Actual issues of justifying the size of the sanitary protection zone of an enterprise, taking into account odour in atmospheric air

Introduction. The basis for determining the size of the sanitary protection zone (SPZ) is the classification of potentially hazardous objects taking into account a specific industry. At the same time, emissions from a significant number of industries contain substances possessing of an odour. The smell can spread over significant distances, exceeding the SPZ size, being the cause of frequent complaints from the population. However, taking into account the odour when justifying the SPZ size remains an unresolved methodological, scientific, and legal problem. The purpose of the study. Hazard assessment of enterprises (productions) taking into account the criterion of odour in the atmospheric air of populated areas with the development of methodological approaches to substantiate the size of the SPZ. Materials and methods. A coffee production company was selected as a pilot facility. The design documentation of the development of maximum permissible emissions (MPE), justification of the SPZ size, protocols of ambient air pollution assessment has been studied. The risk assessment to public health has been carried out in accordance with Guidance 2.1.10.1920–04. Olfacto-odourimetric and chromatography-mass spectrometry studies of emissions and ambient air in the vicinity of enterprise have been conducted. Results. For the production under consideration, taking into account the results of olfacto-odourimetric studies, the size of the SPZ, which provides comfortable living conditions (absence of offensive odour), is 700 m from the main source, i.e. 1.3–4.5 times higher than when justified by the traditional method. Limitations are due to the lack of standards for a significant number of volatile organic compounds present in emissions from odorous industries. Conclusion. Methodological approaches to substantiating the hazard class and SPZ size taking into account the odour are proposed on the example of coffee production. The developed algorithm can be applied to assess the danger of various enterprises and industries whose emissions contain odorous substances.