Pollution of air and water by various kinds of chemical substances adversely affects the state of the environment. At any modern enterprise, of course, various environmental standards must be followed without fail. This will guarantee the safety of both the plant workers themselves and the people living next to it.
There are many chemicals that can have a harmful effect on the human body. For example, at present, Russia has developed certain standards for MPC of hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, today such compounds account for about 70% of all atmospheric pollution. Comply with hydrocarbon concentrations, for example, chemical and petroleum refineries.
What are the MPC standards?
Harmful chemicals of all kinds, including hydrocarbons, can actually be done to a person by a very serious one. Therefore, the standards and provide the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of certain compounds. Such documents are being developed so that the chemicals contained in the air do not cause, in the first place, human health problems or diseases. Also, when calculating such norms, experts take into account such a factor as the influence of compounds in the long term for the current and subsequent generations.
What are hydrocarbons
In total, our country provides MPC standards for more than 1,200 different kinds of chemicals. Actually hydrocarbons are called organic substances consisting only of hydrogen and carbon atoms. In chemistry, such compounds are considered basic. All other substances in many cases are considered as their derivatives.
In nature, hydrocarbons are found both in liquid and in solid or gaseous state. Among other things, there are concentrated deposits of such substances on our planet.
Types of hydrocarbons
All such substances are divided primarily into open or acyclic and closed (carbocyclic). The first variety of compounds is classified into:
- saturated - methane, alkanes, paraffins;
- unsaturated with multiple bonds - olifinic hydrocarbons, acetylene, diene.
Saturated compounds of the methane group are the main part of oil and oil products, as well as natural combustible gases.
Carbocyclic hydrocarbons, in turn, are divided into:
The latter type of compounds may also be present in oil. However, the substances of this group rarely prevail in its composition over other hydrocarbons.
Also, all hydrocarbons are classified into:
- limit (C2-C5);
- unsaturated (C1-C10).
What enterprises should be controlled
The scope of use of compounds of groups C2-C5 and C1-C10 in the national economy is currently very wide. Monitoring compliance with the MPC of hydrocarbon mixtures should be carried out primarily, of course, at oil and gas refineries. Also, such compounds are quite widely used:
- in the chemical industry;
- fuel;
- easy;
- food;
- in agriculture.
At the same time, hydrocarbons are produced, including in our country, at the fields:
The most common hydrocarbons and related substances
Thus, all compounds of this group can harm people and the environment. But most often a person is faced with the negative influence of the following types of substances:
- hydrogen sulfide (found in hydrocarbon gases);
- carbon dioxide (generated by the burning of hydrocarbons);
- fuel gasoline and its vapors (contain hydrocarbons);
- benzapyrene;
- acetone (a derivative of hydrocarbons), etc.
Harm to the human body
Some types of C2-C5 and C1-C10 are capable of exerting even a very serious mutogenic effect on people. That is why the enterprises must strictly comply with the standards for MPC in the air of the working zone of oil hydrocarbons, etc. First of all, such compounds harm the human cardiovascular system. Also, with prolonged exposure to an environment with a high concentration of hydrocarbons in humans, blood counts usually change for the worse. First of all, the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells decreases in the victims.
Also, when MPC is exceeded in the air, hydrocarbons can extremely negatively affect the human liver. In addition, such compounds cause significant damage to the endocrine system. With prolonged exposure to them, the work of the endocrine glands is disrupted in humans. In addition, such substances have an extremely harmful effect on the nervous system and lungs.
On a citywide scale, hydrocarbons, among other things, are capable of forming the so-called photochemical smog. In the process of complex transformations in atmospheric air, extremely toxic substances are formed from compounds of this type. It can be, for example, aldehydes or ketones.
Harmful of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide
These two substances for the human body under certain conditions can become very dangerous. Being in a medium saturated with hydrogen sulfide at a concentration of 0.006 mg / dm 3 for 4 hours, for example, can lead to such negative consequences as:
- headache;
- photophobia;
- runny nose;
- lacrimation.
With an increase in concentration to 0.2-0.28 mg / dm 3 , a person has a burning sensation in the eyes, irritation in the nose and throat. An increase in the amount of hydrogen sulfide in 1 mg / dm 3 leads to acute poisoning, accompanied by convulsions, loss of consciousness and ultimately ending in death. Particularly carefully in enterprises, the standards for MPC of a mixture of hydrogen sulfide with hydrocarbons must be observed. In combination, these substances can cause even more harm to people than individually.
Carbon dioxide generated during the combustion of hydrocarbons has a narcotic effect on the human body. Also this irritating substance acts on the mucous membranes of people. As a result of its prolonged exposure, the following negative symptoms are observed in victims:
- dizziness;
- cough;
- increase in blood pressure.
If you inhale very high doses of carbon dioxide, a person may even die. For example, living in a room where the concentration of this substance in the air reaches 20% leads to death.
Harm gasoline
This fuel, which is a product of oil refining and containing a large amount of hydrocarbons, can be extremely dangerous for both humans and the environment. For example, only 300 g of gasoline spilled during refueling pollutes 200 thousand m 3 of air.
The guidelines for MPCs for petroleum hydrocarbons in the air when using gasoline must therefore be followed with precision. When inhaling the vapors of this fuel for a while, a person has:
- headache;
- dizziness;
- sweating
- feeling of intoxication;
- lethargy;
- nausea, vomiting, etc.
It is believed that mild poisoning by gasoline vapors occurs after 5-10 minutes of a person's stay in the room with their concentration in the range of 900-3612 mg / m 3 . In this case, with an increase in this indicator to 5000-10000 mg / m 3 , acute toxic damage to the body occurs. A person's body temperature decreases, his pulse drops, etc.
Harm of benzapyrene
This substance belongs to the class of aromatic hydrocarbons. Benzapyrene is formed, for example, during the burning of liquid and solid organic substances (including petroleum products), wood, and anthropogenic waste. Of the natural sources of release of this substance into the air, it is possible to note primarily forest fires and volcanic eruptions.
A lot of benzapyrene is released when smoking. Also, road transport is a source of air, water and soil pollution.
Like many other hydrocarbons, whose MPC must be strictly controlled, benzapyrene is one of the first hazard class substances. It can penetrate the human body by inhalation, through the skin, as well as with food and water. Moreover, in addition to the carcinogenic effect, this compound is capable of exerting a mutogenic, hematotoxic, and embryotoxic effect on people.
The harm of acetone
This substance can have a negative effect on the human body when the concentration in the air exceeds 500 particles per million. The main symptoms of acetone poisoning are dizziness and nausea. If an employee of the enterprise is constantly exposed to this substance, his immunity will necessarily decrease and respiratory diseases will develop in the future.
Maximum allowable concentration in the air of the working area
According to the regulations, the maximum permissible concentration of hydrocarbons in the working area should not exceed 300 mg / m 3 . Moreover, for the average daily period of time, the one-time maximum value should not be higher than 900 mg / m 3 .
Of course, the standards provide for maximum performance for specific varieties of hydrocarbons. So, according to federal law, MPCs are provided in the working area for hydrocarbons of various types (and related substances):
- benzapyrene - 0.00015 mg / m 3 ;
- gasoline - 300 mg / m 3 ;
- acetone - 0.9 mg / m 3 ;
- hydrogen sulfide - 10 mg / m 3 (mixed with hydrocarbons - 3 mg / m 3 );
- oil - 10 mg / m 3 ;
- carbon dioxide - 27000 mg / m 3 (single dose).
Maximum allowable concentration in water
The MPC of hydrocarbons in drinking water is, of course, also provided for by regulations. Organizations supplying HV and HV to the population should first of all monitor the concentration of compounds of this type of aromatic group in it. So, for example, drinking water should not contain more (according to Russian SanPiN standards):
- benzene - 10 μg / cm 3 ;
- styrene - 100 μg / cm 3 ;
- benzapyrene - 5 μg / cm 3 .
In natural reservoirs, for example, should be contained no more than:
- oil - 0.3 mg / m 3 ;
- gasoline - 0.1 mg / m 3 .
Permissible soil concentrations
Land of various kinds of hydrocarbons, of course, should not be polluted either. Standards on the territory of Russia regulate the maximum concentration of various chemicals, including hydrocarbons, in agricultural soils, settlements, sanitary protection zones of water sources, resorts and individual enterprises.
According to the standards provided for by federal law, for example, the following are provided for in the MPC of oil hydrocarbons:
- for benzapirene - 0.02 mg / kg;
- for gasoline - 0.1 mg / kg.
Saturated hydrocarbons
Both marginal and unsaturated compounds of this variety can cause significant harm to human health. Of course, the standards, of course, regulate the MPC of saturated hydrocarbons. Such compounds, in turn, are divided into:
Examples of saturated hydrocarbons are methane, butane, ethane. Some other substances belong to this group. The standards provide MPC for saturated hydrocarbons in the working area, as well as for unsaturated compounds, 300 mg / m 3 . Compliance with these rules will guarantee the safety of the personnel of the enterprise.
Legislation of the Russian Federation
If the maximum permissible concentration of hydrocarbons in the working area of the enterprise is exceeded, the health of workers can, as we have found, actually cause significant harm. Responsibility for this, of course, is primarily the employer. It is the administration that should carry out the most careful control over the concentration of harmful substances in the air of the plant’s workshops.
The legislation of Russia in terms of MPC of hazardous compounds at enterprises is constantly changing, and in the direction of tightening. For example, back in 1968, the MPC of unsaturated benzene hydrocarbon in the air was 20 mg per m 3 . At the moment, this indicator should not exceed 5 mg / m 3 .
What measurements are made
Harm to the human body directly or indirectly can cause, of course, including hydrocarbons contained in water and soil. But such substances dissolved in air are especially dangerous. Control over the hydrocarbon content in the atmosphere of workshops in our country is usually carried out using special equipment - gas analyzers.
Such devices, among other things, can continuously measure harmful compounds in the air. Accordingly, the employees responsible for preventing the excess of the MPC of hydrocarbons can quickly respond to certain identified deviations in relation to the content of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. Also, modern gas analyzers are capable of:
- record and store monitoring data;
- Connect to a common warning and control system.
Types of gas analyzers
Equipment of this type can be used to control the MPC of oil hydrocarbons and other harmful substances:
- stationary;
- figurative;
- individual.
Stationary gas analyzers are designed for continuous monitoring of the hydrocarbon content in the air, for example, in the workshop of an enterprise. Portable equipment of this type is used for single measurements of the concentration of such compounds. Individual gas analyzers are issued to employees to protect them from hydrocarbon poisoning. Such modern devices, among other things, are capable of measuring not only the percentage of airborne substances hazardous to health or combustible gases, but also oxygen.
What gas analyzers should be used for hydrocarbons
For this purpose, standards for gas, oil, chemical enterprises allow the use of control devices of the following varieties:
- photoionization;
- with non-dispersed infrared detectors.
Nowadays, for monitoring atmospheric air in the workshop, special IR detectors are most often used. In such devices, the concentration of hydrocarbons is measured by the intensity of absorption of infrared radiation at a single wavelength. For example, the content of C 2 -C 10 compounds in air is determined by absorption over a length of 3.4 μm. This is due primarily to stretching vibrations of the bonds of CH alkyl groups.
The identification of hydrocarbons using infrared detectors is only possible if the full absorption spectrum in the infrared region is measured. Also, such devices cannot provide a selective determination of the concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons With 2 -C 10 . Such control at the enterprise is ensured by gas chromatography (separation of mixtures of volatile compounds).
Permissible concentrations in atmospheric air and how to avoid pollution
Control over the MPC of hydrocarbons in the air of the working zone of enterprises should be carried out, thus, the most careful. Failure to comply with standards for the air content of workshops of such compounds will necessarily lead to illnesses of employees of the plant or factory.
However, of course, enterprises working with hydrocarbons must ensure that these substances do not in any way pollute the environment. Compounds of this type enter the atmosphere, water and soil most often when transporting them through pipelines. In this case, the loss of such substances as a result of evaporation and leaks can occur both along the entire length of the line and at pumping stations.
For the limiting and unsaturated hydrocarbons, the MPC in the atmospheric air is currently unfortunately not regulated by any federal documents in Russia. However, there are hygienic guidelines for the concentration of certain specific compounds of this variety. For example, MPC in the atmosphere is:
- for methane - 50 mg / m 3 ;
- butane - 200 mg / m 3 ;
- pentane - 100/25 mg / m 3 ;
- hexane - 60 mg / m 3 .
In order to prevent exceeding the maximum permissible concentration in the atmospheric air of hydrocarbons limit and unsaturated, various types of insulation coatings are used when laying pipelines. Most often, enterprises use bitumen mastic for this purpose. Also, companies can apply electrochemical methods of protecting highways. In addition, to prevent pollution of the atmosphere, soil and water, experts systematically monitor the condition of pipelines using leak detectors.
Of course, chemical and oil enterprises themselves can pollute the atmosphere with hydrocarbons. To avoid the release of large amounts of such compounds into the environment, plants of this specialization often use the modern method of hydrocarbon capture. At high concentrations (170-250 g / m 3 ) of such compounds condensation is used for this purpose by cooling, at medium (140-175 g / m 3 ) absorption, and at low (50-140 g / m 3 ) also absorption. In most cases, such simple techniques make it possible to precisely observe the maximum permissible concentration of hydrocarbons released into the environment in the gas and oil industries without special expenses.