Odour Annoyance in Industrial Zones of the River Seine Estuary

Vigneron/Hcrmia/Chaouki (Eds), Charactcrization and Control of Odours and VOC in thc Process lndustrics 0 1994 Elscvicr Scicnce B.V. All rights rcscrvcd.

127

ODOUR ANNOYANCE IN INDUSTRIAL ZONES OF THE RIVER SEINE ESTUARY S. QUERI?, M.L. PERRIN’, N. HUCHET’ V. DELMASb, P. LEDENVIC

aInstitut de Protection et de SaretC NuclCaire DCpartement de Protection de 1’Environnement et des Installations Laboratoire d’ OlfactomBtrie IPSNKEA, BP 6, 92265 FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES Cedex, France bAIR NORMAND 21 avenue de la Porte aux Champs, 76037 ROUEN Cedex, France ‘Direction Rdgionale de l’Industrie, la Recherche et 1’Environnement 21 avenue de la Porte aux Champs, 76037 ROUEN Cedex, France Industrial activities along the River Seine estuary, between Petitville and Le Havre, are potential sources of odorous pollution and have been the subject of complaints to the authorities. A study was therefore undertaken of emitted odours likely to cause annoyance to living populations. Fifteen municipalities were involved in the study, in which odour annoyance experienced by living populations was assessed, and the environment was characterized by olfactometry. 1. ASSESSMENT OF POPULATIONS 1.1. Methodology

ODOUR

ANNOYANCE

EXPERIENCED

BY

LIVING

This type of study was initiated by a team of researchers at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) [ 11. The method is now recommended by the Verein.Deutscher .Ingeniewe. [2] and one study of this type has already been conducted in France, in the region of the Etang de Berre (Marseille) [3]. The population sample constituting the panel consisted of local volunteers, grouped by geographical sector, depending on their place of residence. Volunteers were asked to leave their homes at set times on given days to assess air quality, and to complete a questionnaire on a response card (cf. figure 1).

128 A REMPUR PAR LE CORRESPONDANT Votre No Dote __ Heure

_----

CAMPAGNE

-

NE PAS REMPUR

ODEURS-ESTUAIRE w w WElA

ww

ycTEuL

S.V.P. SOYEZ ATTENTIF

- Sentez-vous quelque chose ? OUI e NON - Si oui, cochez la case sous le dessin qui correspond le mieux

ODEUR PAS G E W E W Tolll

ODEUR UN PEU GENANTE

ODEUR GENANTE

ODEUR TRES GENANTE

C

ODEUR E(TREMEMEM G E M

Pan ws o b r e ~ o eth ~iemacqua,ISY P

Figure 1 The identification number of the volunteer, and the day and time of the assessment, were noted on the reply card. Volunteers were free to make additional comments on the back of the card. The responses were used to calculate an odour annoyance index for a given sector, at set times on given days. It was calculated as follows: I

= -l

C5 W i . Ni

N

is)

N : 1

wi

:

:

Ni :

total number of observers annoyance category coefficient of i category number of responses of i category

Response No odour Odour not annoying Odour slightly annoying Odour annoying Odour very annoying Odour extremely annoying

1

Wi 0 0 25

50 75 100

129

The odour annoyance index was zero when nobody was annoyed by the odours, and 100 when all participants were extremely annoyed. The study lasted one year, with two weekly assessments, in order to cover different meteorological conditions and industrial operations. Compared with a survey of complaints or on-the-spot questioning, this approach has the following advantages:

- the participants all work with a precise response scale to indicate the degree of annoyance experienced, the annoyance recorded is based only on the participant's immediate experience and does not involve recall of past incidents of questionable objectivity, - the time of the participant's response is defined by the investigator and correlated with pollution levels and weather conditions.

-

1.2. Pmcedure

The geographical area covered by the study extended over 30 Km from Petitville to Le Havre (cf. figure 2).

Figure 2 Information meetings held in the different municipalities prompted 370 people to be volunteer for the study. In agreement with the municipalities and Association Air Normand, each volunteer was attributed a identification number corresponding to the geographical

130

locality, thus preserving anonymity. In each municipality, participants were grouped into one geographical sector, except for Le Havre where three sectors were defined. To initiate and sustain the investigation, meetings were held throughout the one-year study period. At these meetings, the observation times were set on Wednesday mornings (8 a.m) and Sunday evenings (7 p.m). On two occasions, a full week of observations was implemented, in which participants made morning and evening assessments every day. In this way, 124 observations were recorded. Meteorological data were provided by six stations of Association Air Normand. The study started in November 1990. 1.3. Results

The response cards received from participants were sorted into geographical sectors and the odour annoyance indices were calculated from the full data set. For statistical reasons, participants who provided responses for less than 20% of the observation times over the study period were excluded from the analysis. This reduced the total number of participants used in data processing to 303. Degme of participation The curve expressing the degree of participation during the study is given in figure 3.

Pou~cnntaye de reponses 100

90

80 70

60

I

50 40

30 20

10 0

I “I

jui aout I sept I oct

jai Figure 3

I nov

ctec

131

The annual drop-out rate was very satisfactory compared with other similar studies (0.17 versus 0.30 on average for other studies [4]). This shows that the participants were highly motivated. Processing of msponses The results were expressed in two forms:

- for each sector, a 36-direction odour annoyance compass card which central point is located

on the observers' centre of gravity (cf. figure 4) was used to define the effect of wind direction on the annoyance experienced. In this way, the directions of the odorous sources were assessed and the sites of emission localized. The length of the lines is proportional to the average annoyance index along the direction considered. The dotted line represents a nil index. Wind speeds below 1 m / s were not considered significant and were not taken into account in plotting the compass cards. The effect of the wind as an odour carrier is clear from the compass cards. The intersections of the directions from which the most annoying odours came were used to localize the source of annoyance for different sectors.

I :

Figure 4

I32

- similarly, histograms of annoyance as a function of day (cf. figure 5 ) were established for all geographical sectors. They allowed yearlong monitoring of the annoyance.

Figure 5 Annoyance indices covering most of the 0 to 100 range were measured from the histograms (figure 3,which confirm that values may vary greatly from one sector to another on a given day and over a year. Parameters responsible for these variations include the distance between the sector and the source(s) of odour annoyance, the number of sources, and their orientation with respect to prevailing winds. The compass cards allow assessment of the direction of the annoyance, whereas the histograms allow its intensity and frequency to be quantified. The Table 1 recapitulates for the 17 geographical sectors the frequencies of different ranges of the index.

133

PERCENTAGES OF INDICES Zero

<5

< 10

< 20

< 50

Honfleur

31

70

86

99

100

Quillebeuf sur Seine

39

54

62

82

99

Petitville

13

50

83

100

100

Notre Dame de Gravenchon

11

48

78

95

100

Lillebonne

14

63

91

99

100

Gruchet le Valasse

22

65

93

98

100

La Cerlangue

18

51

72

98

100

Saint Romain de Colbosc

44

74

93

100

100

Sandouville

45

64

86

95

99

Oudalle

21

43

61

78

96

Rogerville

46

76

94

98

99

Gonfreville I’ Orcher

13

40

72

93

100

Harfleur

62

73

86

95

100

Le Havre haut

12

43

73

89

100

Le Havre Danton

57

79

90

97

100

Le Havre Neiges

11

17

51

85

100

Montivilliers

19

66

91

97

99

Sector

Table 1

134

2. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CURRENT ODOROUS STATUS OF SITES ENVIRONMENTAL OLFACTOMETRY

-

2.1. Principle of measurements A psychophysical method of olfactory equivalence [5, 61 was used to give as quantitative an evaluation as possible of odorous pollution in a given area. A panel of qualified experts, considered to constitute a representative sample of the population, compared the odorous strength of the atmosphere to the intensities of a standard range of pyridine:

Odorous strength

weak

moderate

Pyridine concentration in water (volume fraction)

5.10-6 to 5.10.'

to

strong

very strong

5.10-4 to 5.10-3 to 5.10.'

One measurement comprised the sum of the individual evaluations by panel members at a specific place (geographical localization) and at a precise moment (temporal localization). 2.2. Procedure The choice of measurement sites was made in light of recorded complaints, identified potential sources of odour, and the geographical localization of the participants (see section I). The measurement network therefore covered all sectors defined in the annoyance evaluation method. Olfactometric measurements throughout the network were made by six experts in two threeday measurement campaigns, which coincided with the two one-week periods in which twicedaily observations were made (see section 1.2). Meteorological data were provided by Association Air Normand. 2.3. Results For each measurement campaign, response data from the panel of experts were collected and the mean intensity values were calculated. On the whole, 124 measurements have been made, covering the defined sectors. Natural, urban, industrial and agricultural odours were recorded. "Industrial odours", designated by the majority of living people as the most annoying atmospheric pollution, were reported on the whole 39 times, as strong 7, moderate 15 and weak 17. The experts described these industrial odours as those of mercaptans, hydrogen sulphide, sulphur compounds, solvents and hydrocarbons, and more rarely of odours of burning or roasting. 3. REVIEW AND DEVELOPMENTS 3.1. Detection of 26 potential s o m e s In parallel with the "Odour-Estuary" study, the DRIRE (Direction RBgionale de l'hdustrie, la Recherche et l'Environnement), regional authority, performed a systematic inventory of permanent or occasional sources of odorous emissions. This inventory was established in close

135 collaboration with industrialists and also took into account significant events affecting industrial operations: technical shut-down, accidental emissions, altered production, and so on. Comparison of the inventory results with observations made in the study defined the 26 most likely sources of odour annoyance. These included chemical and petrochemical plants along the estuary, waste incinerators, a tobacco-processing factory and a coffee roaster. The study also revealed agricultural and urban sources of odour annoyance. 3.2 Programme of action Following release of a report in January 1992, a meeting was called in May 1992 by the Air Commission of the Permanent Secretariat for the Prevention of Industrial Pollution (SPPPI), which is a forum for industrialists, elected representatives and public authorities. Appropriate solutions to odour treatment were sought, in consultation with the managers of the industrial sources concerned. Following this working session, a preliminary review of the follow-up to the study indicated that:

- the investments planned, and in some cases already made, amounted to about 500 million French Francs, most of which were intended for odour treatment,

- most companies undertook to conduct complementary studies promptly in order to improve definition of the sources of odour annoyance, or to use suitable odour-reduction technology.

At a meeting in July 1993, eight of the 26 companies had already invested more than 300 million French Francs. A last odour commission will be held in June 1994 to examine the results of qualitative and quantitative assessment of odorous emissions, and to consider the search for technical solutions for the fourteen establishments whose studies are still in progress. A shorter, less wide-ranging investigation may be organized in 1995 to complement the first study and to evaluate the impact of the actions implemented. CONCLUSIONS

The "Odours-Estuary" study was launched at the end of 1990. For one year, 370 volunteers inhaled outside air twice a week, at set times, in order to detect any odours and assess the corresponding annoyance. At the beginning of 1992, a public report examined the observations made by volunteers and experts and information provided'by the public authorities on potential industrial sources. The report highlighted 26 probable sources of odour annoyance, which were principally large chemical and petrochemical plants in the region. By July 2nd 1993, 300 million French Francs had been invested, mainly to improve the airtightness of storage tanks and the efficiency of odour scrubbing devices. These investments are designed to reduce the odour annoyance to affected communities, but also will allow to lower emissions of volatile organic compounds.

136 REFERENCES E.P. KOSTER, P.M. PUNTER, K.D. MAIWALD, J. BLAAUWBROEK, J. SCHAEFER VDI-BERICHTE n O 561, 299-312, 1985. Verein.Deutscher.1ngenieure. 3882, BI.2 Effects and Assessment of Odours; Determination of Annoyance Parameters by Questioning Diisseldorf : Verein Deutscher Ingenieure 03/93

M.L. PERRIN, M. JEZEQUEL, J.L. DELPEUCH, R. NADAL Study of industrial odour annoyance 8th Wolrd Congress on Pure Air and Exposure, The Hague (Netherlands), 11-15 September 1989 E.P. KOSTER TonalitC affective et maitrise de la pollution odorante “ODEURS ET DESODORISATION” Editeur TEC & DOC LAVOISIER September 1991 Norme AFNOR NF X 43-103 Qualit6 de l’air. Mesurage de I’odeur d’une atmosphkre gazeuse. MCthode supraliminaire. In press. M.L. PERRIN, M.F. THAL, P.ZETTWOOG OlfactomCtriedans l’industrie. Mesure des odeurs h I’Cmission et dam l’environnement. Techniques de l’IngCnieur, P-445, 1-8, 1991.