Public interventions to reduce industrial emissions and improve air quality are particularly necessary in areas that suffer an environmental and health emergency. Taranto (Apulia region, Southern Italy) is one of the most industrialized cities in Southern Italy due to the massive presence of industrial sites, including a huge steel plant. The latter hosts a large open-air mineral deposit, whose dust strongly impacts the Tamburi neighborhood, downwind of the plant when the wind blows north-wester. In order to reduce the PM 10 (particulate matter) and B(a)P (Benzo(a)pirene) concentrations in this neighborhood, the Apulia Region enacted a law restricting some industrial activities during certain meteorological situations, called wind days , characterized by strong north-westerly winds. Connected to the regional law, there was a Local Health Unit warning to the Tamburi population to ventilate indoor environments during the central hours of the day. The aim of this work is to assess the effectiveness and the appropriateness of the intervention implemented and to evaluate whether it effectively improved the air quality in the neighborhood close to the mineral deposit. Time-space statistical analysis of PM data measured by the fixed monitoring network before and after the intervention period was carried out. The analysis was performed for different meteorological conditions, different wind days characteristics (long/short), time periods, and other pollutants such as PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon), which includes B(a)P for which measurements were not available. In the area closest to the industrial area, there was a reduction in the difference between the concentration of PM 10 on wind days and those in other weather conditions. The reduction was more consistent on long, persistent wind days, when the difference in concentrations reduced from 13.3 to 3.9 μg/m 3 . However, the uncertainties regarding the wind days predictions suggest that the PM reduction may only partially be attributed to the regional law. Furthermore, the analysis of the PAH showed that there are weather conditions other than wind days that lead to a deterioration in the air quality in the neighborhood. Regarding the warning given by local health authorities to protect the population from dust injuries, the wind days daily PM 10 profiles do not evidence a sharp reduction during the selected time slot, while other industrial pollutants clearly increase in the same time slot. Overall, results evidence the partiality of the intervention and call for a more comprehensive emissions plan to reduce their impact on air quality. In general, the study shows the need to periodically evaluate the effectiveness of any intervention and to take the consequent decisions to adapt them.

中文翻译：

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空气质量干预的有效性：高污染工业城镇的问责研究

在遭受环境和健康紧急情况的地区，公共干预措施以减少工业排放和改善空气质量尤为必要。塔兰托（意大利南部阿普利亚地区）是意大利南部工业化程度最高的城市之一，因为这里有大量工业用地，包括一座巨大的钢铁厂。后者拥有一个大型露天矿床，当风吹向西北风时，其灰尘会强烈影响 Tamburi 社区，该社区位于工厂的下风向。为了降低该社区的 PM 10（颗粒物）和 B(a)P（苯并(a)芘）浓度，普利亚地区颁布了一项法律，在某些称为风日的气象情况下限制某些工业活动，其特点是强烈的西北风。与地区法律有关，当地卫生部门向坦布里居民发出警告，要求他们在一天中的中心时段对室内环境进行通风。这项工作的目的是评估所实施干预措施的有效性和适当性，并评估它是否有效地改善了矿床附近社区的空气质量。对干预期前后固定监测网测得的PM数据进行时空统计分析。分析针对不同的气象条件、不同的风日特征（长/短）、时间段和其他污染物，如 PAH（多环芳烃），其中包括无法测量的 B(a)P。在距离工业区最近的区域，有风天和其他天气条件下 PM 10 浓度之间的差异缩小。当浓度差异从 13.3 微克/米 3 减小到 3.9 微克/米 3 时，这种减少在长期持续的风日中更为一致。然而，风日预测的不确定性表明 PM 的减少可能仅部分归因于地区法律。此外，对多环芳烃的分析表明，除风日外，还有其他天气条件导致附近的空气质量恶化。关于当地卫生部门为保护民众免受粉尘伤害而发出的警告，每日 PM 10 的风日数在选定时间段内并未显着减少，而其他工业污染物在同一时间段内明显增加。总体而言，结果证明了干预的偏袒性，并呼吁制定更全面的排放计划，以减少其对空气质量的影响。总的来说，该研究表明需要定期评估任何干预措施的有效性，并做出相应的决定以适应它们。