Performance indicators for monitoring Safety Management Systems in chemical industry

The development of the Safety Management System (SMS) in chemical industry appears as one of the important requirements introduced by the EU 'Seveso II' Directive on the control of major-accident hazards. This paper aims to provide a contribution regarding the SMS structure and the definition of the tools for assessing the effectiveness of this system by means of safety performance indicators. The performance indicators are linked to a reference values or policy targets, illustrating how far the SMS is from the desired level. We developed a system of performance indicators for SMS in chemical industry by using the concept of environmental performance indicators defined in standard ISO 14031. A set of three types of safety system performance indicators was proposed: management performance indicators, operational performance indicators and safety status indicators. These indicators represent the most important factors in the linkage between a possible cause of an accident and its effects

Current State of Particulate Matter Research and Management in Serbia

Particulate matter is the air pollutant that currently receives most attention from the atmospheric research community, the legislative authorities and the general public Limiting particulate matter in the atmosphere which will result in significant benefits for human health, with associated positive economic consequences Successful management of particulate matter requires scientific knowledge about particulate matter from cradle to grave covering sources of particles, processes that govern their formation composition, dispersion and fate in the atmosphere, as well as knowledge about human exposure and associated health and well being Such knowledge allows to design and perform effective and efficient abatement measures and monitoring This paper provides an introduction to the research and monitoring regarding particulate matter in Serbia The contributions were first partly presented at the 2nd international workshop of the WeBIOPATR Outdoor concentration size distribution and composition of respirable particles in WB urban area project in September 2009 This information provides context to the contributions in this number, and was part of the rationale of the project WeBIOPAT

Combining size distribution spectrums of ambient aerosols using equivalent optical properties of nanosized particles selected examples from the Bay of Kotor

Atmospheric aerosols in urban areas typically consist of particles of different diameters, which can range in size from a few nanometers to a few micrometers and can have a strong impact on human health [1,2]. This motivates the need to measure aerosol concentration accurately, but it is often also necessary to combine results from several instruments, with fundamentally different measurement principles. In this work, methods based on the measurement of the electrical mobility of particles, for the range of diameters from 10nm to 420nm, and the measurement of the equivalent optical diameter, for the range of diameters from 300nm to 10um, were used. Combining the overlapping region in two size distribution spectra can be used to infer equivalent optical properties of the ambient aerosol, and examples of measured and combined spectra in several urban hot spots in Bay of Kotor are analyzed in some detail. These examples will illustrate several aspects of urban aerosol properties not readily available in a typical regulatory monitoring setting, such as distribution of modes in number and mass concentration, as well as optical properties of measured aerosol. As the main result, examples of combining particle size spectrums are presented. In the process of combining the particle size spectra, it is possible to modify the distribution obtained by optical measurements by searching for the optimal value of the refractive index of the particles to obtain the best possible agreement with the size distribution obtained by measuring the electrical mobility. An equivalent refractive index as well as the equivalent shape factor of the ambient aerosol is obtained using Mie scattering theory as a theoretical framework [3]. The measurement results from the mobile monitoring campaign in Bay of Kotor in 2017 were used to elucidate the main principles of size spectrum combination, as well as to showcase diversity of equivalent optical properties of urban aerosols. Funding for this work has been provided by the EU H2020 Framework Programme for research and innovation under grant agreement no 952433 (VIDIS); Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia under contract number 451-03-47/2023-01/ 200017 which is being realized in Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences

Comparison of Eu Framework and Daughter Directives and Current Serbian Legislation on Air Pollution Monitoring

This paper discusses the air quality control in the current legislation of the Republic of Serbia and compares it with the relevant EU legislation, Framework and Daughter Directives of the air quality monitoring and management. QA/QC components, instrumentation and methodologies of the air quality control in RS are not yet structured and harmonized with EU requirements. The limit and target values for air pollutants notified in EU legislation may be partly comparable with relevant requirements in RS legislation

Source apportionment of oxidative potential: What we know so far

In numerous epidemiological studies, exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with negative health outcomes. It has been established so far that the detrimental health effects of particles cannot be explained by a single parameter, such as particle mass, as the complexity of chemical composition and reactivity of particles are not always represented by the mass loadings. The oxidative potential (OP) of aerosol particles represents a promising indicator of their potential toxicity. To develop strategies and regulations at improving the air quality, an increasing number of studies are focused on the application of source apportionment (SA) of PM., while a limited number of SA investigations have been applied to OP. In this review previous research of SA of atmospheric PM OP and proposed guidelines for future studies are summarized. Most of the research studies were carried out in an urban area and focused on PM2.5, while few studies examined other PM fractions. It was noted that the three dominant contributors to OP were biomass burning (9-97%), secondary aerosols (6-67%), and traffic/vehicles (16-88%). The presence of other factors that contributed to the in-crease of OP to a lesser extent depended on the location and season. Further, a considerable discrepancy in the contribution of various OP vs. PM sources was discovered using SA models. Because of this, the use of SA is not equivalent when considering the mass of PM and its toxicity

Combining size distribution spectrums of ambient aerosols using equivalent optical properties of nanosized particles – selected examples from the Bay of Kotor

Atmospheric aerosols in urban areas typically consist of particles of different diameters, which can range in size from a few nanometers to a few micrometers and can have a strong impact on human health [1,2]. This motivates the need to measure aerosol concentration accurately, but it is often also necessary to combine results from several instruments, with fundamentally different measurement principles. In this work, methods based on the measurement of the electrical mobility of particles, for the range of diameters from 10nm to 420nm, and the measurement of the equivalent optical diameter, for the range of diameters from 300nm to 10um, were used. Combining the overlapping region in two size distribution spectra can be used to infer equivalent optical properties of the ambient aerosol, and examples of measured and combined spectra in several urban hot spots in Bay of Kotor are analyzed in some detail. These examples will illustrate several aspects of urban aerosol properties not readily available in a typical regulatory monitoring setting, such as distribution of modes in number and mass concentration, as well as optical properties of measured aerosol. As the main result, examples of combining particle size spectrums are presented. In the process of combining the particle size spectra, it is possible to modify the distribution obtained by optical measurements by searching for the optimal value of the refractive index of the particles to obtain the best possible agreement with the size distribution obtained by measuring the electrical mobility. An equivalent refractive index as well as the equivalent shape factor of the ambient aerosol is obtained using Mie scattering theory as a theoretical framework [3]. The measurement results from the mobile monitoring campaign in Bay of Kotor in 2017 were used to elucidate the main principles of size spectrum combination, as well as to showcase diversity of equivalent optical properties of urban aerosols.XVI Photonics Workshop : Book of abstracts; March 12-15, 2023; Kopaonik, Serbi

Association between ambient air pollution, meteorological conditions and exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adult citizens of the town of Smederevo

Introduction. Smederevo is the only town in Serbia with a steel factory, whose exhausts contribute to air pollution. Therefore, the city conducts continuous monitoring of air quality. In recent years, high levels of particulate matter (PM), including coarse (PM10) and fine (PM2.5) particles in the air have frequently been recorded. The aim of this study was to assess association between exacerbation of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults and air pollution or meteorological conditions. Methods. The study was conducted in the secondary care General Hospital in Smederevo covering approximately 81, 000 inhabitants living in the area of about 7 km around the automatic station for air quality monitoring from which the verified data were collected. Data on patients were obtained from medical records. The correlation between the incidence of diseases exacerbation and the number of days with exceedance of air pollutants limit level per month, as well as meteorological conditions, was tested with parametric Pearson bivariate correlation test in program SPSS. Results. The study population consisted of adults registered as asthma or COPD suffering patients (n = 1,624) with 570 episodes of remarkable exacerbations (moderate or severe) of the disease in 2011. Asthma exacerbation was significantly more frequent in women than in men. The number of days with high levels of PM2.5 per month was statistically significantly associated with the total number of exacerbation (moderate and severe of both asthma and COPD) episodes among the female patients. There was also a statistically significant association between the number of days with PM2.5 exceedance and the number of moderate exacerbations in the subgroups of nonsmokers and obese patients. A significant correlation of the number of days with the exceedance of PM10 limit level was shown only for the subgroup of obese, non-smoking patients with moderate exacerbation. A significant negative association with the average ambient temperature was proven for the obese female patients and obese non-smoking patients with moderate asthma exacerbations. The number of COPD exacerbation was in positive correlation with the average air pressure for the subgroup of female smokers, but the connection with air pollution was not proven. Conclusion. Exposure to airborne particles in the town of Smederevo, mainly to PM2.5, and to low temperature may trigger asthma exacerbation requiring emergency care. The most vulnerable may be women and obese patients

Towards widespread adoption of low cost air quality sensors - a necessity for effective calibration procedures

One of the most important factors for increasing usefulness and relevance of air pollution data on a personal level would certainly be an increase in its spatial resolution. Current state of affairs in air quality monitoring networks at state or local level is such that they typically provide a wealth of high resolution temporal data, but monitoring stations are on the other hand mainly located at a few strategically important places in urban area. This low spatial resolution is a big barrier towards providing personally relevant information to citizens which would then be able to answer questions such as: what is the level of air pollution on routes and places they frequent, what are the associated health risks, and finally what can they do about it and at what cost? Part of the solution to this complex puzzle may be in low-cost air quality sensors (LCS). LCS’s are an emerging technology and are now commercially available for gases, particulate matter and meteorological parameters in a wide variety of designs and capabilities. However, the data sets generated by devices composed of selected LCS are often of questionable data quality. There are some protocols for calibration LCS in laboratory and in the field, but such procedures are extensive and appropriate for testing performance only during sensor development, but are certainly not practically feasible for testing of each commercial LCS [1, 2]. Developing, optimizing, and refining experiments and statistical modelling techniques for LCS-AQ calibration and validation is the mandatory step on the route of obtaining reliable and meaningful data [3, 4]. This work elaborates an important part of LCS deployment – its effective calibration procedure. We will describe our current work on calibration procedures for sensors for gaseous pollutants: ozone and carbon monoxide and sensors for particulate matter. In validation campaigns described in this work we have used combination of quality checks and mid-level validation, together with several statistical modeling approaches in order to observe which sensors have desirable level of performance and to later derive calibration curves or more complex calibration models. Calibration models were based on simple linear regression (LR), multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN). Mid-level validation of particulate matter low cost sensors was done via collocation with lab-grade instruments in laboratory office space in Institute Vinca and the results were collected for several weeks. Low cost instruments included two Sharp GP2Y1010AU0F compact optical dust sensors connected to Arduino platform (1 channel output), Alphasense CompactOPC sensor (16 channels from 0.38 to 17 μm) and Dylos DC1700 PM unit (2 channels corresponding to “large” and “small” particles). Lab grade instruments included TSI NanoScan SMPS Model 3910 and TSI Optical particle sizer 3330 (17 channels from 0.3um to 10um). Basic quality check of two Sharp sensors showed that they did not have malfunctions and are surprisingly reliable when used in combination with Arduino platform. Sharp sensors mutually correlate with correlation coefficient cc~0.98. In comparison with lab grade instruments, they correlate best with OPS first channel cc~0.75 and cc steadily declines for channels corresponding to larger particles. Dylos channels best correlate with OPS 0.5-0.721μm for “small” particles with cc~0.60, and with OPS 2.156 μm for “large” particles with cc~0.978. Best performing low cost sensor was certainly Alphasense OPC with cc over 0.90 for corresponding channels. Performed validation steps clearly show to which particulate matter size range individual sensor channels correspond, enabling one to derive meaningful calibration curves. LCS’s for gaseous pollutants were deployed within multi-sensor platform AQMesh. Platforms were collocated with Automatic Monitoring Station Stari Grad belonging to the State Network run by the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), in two 1-month periods in late summer and early autumn 2015. CO and O3 sensors in AQMesh platform passed low level validation (criteria was percentage of collected data), and were considered for development of calibration models. Choice of predictors for MLR and ANN models utilized both statistical reasoning and heuristics to avoid overfitting calibrated sensor with co-varying gas species. Improvements in sensor performance with sophisticated ANN models compared to LR were significant, resulting in relative residuals less than 15% for concentration of pollutant approximately ranging from 175 μg/m3 to 400 μg/m3 , while for O3 in the range from 40 μg/m3 to 120 μg/m3 .8th Symposium Chemistry and Environmental Protection : May 30 - June 1, Kruševac, 2018

Primer kombinovanja raspodele atmosferskih aerosola po veličinama dobijenih metodom merenja električne pokretljivosti i optičkom metodom

Atmosferski aerosoli u urbanim sredinama se sastoje od čestica različitih dijametara, koje mogu imati veličinu od par nanometara do par mikrometara. Stoga je za merenje koncentracije aerosola često neophodno koristiti više instrumenata, sa principijelno različitim metodama merenja. U ovom radu su korišćene metode zasnovane na merenju električne pokretljivosti čestica, za opseg dijametara od 10nm do 420nm, i merenju ekvivalentnog optičkog dijametra, za opseg dijametara od 300nm do 10um. Kao glavni rezultat, prikazani su primeri kombinovanja spektara veličina čestica koji su dobijeni pomoću ove dve komplementarne metode merenja. U procesu kombinovanja spektara veličina čestica moguće je modifikovati raspodelu dobijenu optičkim merenjima traženjem optimalne vrednosti indeksa prelamanja čestica tako da se dobije što bolje slaganje sa raspodelom dobijenom merenjem električne pokretljivosti. Kao ulazni podaci su korišćeni rezultati merenja iz kampanje mobilnog monitoringa u Novom Sadu 2022