended particulate (measured by black-smoke method) expressed in /¿g / m3 Fig. 40 Limit Values for suspended particulate (measured by black-smoke method) expressed in ¿ig / m3 Fig. 41 Limit Values for sulphur dioxide with the associated values for suspended particulate (measured by black-smoke method) expressed in /¿g / m3 Fig. 42 Limit Values for sulphur dioxide with the associated values for suspended particulate (measured by gravimetric method) expressed in pg / m3 Fig. 43 Limit Value of acceptability of the concentrations and maximum exposure limits for air pollutants outside Fig. 44 Limit Value of the concentrations in air of precursors of the pollutants shown in Fig. 42, to adopt in certain conditions Fig. 45 Limit Value for nitrogen dioxide expressed in /¿g / m3 Fig. 46 Guide Values for nitrogen dioxide expressed in μ% I m3 Fig. 47 Guide Values of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and suspended particulate for air quality Fig. 48 Limit Values of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide for air quality Fig. 49 Attention levels and alarm levels for air pollutants in large urban zones Fig. 50 Thresholds for ozone concentrations in the air Fig. 51 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use solid fuel Fig. 52 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use gaseous fuel Fig. 53 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use liquid fuel Fig. 54 Nitrogen oxides emission limit values for new plants according to the type of fuel used Fig. 55 Dust emission limit values for new plants according to the type of fuel used Fig. 56 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use solid fuel Fig. 57 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use liquid fuel Fig. 58 Sulphur dioxide emission limit values for new plants which use gaseous fuel Fig. 59 Nitrogen oxides emission limit values for new plants which use solid fuel Fig. 60 Nitrogen oxides emission limit values for new plants which use liquid fuel Fig. 61 Nitrogen oxides emission limit values for new plants which use gaseous fuel Fig. 62 Dust emission limit values for new plants according to the type of fuel used Fig. 63 Emission limit values for dust, heavy metals, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid and sulphur dioxide (expressed in mg / Nm3) as a function of the nominal capacity of the incineration plant Fig. 64 Air quality guidelines to protect human health Fig. 65 Air quality guidelines to protect vegetation IV FOREWORD FOREWORD This report is a revision of a previous paper on the same subject by Dr. Alessandra Zanetta, a biologist who, after obtaining her degree, spent one year at the JRC Ispra, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics. Thanks are due to Dr. Bruno Versino and Dr. Emile De Saeger of the Environment Institute, JRC Ispra, for helpful comments on the previous paper. Thanks are also due to Prof Stefano Cernuschi, Polytechnic of Milan, for very general comments and advice on several specific points. The report is intended to be a reference document on indicators and indices of air quality, particularly for people involved in Environmental Impact Assessment. Alessandro G. Colombo INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Directive 85/337/EEC introduced the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of certain public and private projects. Each EU member State transposed the directive into national legislation. In Italy, the main reference regulations are the two decrees DPCM No. 377,10/08/1988 and DPCM 27/12/1988.
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