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Department of risk assessment (O22)

Department 22 - illustration photo

This department is engaged in the assessment of burdens to the environment and human health from the exposure to harmful substances contained in various environmental matrices and determines risks associated with their contamination. It includes laboratories equipped with modern instrument technology for taking environmental samples and subsequent qualitative and quantitative determination of a wide range of organic substances, including their trace and ultra trace concentrations.

For the collection of the fraction of particulate matter (PM), especially the medium volume pumps Leckel MVS 6, high volume pumps PS-1 Thermo Andersen and low volume pumps Aircheck 2000 are used. To determine the mass concentrations of PM, an air-conditioned weighting room is available equipped with an MX5/A microbalance. To determine the size distribution of PM, the device EnvironCheck 107 is used, which allows both tracking the number of particles with dimensions of 0.2 µm to 30 µm, and simultaneous determining mass concentrations of PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylens, 1,3-butadiene) in the atmosphere are determined by the analyzer VOC71M-PID. Monitoring of meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, direction and speed of wind) is performed with the use of portable meteorological stations equipped with sensors manufactured by Gill Instruments Limited. Morphology of particulate matter is evaluated using a SEM Vega LSU II. To determine concentrations of semi volatile organic pollutants in the environmental components, a gas chromatograph Shimadzu QP 2010 coupled with mass spectrometry is used.

The laboratories also carry out tests of toxicity and genotoxicity (Thamnotox, algae test, SOS Chromotest). For their work, they use the existing standards – Czech technical standards, European standards and ISO, for some tests they developed their own validated procedures, which are based primarily on the US EPA standards. They also participate in interlaboratory comparison tests.

Chief manager: Mgr. Roman Ličbinský

Projects:

  • Dust Emissions from Traffic and their Effect on Atmospheric Pollution by Suspended Particles – R&D project of the Ministry of Transport
  • Particulate matter Produced by Traffic - COST 633 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
  • Particulate matter in Vehicle Interior - COST 633 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
  • Determining the Share of Transport in Fractions of Airborne Dust: PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 During the Year, Based on the Chemical Composition – Programme KONTAKT of the Association AIP ČR
  • Influence of Motorways and Expressways on Rainfall-runoff Relations and their Impact on Water Bodies Pursuant to the Directive 2000/60/ES, Establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Water Policy – R&D project of the Ministry of Transport

Services:

  • measurement of concentrations and size distribution of various fractions of particulate matter in the atmosphere (PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0), in the external and internal environment
  • measurement of PAH concentrations in the atmosphere (16 PAH according to the US EPA, coronene, etc.)
  • measurement of VOC concentrations in the atmosphere (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylens, 1.3-butadiene)
  • determination of concentration of organic pollutants in water, soils, sediments, particulate matter, etc. (PAHs or non-polar extractable substances, and PCBs)
  • statistical processing of results and their interpreting
  • assessment of health risks on the basis of the performed measurements