Determination of inadequacies/pitfalls in quantifying Air Pollution impacts - A Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) approach

摘要

This work deals with the determination of inadequacies/pitfalls in quantifying air pollution impacts. Firstly, the critical pollutant concentration P_(cr) is determined as the equilibrium point in the tradeoff between indirect environmental (due to impact at societal level) and direct economic (for pollutant abatement) cost. It is proved that certain exogenous factors may intervene in estimating the indirect environmental cost causing uncertainty in the process of pollution impact quantification. For overcoming this difficulty, we have developed initially a methodological framework under the form of an algorithmic procedure and subsequently a fuzzy fault tree for revealing inadequacies/pitfalls and investigating the respective possible causes. Numerical examples referring to the network of air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) in Athens, Greece, are presented and the results are discussed. Finally, the optimal metrological validity index (incorporating precision and accuracy) of each AQMS is estimated for maximizing total environmental/economic benefit and minimizing uncertainty.