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Noise pollution interferes with most daily activities and, last but not least, disrupts rest, causing psychological, physiological and sometimes pathological reactions in certain situations, when exposure is extended and noise level is above the permitted limits. Sources generating urban noise are varied, randomly distributed in space and time, distinguished from the noise generated by industrial activity that generates occupational exposure of workers, who are permanently exposed to noise generated by industrial operations that are relatively well defined in space and time. As a result of exposure to noise pollution the human body experiences various effects of a physiological and/or psychological nature that affect its health and daily activities. The research was carried out over a period of 4 months in the main intersections in the Eastern area of Jiu Valley, where the level of noise pollution caused by road traffic and the discomfort created to residents in the vicinity of traffic arteries were analysed. Data gathered during the monitoring period show that noise pollution is also accentuated in small urban agglomerations (under 100,000 inhabitants) and it is necessary to monitor it and apply the best measures to reduce the negative impact on neighbourhoods.

About 99% of sulphur dioxide present in the atmosphere comes from anthropogenic activities, the main source being industrial activity that processes sulphur materials, including burning fuels (coal, oil or gas), thus releasing sulphur dioxide into the air. The purpose of this paper is to monitor the concentration of sulphur dioxide during two seasons, in the ambient air of Petroșani, with the aim of highlighting the possible atmospheric pollution caused by thermal power plants that use solid fuel during the winter period. The monitoring periods were distributed over a period of 6 months (three in summer and three in winter), namely the summer months (May, June, July of 2022), the winter months of December (2022), January and February of 2023. The main objective of the measurements is to identify if there is an increase in sulphur dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, resulting from the burning of solid fuels from household activities during the winter period. Results indicate that there is a higher degree of SO2 pollution in the winter period, but the recorded values are far below the limits set by national legislation. The paper presents some measures to limit sulphur dioxide pollution in the context of climate change.

In order to maintain the RENAR (Romanian Accreditation Association) accreditation, each accredited laboratory must periodically participate in interlaboratory testing programs carried out with specialized providers or similar laboratories. In December 2021, an interlaboratory comparison in the field of environmental protection was organized by INCD ISEMEX PETROȘANI. The current paper examines the similarity of results of two auto-laboratories, in similar sampling points to demonstrate the competence of accredited laboratories. During the interlaboratory test session, immission measurements (nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide), ambient noise measurements and determination of suspended dust concentration were performed. The main objective of the interlaboratory tests is to comply with limits established by the bilateral testing protocol, and all these results can be processed and achieved in situ due to systems endowing the auto-laboratories, which integrate all the measurements performed in situ. Results of the study indicate very close values found by the two mobile laboratories, which leads to the performance requirement for all components analysed, namely coefficients of variation below 20%.

According to Directive 2010/75 / EU and Law 278/2013 on industrial emissions, operators of large combustion plants (IMA) must carry out continuous self-monitoring of pollutant emissions and are required to perform parallel measurements with accredited laboratories, to certify results. Thus, INCD INSEMEX Petroșani, through the Testing Laboratories Group, accredited by RENAR, offers these type services to various economic agents. The curent paper presents measurements performed at two IMA exhaust chimneys, in two different stages, to quantify pollutants released into the atmosphere and to establish the impact they generate on health of population in the area of the study. Analysis of results showed that the maximum allowed value for the SO2 was exceeded, so that, at the end of this paper, some recommendations were reviewed, according to BAT (Best Available Techniques), to support the economic agent and inhabitants of the area in haveing a cleaner environment.

Most of combustible dusts present both fire and explosion hazard. Explosion may occur at certain concentrations of dust mixed with air and in the presence of an ignition source. The threat posed by this real danger was confirmed by the events that took place in economic units such as: feed factories, wood products, textile industry, steel, etc. Among the parameters of explosiveness of combustible dust, which can cause an explosion, we mention: maximum explosion pressure, lower explosion limit, explosive index, minimum ignition energy, electrical resistivity of dust, minimum ignition temperature of dust layer and cloud, particle size and concentration of dust in suspension. The current paper presents the results of determinations of combustible wood dust concentrations, performed at an important economic unit, manufacturing veneer and wood panels, at a dusting ventilation installation composed of fan, cyclone and textile filter. These determinations were made in the pipe connecting the fan and the bag filter, to assess possible danger of explosion in the pipe, by relating the measured concentration to the lower explosion limit (concentration of wood dust).

Household landfills can be important sources of air quality contamination if they do not comply with technological sorting and storage procedures. Also, workers' exposure to environmental hazards endangers their health over time. A significant amount of household waste is stored in cells, monthly, after a sorting process that leaves a considerable ecological footprint. In this study we analysed air quality at the boundary of a compliant household landfill, as well as the quality of work environment of landfill’s workers. To do this, we performed measurements on two levels (air quality and work environment) over three months, following different phases of waste disposal and different activities involving workers serving the facilities. From an applied perspective, results obtained from research activities provide clear answers to questions related to ways in which environmental components are affected by waste storage activities, and workers are exposed to professional noxious. Results show that the landfill deteriorates environment quality, over time, as well as health of workers. Topic relevance is in connection with its potential future contribution to development of knowledge in the approached field, to be able to quantify progress, once integrated systems for modern ecological collection and storage have legislative regulations.

Any workplace implies a greater or lesser number of occupational hazards, respectively workers are exposed to occupational risks, putting their health in danger. If we talk about industrial environments (construction, energy, metallurgy, textiles, wood, etc.), these hazards are found to a greater extent, often exceeding the allowable limit, but occupational pollutants such as dust in suspension and microclimate parameters can also be found in offices, whether they are open space or not. In this sense, the current paper reviews some workplaces and quantifies the level of risk to which workers are exposed to show and demonstrate the importance of occupational health prevention in order not to reach further measures, in time, when these occupational diseases occur. The research conducted led to the conclusion that the determined pollutants (dust, gas, microclimate) exceeded the maximum allowable concentration required by national legislation, both at workplaces in various technological flows and in offices. The high concentrations found in offices are caused by staff traffic, large number of employees, as well as the lack of natural ventilation.

The current paper aims to determine the actuality of the optical method of measuring PM10 dusts powders compared to the reference method (gravimetric method). According to the Integrated National Plan in the field of Energy and Climate Change 2021-2030, Romania must implement a program to reduce impact on atmosphere, including air quality monitoring, thus leading to an increase in the number of monitoring points and an increase in the number of samples required for monitoring. Currently, PM10 dust monitoring stations use the gravimetric method, consisting in absorbing a known volume of air on filters and weighing the dust deposited on them. As the use of this method requires a minimum of 3 days, it is necessary to apply an alternative measuring method, with short response time, namely the optical method. Parallel experimentation of the two measuring devices that use different principles was performed in several series of measurements at an economic agent that has the obligation to monitor dust at premises borders. Results obtained from comparison of the two devices can support future researchers in order to find limitations of the optical method of measuring PM10 dusts and to validate the method, in order to use it routinely.

Extractive industry has had and has negative effects on environmental factors. Limitation of industrial activities carried out in Jiu Valley, materialized by closure of mining units, brings to actuality the rehabilitation of areas occupied by constructions and surface utilities related to the technological process of underground coal extraction. First stage of surface rehabilitation and greening is the demolition of surface buildings by means of technical implosion / blasting or classic techniques. This stage generates a series of physicochemical pollutants that can have a significant impact on environmental factors. The main objective of the current paper is to identify pollutants and the negative effects they may have on human health as well as to reduce the environmental impact of materials from demolition operations. The paper has the advantage of quantifying waste resulting from demolitions in order to reduce impact on the environment by revalorizing the obtained materials (metal, concrete, wood, brick etc.) thus reducing the quantities of industrial waste to be stored. Thus, it is possible to plan the greening of areas affected by mining activities in the shortest possible time, correlated with the program of territorial systematization, in order to capitalize on new economic opportunities for use of these lands.

Air quality monitoring involves a series of quantitative and qualitative observation and measurement of several air condition indicators, such as concentrations of air components. For this purpose, it is necessary to take several samples of air (gases, dusts, VOCs, physicochemical agents) with specialized equipment having the lowest measuring ranges, sometimes going up to ppt concentrations. At present, most environmental laboratories use individual equipment / analysers for each analysed environmental parameter or carry out sampling in an absorbent / adsorbent environment, and then analyse compounds in laboratories. The current paper presents the advantages of sampling / analysis of environmental compounds with the help of mobile environmental laboratories which allow in situ sampling and analysis of several air quality indicators and fast identification of polluted areas by simultaneous measurements of several samples and strategic and tactical decision making to confute pollution and prevent it. Having a mobile environmental laboratory is equivalent to using the latest concepts and methods of in-situ environmental parameter analysis technology to monitor environmental quality, securing the acquisition and processing of data but requiring specific knowledge in the field to transmit information as accurate and rapid as possible to the beneficiary or environmental authority.

Through smokestacks, combustion plants discharge flue gases into the atmosphere, gases containing significant amounts of polluting substances such as: gaseous noxae (sulphur oxides - SOx, nitric oxides - NOx, carbon monoxide and dioxide - CO and CO2); as well as flue dust (suspended particulate matter - aerosols, precipitate dusts), unburned and soot. At present, methods used to measure ambient air concentrations are continuous methods that are fully automatic (monitoring stations) and discontinuous instrumental methods, using numerical display devices equipped with sampling probes. There are situations in which the smokestack does not have inspection holes for taking samples or there is no platform located at the appropriate height (recommended by normative acts) or certain situations where the smokestack height is 30-50 m making it impossible to sample burned gases. Lately, drones have become more and more intelligent, and given the current complexity and performance of hardware and software, we could say that this development will take place swiftly. The current paper explores the possibility of using drones equipped with gas sensors to measure industrial gas emissions from large combustion plants. In this case, account shall be taken of air currents generated by drones and temperature of discharged exhaust gases. This method has a character of novelty because drones are not currently used in industry. The results of the research will conclude if drones equipped with sensors will or will not be widely used in this field, given their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, this paper will be a starting point for future research regarding gas emissions measurements both by using drones and the standardized measurement method (sampling inside smokestacks). Also, the use of aerospace vehicles (drones) will be a real help for improving services, quick reaction in case of damages, for the safety and security of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to physicochemical pollutants in the work environment leads to occupational illnesses. Workers working in the fields of production of raw materials, energy, material goods, etc. are exposed to these noxious substances over a long period of time. Longterm exposure to many pollutants may have a cumulative effect on the worker. In order to quantify the occupational exposure generated by cumulative exposure to noxious substances, it is necessary to determine the exposure level for each harmful substance. In this respect, the current paper presents a case study, where workers carry out their activity under difficult working conditions in an environment where physicochemical pollutant concentrations exceed limits allowed by national / international legislation. Also, the paper presents the monitoring of physicochemical pollutants in order to be able to quantify the exposure of workers and their health status. Physical and chemical monitored pollutants (omnipresent in industry) are: noise, vibrations, particulate matter and chemicals used in / generated by the workplace atmosphere (CO, CO2, NOx, etc.). Disabilities resulting from the exercise of a job or profession, caused by physical and / or chemical damaging factors characteristic of work places, are difficult to diagnose in the absence of systematic monitoring of health, as causality between factors that generated occupational illness must be assessed, these being usually determined by a combination of determinants (main factors) and biasing (secondary) factors. The effects of exposure to physicochemical pollutants on health of workers are presented both quantitatively by measuring the level of exposure and from the situation of occupational illnesses point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, there is an increasingly acute crisis of raw materials coming from conventional resources. A way to confute this crisis is the exploitation of waste from different industries, their processing becoming competitive in the conditions of increasing costs of extracting some useful minerals. This paper aims to establish the chemical composition (macro elements) of raw coal ashes from the Jiu Valley from several mining units and to establish the chemical composition of special products from the Jiu Valley Preparation Plant in order to make an optimal decision in case of possible capitalization. From research carried out so far on raw coal ashes and special products in Jiu Valley, it has been found that there is a concentration above the average of European Union countries of metal oxides present in the coal ashes. Large amounts of ashes, exploitation efficiency and waste recycling tendency considerably reduce the technical and economic difficulties of extraction from non-bauxitic raw materials. Thus, the existence and composition of these macro elements was studied using the process of dissolving alumina in HNO3 in a quantity less than the stoichiometric value, when Al(NO3)3 • 9H2O is formed, because the iron remains insoluble in the solution afterwards being extracted from moist and dried concentrates in soft or strong fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions from industrial plants, including those producing ceramic building materials (bricks, tiles, etc.) represent a considerable share of key atmospheric pollutants total emissions having significant environmental effects. Large volumes of flue gases and dust are continuously and constantly released into the atmosphere through exhaust chimneys of heat treatment facilities. As a result, righteously, these plants are considered to be major stationary sources of anthropogenic emissions, which according to Law 278/2013 must be monitored. In this respect, given the importance of actions to reduce pollution at national level, traders producing ceramic building materials are bound by the environmental permit to monitor gas concentrations in effluents, through discontinuous measurement. This paper presents the assessment of environmental impact generated by production of ceramic building materials and its effects on the local population. Depending on the specific production processes, plants manufacturing ceramic products cause emissions that are discharged into air, water and soil (waste). Type and amount of air pollution depend on different parameters, such as raw materials being used, auxiliaries, fuels and production methods. The trader where emission measurements were taken gas used mari clay and fire clay as stock for manufacturing bricks, tiles and other construction products and the fuel used in thermal process is natural gas. This paper is a summary of a scientific study based on the European Directive 2010/75/EU and Law 278/2013 on industrial emissions that refer to limiting greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban areas, air pollution represents one of the biggest problems concerning protection of human health and natural environment. This leads to the fact that local authorities of each area set as priority objective a management system of air quality. Moreover, given the fact that environmental pollution is the consequence of the economic situation of a country or region, it is necessary that actions of prevention and protection of environment and human health to be an important issue for any company. But all this requires an assessment of possibilities for inspection and monitoring of disturbances and propagation of air pollutants in each region depending on the level of industrial development and specific topographic and climatic conditions. The paper presents monitoring of air quality in the area of a bone meal factory, it being a source of pollution for surrounding areas, as well as the impact on the environment and human health. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the importance of monitoring air pollutants, given that the breathable air pollution is a problem that concerns not only organizations and specialized agencies in this area, but also base citizens. Importance of the paper comes from the fact that prolonged exposure of population to pollution caused by dust and gas emissions leads to alterations of population health, also significantly contributing to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trough environment protection's point of view, industry represents the most important field of anthropic activity. As a result of industrial operations, substantial quantities of carbon oxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides and mostly SO2, nitric oxides (NO/NO2), cove hydrocarbons, volatile salts (chlorides, fluorides, sulphates), water vapours and so on are released in the atmosphere. Given the importance of emission and immision levels for environment's and general population's health, it is mandatory that measurements of their levels are made by laboratories experienced and authorized in this field of activity. Considering the above, the study outlines the imperatives of the effective legislation on gas measurements, dusts and hydrocarbons and the elements that must be considered when performing determinations for quantifying environment quality in industrial areas, using efficient equipments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The explosive increasing of the world population, the high urbanization, as well the development of certain industries that use large amounts of water during the engineering processes have triggered the depletion and the pollution of water resources. With the view to protecting people's health and the surrounding environment, the discharge of waste/polluted waters into the sewerage system and into the natural flowing waters shall be in accordance with the legislation in force. In order to diminish the pollution level of emissaries due to the uncontrolled discharged of waste waters, these polluted waters shall have to be cleaned. There has been developed a pilot installation for hypobaric flotation cleaning. Optimizing the cleaning of waste waters has been performed with the help of a transformation matrix for a three-factor test in a semi-replica. Taking into consideration the parameters of the component elements of the pilot installation, there has been designed an industrial installation for the cleaning of waste waters with a supply flow rate of 100 m³/h with the help of hydrodynamic modeling and similitude criteria. It was possible to settle the aeration device the hydro-aerator and the flotation cell with the following component parts: the adhesion tube, chamber acceleration and the body of the flotation cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry has adversely affected all the environment parameters; consequently, today it is imperiously necessary to perform rehabilitation and to reclaim the damaged land. This paper presents the current situation of the sterile waste dumps in the Jiu Valley and several proposals to clean the adversely affected areas. This paper is grounded on the observations carried out in the field, on the informations gained as a result of studies (Environment balance sheets / Risk evaluations) that have been carried out by INSEMEX Petroşani in the Jiu Valley, the physical and the mechanical characteristics of the dumped rocks and of the foundation rocks determined by the University in Petroşani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trough environment protection's point of view, industry represents the most important field of anthropic activity. As a result of industrial operations, substantial quantities of carbon oxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides and mostly SO2, nitric oxides (NO/NCT), cove hydrocarbons, volatile salts (chlorides, fluorides, sulphates), water vapors and so on are released in the atmosphere. Given the importance of emission and immision levels for environment's and general population's health, it is mandatory that measurements of their levels are made by laboratories experienced and authorized in this field of activity. Considering the above, the study outlines the imperatives of the effective legislation on gas measurements, dusts and hydrocarbons and the elements that must be considered when performing determinations for quantifying environment quality in industrial areas, using efficient equipments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INCD INSEMEX Petrosani measured the concentration of breathable powders found at the working places at the surface of mines belonging to CNH; these measurements were performed based on the HG 246/2007 on the methodology for renewal of permits in relation to the classification of the working places with special conditions that changes the validity of these permits until 31.12.2009. This paper shows the results and the analysis of results gained at the working places with special conditions, the methods used to diminish the risks/ poisonous particles whether the maximum admitted concentration is exceeded and the adverse influence of powders over workers health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]