Air pollution and health risks of communities surrounding he No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Hsiao, Hsin-Yi
Abstract
The No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex started construction in Yun-Lin County in 1991, completed the construction of all 66 plants, including oil refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, and coal power plants in 2007, and begun fully operation afterwards. The objectives of this study were to define the changes of air quality and to estimate health risks among the residents around the No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex. We obtaining air quality data of PM10, CO, ozone, NOx, and SO2 during 1993-2007 from five Taiwan EPA operated monitoring stations, air concentration data of 56 VOCs during 2007-2008 from a PAMS station in Tai-Si, applying the hourly and annual VOC concentrations to calculate acute hazard index, chronic hazard index, non-carcinogen risks and cancer risks using the reference concentrations and unit risk values from the US and the California EPA. Besides, we evaluate the potential concentration of SOx and VOC in the peripheral regions using air dispersion model (Industrial Source Complex Short Term, ISCST3). Our analyses found that ozone, PM10, and SO2 concentrations increased significantly since the first operation period in the exposed areas of the petrochemical complex. The weather data showed that October to March being the most likely downwind months to the petrochemical complex and June to August being the least likely downwind months in a year. TVOC concentrations could reach above 200 ppb in the downwind areas of the petrochemical complex. The simulated annual average concentrations of SOx and VOC by ISC model were highest at Mai-Liao, Tai-Si and Sih-Hu townships. The estimated chronic hazard index (HIc) who lives near Tai-Si station were 1.0000 using 95% quantile of the estimated concentration and life-time cancer risks of residents exposing to annual concentration of benzene were 2.88E-6 (US EPA) or 3.80E-5 (Cal EPA). Our findings indicated air pollution surrounding the No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex might cause excess health risks to residents in surrounding communities.
Subjects
Air pollution
No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex
Risk assessment
Type
thesis
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