Emissions of VOCs at Urban Petrol Retail Distribution Centres in India (Delhi and Mumbai)

Air pollution has assumed gigantic proportion killing almost half a million Asians every year. Urban pollution mainly comprises of emissions from buses, trucks, motorcycle other forms of motorized transport and its supporting activities. As Asia's cities continue to expand the number of vehicles have risen resulting in greater pollution. Fugitive emissions from retail distribution center in urban area constitute a major source. Petrol vapours escape during refueling adding pollutants like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene to ambient air. This paper discusses a study on fugitive emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) at some refueling station in two metropolitan cities of India, i.e., Mumbai and Delhi. Concentration of VOCs in ambient air at petrol retail distribution center is estimated by using TO-17 method. Concentration of benzene in ambient air in Delhi clearly shows the effect of intervention in use of petroleum and diesel fuel and shift to CNG. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model is used to estimate source contributions. At Delhi besides diesel combustion engines, refueling emissions are also major sources. At Mumbai evaporative emissions are found to contribute maximum to Total VOC (TVOC) concentration in ambient air.     

坚持安全发展 推进综合监管——访国家安监总局副局长梁嘉琨

近年来，我国各级安全生产监管部门全面落实科学发展观，坚持安全发展的理念，认真履行安全生产综合监管职能，积极探索开展综合监管工作的措施、途径和手段，逐步构筑了“分类指导、职责明晰、条块结合、运行有序、机制完善”的安全生产综合监管机制和总体格局，全国安全生产综合监管建设取得了长足的进步。但是，在综合监管工作实践中，很多地区也都遇到并提出了同样的问题：《安全生产法》等法律法规中并没有对综合监管的内容作出明确的规定。     

Book reviews

ANALYTICAL PLANNING: THE ORGANISATION OF SYSTEMS

Thomas L. Saaty and Kevin P. Kearns

Pergamon Press, 1985. Price: U.S. $40.00, U.K. £29.50.

THE GEOGRAPHER AT WORK

Peter Gould

Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1985’ Price: £8.95.

UTOPIA ON TRIAL

Alice Colman

Hilary Shipman Ltd., 19 Framfield Road, Highbury, London. May 1985 (reprinted August, 1985). Price: £7.95.

SIR RAYMOND UNWIN: ARCHITECT, PLANNER AND VISIONARY

Frank Jackson

A. Zwemmer Ltd., London 1985. 187 pp. with maps and illustrations.

STRATEGIC PLANNING IN ACTION: THE IMPACT OF THE CLYDE VALLEY REGIONAL PLAN 1946–1982

R. Smith and U. Wannop (eds)

Gower, 1985, 272 pp. Price: £16.50.

LOCALITIES, CLASS AND GENDER

The Lancaster Regionalism Group (Linda Murgatroyd, Mike Savage, Dan Shapiro, John Urry, Sylvia Walby, Alan Warde, with Jane Mark‐Lawson)

Pion Ltd., 1985. Price: £12.00.     

Utilization of banana agricultural waste: production of cellulases by soil fungi

Banana a major cash crop of Maharashtra is cultivated over 46900 hectares generating large amount of agro waste after the harvest. Attempts were made to utilize these agro wastes for production of cellulases. Of the 127 fungi isolated from the soil of banana field, 12 fungi were found to utilize cellulose as source of carbon. Trichoderma lignorum showed appreciable cellulolytic activity. It produced Cl, Cx and beta glucosidase in Carboxymethyl Cellulose Peptone medium as well as on agro waste based medium containing leaves, stem and rhizome powders. T. lignorum (0. 45 U/ml) produced maximum enzymes on leaf based medium.     

Studies on the effect of isoprocarb (MIPC 50 WP) on livestock

Different species of livestock was exposed to isoprocarb (MIPC 50 WP) sprays to monitor their health status. Exposure of livestock (calves, sheep, dogs and RIR birds) to 0.1 percent isoprocarb sprays on cotton crop for 6 hours a day for three consecutive days, showed no adverse effects on evident from clinical hematological and biochemical observations.     

Health monitoring of farm labourers engaged in MIPC 50 WP field sprays

Investigations were undertaken to monitor the health status of farm labourers engaged in field sprays of MIPC 50 WP (Hexamicin, Mipcin), a carbamate insecticide on cotton crop, as per the protocol approved by the Central Insecticide Board The insecticide sprays (0.1%) were undertaken for six hr on three consecutive days on 1.2 hectares of cotton crop per day, using Aspee napsak sprayers. The spray personnel (mixers, loaders and sprayers) with protective clothing did not reveal any alteration in clinical, hematological and blood bio-chemical profile during exposure and post exposure periods. The spray personnel without protective clothing showed only a marginal reduction in their blood cholinesterase activity during the exposure period.     

Atmospheric Emissions from Oxidation Ponds

The electrodes in industrial precipitators collect many tons of dust daily, and the efficient transfer of this dust burden to the hoppers is a challenging problem in mechanical engineering. Many varieties of devices have been tried; hammers, vibrators, scrapers, water flushing, gas blasting, etc. Impact devices for this purpose are usually called “rappers.” Laboratory experiments described in this paper show that normal (perpendicular) rapping is more effective than shear rapping; that thick dust layers are more easily removed by rapping than thin ones; that rapping becomes easier with increasing temperature, within limits; and that the electrostatic forces acting upon the precipitated dust layer play an important role. Quantitative data are shown graphically. The relation of these results to previous studies by other investigators is discussed.     

Values and Economics in Environmental Management: A Perspective and Critique

Several categories of non-market value have been identified for forests and other natural environments: use value, option value, altruism, bequest value, existence value and intrinsic value. In this paper, we view these values from a psychological perspective. Non-market values arise because natural resources play important roles in furthering human goals. This goal perspective contrasts with intrinsic value—the idea that natural objects have value as ends in themselves regardless of their relationship to man. Because of the lack of precise definitions, elements of intrinsic value are often mixed with existence value, creating confusion in the literature. These resource values need to be examined on a logical as well as an empirical basis. We argue that careful scrutiny reveals problems with both existence value and intrinsic value so that it is important to question their role in policy formation and analysis.