PREDICTION AND

ASSESSMENT OF
IMPACTS ON THE AIR
ENVIRONMENT

What is Air Pollution?

Air Pollution can be defined as the
presence in the outdoor atmosphere of
one or more contaminant (pollutants)
in such quantities and of such duration
as may be injurious to human, plant, or
animal life, or to property, or which
may unreasonably interfere with the
comfortable enjoyment of life or
property, or the conduct of business

Possible Effects to Human

Health
It include eye irritation,
headaches, and
aggravation of
respiratory difficulties.
Plants and crops have
been subjected to the
undesirable
consequences of air
pollution including
abnormal growth
patterns, leaf
discoloration or spotting,

6 Steps Associated with Air

Environment Impacts
1. Identification of the types and quantities
of air pollutants and of their impacts
2. Description of existing air quality
conditions
3. Procurement of relevant air quality
standards and regulations
4. Impact Prediction
5. Assessment of impact significance
6. Identification and incorporation of
mitigation measures

Step 1: Identification of the Types

and Quantities of Air Pollutants
and of their Impacts
An appropriate initial step when any proposedproject activity is to consider what types of air
pollutant might be emitted during the
construction and/or operational phases of the
proposed-project activity and the quantities in
which such air pollutants are expected to occur.
Information should be aggregated by source
type and construction and/or operational phase
of the proposed project or activity, which could
be used to delineate both the types and
quantities of the air pollutants of concern.

Step 2: Description of Existing Air

Quality Conditions

Existing air quality conditions can

be described in terms of ambient
air quality data, emission
inventories, and meteorological
information which
related to atmospheric dispersion.

Compilation of Air Quality

Information
Appropriate interpretation of air quality data should
include consideration of historical trends, as well as
information about the monitoring station. If possible it
is desirable to examine the complete history of air
quality for the sampling station in the particular locale.

To utilize this information appropriately, one must

carefully describe the characteristics of each sampling
site, including any unique factors about the site, such
as surrounding land usage, height of the sampling
device above the ground surface, and the type and
calibration history of the sampling equipment.

Procurement of Development of
Emission Inventory
An emission inventory is the filed confirmation on
the quantities of air pollution from all sources in a
defined geographical area entering the atmosphere in
a given time period (typically a 1-yr period is used)

It can be used as a baseline marker against which

precious and anticipated future air pollutant emissions
and their increase in the geographical study area as a
result of the activity can be judged. Additionally, it can
be used on a comparative context with regard to data
from other nearby geographical areas.

Summary of Key Meteorological

Data
Mean annual speeds can be used as general indicators of
dispersion conditions, with larger numerical values being
more desirable as the signify the more rapid dispersion of
air pollutants from the study area.
Any unique meteorological phenomena that occur in the
area should be noted, particularly as related to the
occurrence of typhoons or characteristics such as fog
formation or persistence.
Sources of meteorological data for a study area
can include local airports, local or states
meteorological-climatological offices like
PAG-ASA or DOST.

Baseline Monitoring
Ambient air-quality monitoring refers
to appropriate sampling and analysis to
establish the ambient concentrations of
specific pollutants.
Targeted monitoring might be desirable
in order to verify the experienced
changes in air quality concentrations for
those pollutants determined in the
earlier steps to be of concern.

Step 3: Procurement of relevant air

quality standards and regulations
The primary sources of information on air quality
standards, criteria, and policies will be the relevant
local, cities and government agencies which have a
mandate for overseeing the air resources of the
study area.
Pertinent institutional information and
sources
of data related to the air environment have been
described earlier. Also, specific air-qualitymanagement policies or requirements may be in
existence for particular areas, and the particular
requirements of such policies may need to be
ascertained.
Some examples of such policies are RA 8749
Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 and RA 3931

RA 8749: Maximum limits for Sulfur

Oxides Emissions

RA 8749: Emission Standards in the

Exhaust Gas

Step 4: Impact Prediction

Air quality impact prediction can
be based on one to several
approaches, including mass
balances, the use of simple to
detailed mathematical models,
and other considerations.

Mass Balance Approaches

Air pollutant emissions from the construction
and/or operational phase of a project-activity
can be considered in relation to the existing
emissions inventory for the study area.
This approach will necessitate the development
of an inventory representing a mass balance of
the total air pollutant emissions from all sources
for a proposed project or activity entering the
atmosphere during the construction and/or
operational phase.

Mass Balance Approaches

The
mathematical relationships is as follows:

Percentage increase can be calculated for

each pertinent pollutant and each projectactivity phase.
A total percentage increase could be
calculated by summing the values of all the
pollutants in the inventory.

Box Model Approaches

A simple atmospheric dispersion model, called a
box model, can be used to calculate the ground
level concentration of specific air pollutants of
concern emitted from the project activity.
A box model is based on the assumption that
pollutants emitted to the atmosphere are uniformly
mixed in a volume, or box, of air.
A box model is also based on the assumption that
discharge mix completely and instantaneously with
the air available for dilution and the released
material is chemically stable and remains in the air.

Box Model Approach

The box model can be used for single-point
multiple-point,

area, or line, or hybrid-type

sources of air pollutants. It can also be used in the
valley settings.

C = average concentration of gas or particulate < 20um size,

through put box, including at ground level, ug/m3
Q = release rate of gas, or particulates < 20um in size, from
source types
t = time period over which assumption of uniform mixing in box
holds valid
x = downward dimension of box
y = crosswind dimension of box
z = vertical dimension of box

Air Quality Dispersion Modeling

Approaches
From a user perspective, air-quality
dispersion models can be classified
according to the source type, ground-level
point, pollutant type, averaging times, and
atmospheric reactions.
The following model, known as the
Pasquill model, as modified by Gifford, Is
frequently used to analyze the air quality
impacts of single, elevated point sources.

Air Quality Dispersion Modeling

Approaches

= ground level concentration of gas, or particulate <20um in

size, at distance x in m downwind from source, and distance y
in m from crosswind from source
release rate of gas, or particulate < 20um in size from
elevated point source
= horizontal dispersion coefficient which represents amount
of plume spreading in crosswind direction at distance x
downwind from source and under a given atmospheric
stability condition
= vertical dispersion coefficient which represents amount of
plume spreading in vertical direction at distance x downwind
from source and under a given atmospheric stability condition
mean wind speed
effective stack height

Step 5: Assessment of Impact

Significance
Significance assessment refers to the
interpretation of the significance of
anticipated changes related to the
proposed project.
One basis for impact assessment is public
input; this input could be received through
a continued scoping process or through
the conduction of public meetings and/or
public participation programs.

Step 6: Identification and

Incorporation of Mitigation Measures
Mitigation measures
refer to the project activity
design or operational
features that can be used
to minimize the magnitude
of the air quality impacts.
The key approach is to
revise the design as
needed in order to reduce
the air pollutants expected
to be emitted from the
project-activity.

Step 6: Identification and

Incorporation of Mitigation Measures
Examples of mitigation measures for reducing air
pollutants emission include:
Limitation on the practice of open burning of
agricultural crop residues
Wind erosion from open land can be controlled by
using chemical stabilizers, watering, and wind
breaks
Common techniques for controlling air pollution
from unpaved roads are paving, surface treating
with penetration chemicals, working of soil
stabilization chemicals into the roadbed, watering
and traffic control and regulations
Fugitive-dust-control measures can be also used for
open-waste piles and staging areas, dry surface

END