Causal relationships of health risk of air pollution in industrial area

Abstract

Air contamination is one of the serious problems for the environment and the health of society. Air contamination risk assessment, health effects assessment tools are used to identify the place and time of public health effects and risk prevention strategies to reduce negative health effects. Considering that there may be a relationship between factors affecting risk, in this study, interactions between them are investigated using Fuzzy Decision Test and Experimental Evaluation Method (fuzzy DEMATEL). The cause of the health air contamination risk in an industrial area are the activity of industrial complexes and port (D+R=45.98, D-R=2.09) and the presence of hydrogen sulfide (46.82, 2.61), benzene (50.87, 2.87), sulfur dioxide (43.87, 4.32) and PM10 (53.51, 5.63) and the effects of these factors will affect the amount of carbon monoxide (39.56, -4.47), ozone (38.80, -4.20), nitrogen dioxide (50.33, -1.62) and PM2.5 (44.18, -1.26). Hospitals and nursing homes (49.01, -2.58), schools (50.99, -0.59), storage and industrial facilities, roads (45.72, -0.59), urban core (51.38, -0.55) and Natural zones, agriculture and waterways (48.86, -0.17) are affected by other factors. Population density is also affected by cause factors. Population density has a two-way relationship with PM2.5. The main human and social factors include GDP per capita and urbanization rate. Hydrogen sulfide has a one-way relationship with population density. People who work in certain industries may be exposed to higher amounts of hydrogen sulfide than the general population. These industries include the production of rayon textiles, pulp and paper factories, oil and natural gas drilling operations, and wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, by controlling the activity of industrial complexes, port and the amounts of hydrogen sulfide, benzene, sulfur dioxide and PM10 in the ambient air can be prevented from the effects after that.