Air emissions from a company or from traffic spread and influence the quality of the air of near and distant surroundings. The dispersion of air pollution into the environment is a rather complex process and is, for example, also determined by weather conditions, by the environment itself and by various chemical processes taking place in the outside air. The extent to which people are exposed to this air pollution is even more complex because this is also determined by their behaviour and habits. VITO uses powerful computer models to predict how gas or smoke plumes evolve over time and where and when potential problems could arise.
Objectifying possible problems and/or health damage
For environmental license applications or in case of complaints from your surroundings, it may be very important to scientifically objectify potential nuisance and/or damage. For example, which company is responsible for odour or dust nuisance in a particular residential area? What concentrations are people being exposed to and is there a real health risk for the area’s residents?
Environmental legislation concerning the licensing procedure also dictates the use of specific standard models. VITO has extensive expertise in using these models: accurately inputting data, simulating relevant scenarios and correctly interpreting the results.
VITO has also developed powerful models for more specific calculations. We thus construct special models to simulate odour nuisance or models which are able to calculate the chemical interaction between substances in the atmosphere, which is for example useful when calculating the impact of traffic emissions.
Improve the efficiency of your measurement campaign
Are you performing measurements for your environmental license application or environmental impacts report? Efficient and uniform interpretation of measurement results is essential for a well validated dispersion model. You will learn more by measuring less.
Estimating risks in case of accidents
Despite even the strictest preventive measures, something can always go wrong in an industrial production process. Would you like to know the possible consequences for your surroundings? How many people will be affected and what will be the potential damage to the environment?
