Rao P S, Ansari M F, Gavane A G, Pandit V I, Nema P, Devotta S
Scientist, Air Pollution Control Division, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nehru Marg, Nagpur, 440 020, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2007 May;128(1-3):323-8. doi: 10.1007/s10661-006-9315-5. Epub 2006 Oct 21.
Petroleum refineries are largest chemical industries that are responsible for the emission of several pollutants into the atmosphere. Benzene is among the most important air pollutants that are emitted by petroleum refineries, since they are involved in almost every refinery process. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major group of air pollutants, which play a critical role in atmospheric chemistry. These contribute to toxic oxidants, which are harmful to ecosystem, human health and atmosphere. The variability of pollutants is an important factor in determining human exposure to these chemicals. The ambient air concentrations of benzene were measured in several sites around the Digboi petroleum refinery, near the city of Gowahati in northeast India, during winter and summer 2004. The seasonal and spatial variations of the ambient air concentrations of this benzene were investigated and analyzed. An estimation of the contribution of the refinery to the measured atmospheric levels of benzene was also performed. The ambient air mixing ratios of benzene in a large area outside the refinery was generally low, in ppbv range, much lower than the ambient air quality standards. This article presents the temporal and spatial variation of air pollution in and around petroleum refinery and showed that no health risk due to benzene is present in the areas adjacent to the refinery.
石油炼制厂是最大的化学工业，它们向大气中排放多种污染物。苯是石油炼制厂排放的最重要的空气污染物之一，因为几乎每个炼油过程都会涉及到苯。挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）是空气污染物的主要类别，在大气化学中起着关键作用。这些物质会导致产生对生态系统、人类健康和大气有害的有毒氧化剂。污染物的变异性是决定人类接触这些化学物质的一个重要因素。2004年冬夏两季，在印度东北部高哈蒂市附近的迪格博伊石油炼制厂周边的几个地点测量了苯在环境空气中的浓度。对该苯在环境空气中浓度的季节和空间变化进行了调查和分析。还对炼油厂对测得的大气苯水平的贡献进行了估算。炼油厂外大面积区域苯在环境空气中的混合比通常较低，处于ppbv范围内，远低于环境空气质量标准。本文介绍了石油炼制厂及其周边空气污染的时间和空间变化，并表明在炼油厂附近区域不存在因苯而产生的健康风险。
