The role of sociological methods in implementation of environmental hygienic health monitoring for territories

Abstract

Introduction. The presence of an unwanted annoyance odour is the one of the important criteria for atmospheric air quality, affecting its assessment. This study is aimed at using of sociological methods for identifying the sources of atmospheric air pollution with odorous substances and for assessing possible impact of their pollution on human health and life quality in a city with various industrial enterprises. Materials and methods. The study of the perception of atmospheric air pollution with odorous substances by residents of Glazov (Udmurt Rebublic) was carried out based on the analysis of messages on social networks, a survey of inhabitants, as well as with the help of qualitative sociological research, including interviews and focus groups. Results. The survey of residents have shown there to be a problem of annoying, intrusive odours in the city, the frequency of perception and intensity of which, as well as the degree of corresponding annoyance, are associated with the presence of various health complaints. As a result of the analysis of residents’ messages on social networks, conducted interviews and focus groups, the suspected sources of annoyance odours were identified. Among the city residents a tendency is shown to associate changes in habitual behaviour with the presence of annoyance odours in the atmospheric air. Limitations. The limitations of this study are related to the sample size. Increasing the sample size will allow gettin a more accurate picture in the future. Conclusion. The results of the analysis of statements made by city residents about the presence of annoyance odours can serve as a starting point for identifying potential sources of atmospheric air pollution with odorous substances, as well as an important and useful additional fragment to the data of the questionnaire survey of inhabitants for more complete assessment of the environmental situation in the studied locality and the development of management decisions to reduce atmospheric air pollution with odorous substances.