Environmental quality standards and their types

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

To obtain an objective assessment corresponding to the level and quality of the environment, it is necessary to conduct a differentiated analysis in several areas simultaneously. Among the factors that influence the assessment results are the fundamental components of the environmental situation: air, water, soil, food and much more.

The value of rationing in environmental activities

Environmental quality standards are designed to specifically limit exposure to harmful substances. As a rule, the likelihood of the appearance of many toxins and microelements that adversely affect the state of the environment is extremely high in the process of industrial, agricultural and other production, as well as throughout the life of society.

Solving problems in the environmental sphere of the state is a fundamentally important point for the normal existence of its population.

Activeharmful substances affecting the human body often lead to the development of pathological processes, including various complications and painful syndromes, including toxic, mutagenic, anaphylactic, malignant, embryotropic and gonadotropic nature.

What are the environmental quality standards?

The main classification of these indicators allows us to subdivide them into the following types of environmental quality standards:

• hygienic standards;
• set of environmental regulations;
• indicators in the manufacturing and economic sector;
• interim standards.

Each of these types of standards needs to be considered in more detail, since it is of great importance in compiling the final picture of the results obtained.

Block of sanitary standards

The environmental quality standards include, first of all, sanitary-protective and hygienic criteria. For example, the latter imply a whole range of important gradations that determine the level of negative components in the natural background.

These are the maximum allowable concentrations of harmful toxic substances in the air, rivers, lakes and soils; indicators of permissible physical impact (noise, radiation, vibration, electromagnetic radiation), which neither now nor in future years can affect the he alth of residents and their descendants.

For example, ifthe active substance adversely affects the state of a natural object in lower concentrations (in comparison with the impact on the human body), then environmental quality standards are set based on the intensity of the influence of this component on the elements of the biosphere. Higher thresholds of indicators that ensure the safety of only a person are not taken into account.

Principles for the development of environmental he alth standards

If we talk about hygiene indicators again, here we are talking primarily about toxicometric criteria. Appropriate dosages, concentrations of hazardous substances or the effects of exposure to physical factors cause similar fixed body reactions.

It is not surprising that today such environmental quality standards are used on the territory of the post-Soviet states. In some regions, under more severe environmental conditions, additional standards may be established.

Sanitary protection regulations

Sanitary and protective indicators of environmental quality standards have a different purpose. Their goal is to fully protect the he alth of the population of a particular region or geographical area.

Measures to bring the sanitary protection zones in line with established standards should include:

• ensure necessary cleanliness of water use points;
• prevention of the adverse effects of pollutantssources.

Standardization and environmental regulations

Environmental environmental quality standards serve to determine the limit of anthropogenic impact on the natural environment. If they are exceeded, there is a threat of preventing the preservation of the most suitable conditions for human life and its natural environment. Here, too, these criteria cannot be considered unilaterally, since they can be environmentally hygienic and environmentally protective. In addition, the maximum allowable loads on the natural environment are of great importance.

Environmental standards - environmental quality standards, when approving which, in terms of hygienic indicators, it is important to mean that among many bioactive organisms there are species that are more sensitive to pollution than humans.

And if the established norms for people can be an order of magnitude higher than those that other living organisms need, then the rational solution would be to introduce lower standards in order to ensure the full functioning of other forms of life.

Varieties of environmental regulations

Indispensable are ecological and protective normative indicators, the main direction of which is the conservation of the planet's gene pool, the replenishment of ecosystems, the preservation of objects of historical, cultural and natural value. A striking example of the use of such provisions can be called the organization of biosphere reserves, naturalnational parks, etc.

The environmental quality standards also include other environmental criteria. The maximum permissible values of the load on the natural environment set themselves the task of preventing abnormal depletion of natural resources and damage to natural ecological ties. It is extremely important to achieve expedient planning in the use and reproduction of minerals. Such environmental quality standards are usually obtained by lengthy scientific calculations. In the process of determining the exact threshold values, it is especially important to justify the admissibility of the degree of industrial impact on a particular natural natural area.

Production and economic provisions in the regulation of environmental quality

The next block includes provisions designed to designate the lowest thresholds of indicators, the occurrence of which is allowed in the production and economic sectors. It is possible to change the parameters of the implementation of activities in this area mainly by limiting the functions of a particular enterprise, causing danger from the point of view of specialists in the field of sanitary and environmental regulation. The most common production and economic standards are:

• technology standards;
• provisions calculated for recreational areas;
• standards taken into account during construction.

The first subgroup includes MPE, PDS and PDT. The maximum allowable emissions and discharges of harmful substances into the atmosphere, water bodies, as well as the volume of fuel burned are establishedindividually for each source of pollution in the environment. Such standards are interconnected with the profile orientation of the enterprise, the amount and nature of the harmful effects.

The issue of familiarization with urban planning standards has to be addressed in the development of ensuring and guaranteeing the safety of the environment. Only in this case can the planning and development of the settlement take place.

The third group contains other standards. Environmental quality standards in recreational areas allow the proper use of natural complexes, leaving conditions for the development of tourism and resort business.

What is the time limit?

Temporary standards are often set in cases where for some reason it is not possible to calculate one of the above indicators. Where it is impossible to develop technological, sanitary or hygienic standards, they resort to the creation of temporary provisions.

However, it is worth noting the fact that over time, given scientific progress, technologies and equipment are constantly being upgraded, which means that it becomes possible to tighten regulations in order to reduce environmental impact.

How to check the air condition?

The quality of individual elements of the biosphere can also be assessed using numerous variations of the listed norms. In particular,you can analyze the state of the air shell of the region based on several tools:

1. Maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances in the air of the industrial zone. This rationing involves measuring the concentration of harmful substances in the air during an eight-hour working day or a 40-hour working week. Permissible is the accumulation of substances that are not capable of causing disease. Moreover, it is possible to detect an occupational disease not only in the course of work, but also in the future.
2. Maximum permissible concentration of pollution in the air of settlements. Subsensory (reflex) reactions of the human body should not occur when breathing air with a permissible concentration for half an hour.
3. Permissible concentration of pollutants in the airspace of the working lane as a temporary standard valid for no more than 2 years.
4. Maximum permissible emissions of harmful and polluting substances into the environment. This criterion is necessary to ensure maximum compliance with sanitary and hygienic provisions in the air of settlements, taking into account difficult meteorological conditions. Such environmental quality standards are valid for up to 5 years.
5. The maximum allowable amount of fuel burned. The indicated indicator guarantees compliance with all the requirements of the sanitary services regarding the products of combustion of fuel in the atmosphere of settlements.

The importance of water basin quality standards

Great importance in the system of sanitary and environmental indicators isanalysis of the state and pollution of the water basin. The established standards for the quality of the environment, in particular water bodies, allow you to control the amount of harmful and toxic substances entering the water. Maximum permissible concentrations should in no case have a direct or indirect effect on the he alth of people of the present, as well as future generations.

Hygienic conditions for water use, in turn, will help maintain the quality of water bodies used for commercial fishing. Moreover, the indicators of permissible concentration in such a water basin will always be stricter and tougher than analogues established for practically fishless rivers, lakes and rates. This fact can be explained by the fact that toxic and inorganic compounds tend to accumulate in the organisms of aquatic inhabitants in significant quantities.

Standards required for regulation of soil, noise and radiation indicators

Evaluation of the soil layer also takes place according to the standards established according to the maximum permissible concentration of pollutants in the arable layer. The negative impact that soil saturated with toxins and chemical components can have when in contact with water, air, and plants can indirectly affect human he alth. Calculations of standards are valid for three years.

Standards and norms for environmental quality include other indicators. These include noise and radiationcriteria. The first group of developed standards implies fixed maximum permissible noise levels, according to which the daily and systematic impact on human he alth will not adversely affect its performance.

Radiation contamination of the biosphere must be constantly under the control of sanitary authorities. The consequences of excessive or prolonged accumulation of radioactive substances in the human body can be extremely severe. Ionizing radiation is known to cause cancer. Therefore, the indicators of these standards should imply the impossibility of unreasonable exposure.