Scholarly record

ABOUT THE OPTIMIZATION OF PROGRAMS FOR MONITORING OVER AMBIENT AIR QUALITY IN A LARGE INDUSTRIAL CENTRE USING THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND POPULATION'S HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT

S.V. Kleyn

Abstract

The study focuses on programs for optimization of ambient air quality monitoring in residential areas in a large industrial center. The method for establishing the optimal number and location of sampling points and monitoring programs has been proposed and tested. The list of the chemical compounds to be controlled was determined by using the methodology of the population?s health risk assessment and spatial analysis of exposure levels and formed risk parameters on the basis of the geographic information systems. The paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of the computational and instrumental methods which are applied to assess exposure. The study also dwells on an approach to the conjugate analysis on how to implement both methods aimed to optimize the monitoring programs of the ambient air quality. The optimizing methodology involved a number of the consecutive steps such as: the database formation for emissions from stationary and mobile sources located on the territory with their binding to the cartographic base; performing the emission dispersion calculating and presenting the concentration distribution areas using the geographic informational system; verification of dispersion calculation via field studies; calculation of parameters related to inhalation risks and construction of risk zones; determination of risk zones which are similar in parameter sets via cluster analysis; definition of the number and location of the monitoring sites. The optimization criterion was a population size with a high (unacceptable) level of health risk parameters. For each site the certain list of compounds for monitoring was drawn up taking into account the levels of assessed health risks formed by certain contaminants. Using the proposed method for the examined territory with a population of about 1 million people, the authors defined 9 optimal points for locations of monitoring sites and monitoring program including the monitoring over 19 priority contaminants. The result demonstrates that the systematic observations might cover all residential areas on the examined territory. The proposed methodical approaches to monitoring programs development provide the spatial monitoring coverage of all zones with heterogeneous levels of aerogenic exposure: the monitoring over all chemical compounds that form the greatest risks related to inhalation effects on public health; a risk-oriented system for air quality monitoring.

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