International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES) ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-4 Issue-1, February 2016 Assessment of Air Pollution with Benzene and Benzo [A] Pyrene in Regions in North-East Bulgaria Rozalina Chuturkova population; at 0.12 ng/m3 – 1 case per 100,000 population; at Abstract – An assessment is made of air pollution with 0.012 ng/m3 – 1 case per 1,000,000 population [2]. The benzene and benzo[a]pyrene (ВаР) for the period 2007-2014 in common effects of benzene and ВаР on the exposed three regions of North-East Bulgaria, where automated population, classifies them together when studying air measurement stations for monitoring air quality are located. An quality.The aim of this survey is to assess air pollution with urban station and a traffic oriented station in the city of Varna, as benzene and ВаР in regions in North-East Bulgaria, trace the well as an industrially oriented station in the town of Devnya have annual, monthly and seasonal variations, as well as the been included. The seasonal, annual and diurnal variations of the benzene and ВаР concentrations in air are studied. The results keeping of the human health safety norms. from the monitoring are processed applying Student-Fisher’s t-distribution criterion. The results reveal a descending trend in II. MATERIAL AND METHODS air pollution with benzene at the urban background station in the city of Varna and the industrially oriented station in the town of The North-East Planning Region of Bulgaria lies between Devnya during the period of monitoring, with high statistical the Danube to the north, Stara Planina (Old Mountain) to the significance of the decrease (0,001 ≤ Р ≤ 0.05). The average south and the Black Sea to the east. The region encompasses annual concentrations of benzene do not exceed the human health four administrative regions: Varna, Dobrich, Targovishte and safety norm (5µg/m3). At the traffic oriented station in the city of Shumen. The North-East Region is located in the moderate Varna the average annual concentrations of benzene and ВаР continental climate zone where the Black sea has an vary, without delineating a specific trend. There are certain expressed softening effect on the climate in the 30-35 km seasonal variations in benzene and ВаР pollution – higher coastal area. The automatic measuring stations are located in concentrations during the cold months of the year. The seasonal North-East Bulgaria which monitor AQ for benzene pollution dynamics are supported by the diurnal variations of the pollutants. Measures are proposed for the reduction of carcinogenic (a total of 20 for the whole country), and one of them controls pollutant emissions and a decrease in human exposure to them. ВаР as well (a total of 16 for the whole country). The stations are located only in Varna District: two of them are in the city Keywords– benzene, ВаР, air, pollution, seasonal variations of Varna (Varna Municipality) and on is in the town of Devnya (Devnya Municipality). Varna is the third largest city I. INTRODUCTION in Bulgaria and the largest in the North-East Planning Law on Environment Protection, whose main goal is to Region. It is characterised by a well developed economy, protect human health and the living organisms in the mainly maritime industry (construction and repair of vessels, environment, stipulates the determining of air quality (AQ) sea transport) and the tourist sector. indicators and norms [8]. The basic indicators characterizing The town of Devnya lies 30 km from Varna and on its AQ in the lower atmosphere are: suspended particles, fine territory the following enterprises and plants are located: dust particles, SO2, NO2/NOx, CO, O3, heavy metals, as well Solvey Sodi AD – a plant producing soda ash, Agropolychim as benzene (С6Н6), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons AD – manufacturer of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers, (PAHs). The requirements for strict control over air pollution Devnya cement AD – manufacturer of dry mortar and cement; with benzene and PAHs come from the proven carcinogenic Deven Thermal Power Station, the Martsiana Quarry, qualities of benzene and some PAHs like benzo[a]pyrene Varna-West Port and a phosphogypsum depot. (ВаР). The International Agency for Research on Cancer The monitoring of AQ in regard to benzene pollution (IARC) classifies benzene as group 1 (proven to cause cancer covers the period 2007-2014 at three locations: an urban in humans), causing benzene leucosis – blood cancer [6]. The background station with a range of 100 m to 2 km in the city criteria for air quality recommended by the WHO for Europe of Varna; a traffic oriented station in the central part of the assign no particular threshold limit values for benzene. There city of Varna, classified by the Ministry of the Environment is no safe concentration of benzene and the risk analysis must and Water Resources (MEWR) as traffic oriented, with a be prepared based on lifelong benzene exposure – throughout range of 10 to 15 m and as an urban background station with the life of a person [3]. ВаР is used as an indicator for the a range of 100 m to 2 km; a station in the industrial region of carcinogenic qualities of PAHs and is listed in group 1 Devnya – classified by the MEWR as an industrially-oriented carcinogens in the IARC classification [6]. In exposed station with a range of 10-100 m and as an urban background populations, ВаР causes cancer all through a person’s life: at station with a range of 100 m to 2 km. The monitoring of BaP concentrations in air of 1.2 ng/m3 – 1 case per 10,000 covers the period 2012-2014 at a traffic oriented station in Varna. Revised Version Manuscript Received on February 03, 2016. Rozalina Chuturkova, Assoc. Prof., Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technical University, Varna, Bulgaria. Published By: Retrieval Number: A0680024116/2016©BEIESP Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering 1 & Sciences Publication Assessment of Air Pollution with Benzene and Benzo [A] Pyrene in Region in North-East Bulgaria Measuring benzene concentrations is done applying gas The results from the monitoring show that the chromatography with a flame ionization detector in „on line” concentrations of benzene at the urban background station mode. ВаР is determined in the PM10 fraction applying gas (city of Varna) are the highest at the beginning of the study chromatography-mass spectrometry. The annual, monthly, (2007) – 2.098µg/m3 (fig.1). Over the following years a seasonal and daily variations in the concentrations of benzene gradual decrease in benzene concentrations is observed, and ВаР have been traced in air in the regions of North-East reaching 0.895µg/m3 (2009), 0.520µg/m3 (2011) and Bulgaria, where the automated measuring stations are 0.218µg/m3 (2013), and these differences hold a high located. The results have been statistically processed with the statistical significance (0.001 ≤ Р ≤ 0.05). In 2014, once analysis of variance method, and the differences have been more, higher concentrations of benzene are registered – assessed with the Student-Fisher’s t-distribution criterion. 0.365µg/m3, and the increase holds high statistical significance (Р < 0.001). Over the whole period of study, the III.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION concentrations of benzene do not exceed the average annual human health safety norm (5µg/m3) [12]. Fig. 1. Average annual concentrations of benzene at an urban background station At the traffic oriented station in the city of Varna, the again – up to 1.376µg/m3 (Р < 0.05) and 1.035µg/m3 (2013) situation is very different. The concentrations of benzene (fig.2). At the end of the monitoring period (2014), the values vary over the years without great difference. In 2010 the of benzene are already quite low – 0.539µg/m3 (Р < 0.05). levels of benzene are 0.961µg/m3; a slight decrease is Over the whole period (2010-2014), the annual average observed the following year – down to 0.609µg/m3 (Р < concentrations of benzene do not exceed the human health 0.05), and in 2012 the concentrations of benzene are higher safety norm (5µg/m3) [12]. Fig. 2. Average annual concentrations of benzene at a traffic oriented station At the industrially oriented station in the town of Devnya, a 2013 and down to 0.524µg/m3 in 2014, and the differences clear descending tendency is observed in the air pollution hold a high statistical significance (0.025 ≤ Р ≤ 0.05) (fig.3). with benzene. In 2007, the concentrations of benzene are the No exceeding of the human health safety norm is observed highest – 1.185µg/m3, they gradually fall – down to (5µg/m3) [12]. 0.833µg/m3 in 2009; 0.657µg/m3 in 2011; 0.603µg/m3 in Published By: Retrieval Number: A0680024116/2016©BEIESP Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering 2 & Sciences Publication International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES) ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-4 Issue-1, February 2016 Fig. 3. Average annual concentrations of benzene at an industrially oriented station The results from the monitoring of ВаР at the traffic oriented rising again to 0.680 ng/m3 in 2014 (Р < 0.05) (fig.4). No station in the city of Varna show variations in air pollution. exceeding of the target norm of ВаР in the PM10 fraction for At the beginning of the study (2012), the concentrations of any one calendar year is observed (1 ng/m3) [11]. ВаР are 0.601 ng/m3, falling to 0.171 ng/m3 (Р < 0.05) and Fig. 4. Average annual concentrations of BaP at a traffic oriented station 3 Some authors’ research shows that for the period 2013- – between 0.865 and 2.716µg/m .The variations during the 2014, the average concentration of ВаР in the РМ2.5 fraction rest of the years is analogous, despite of the fact that the is 0.30 ng/m3 with a range of 0.04÷1.08 ng/m3 [7].