An integrated applied research utilising fluid-dynamic software as support to medical enquiry into health problems by air pollution

In environmental matter a good tested fluid dynamic software is the right tool not only to detect the fallout trend of pollutant gases emitted by industrial plants but to give also reliable information to the medical-team both about probable sensible targets of pollution and maximal dose of possible inhalation for each people living in a considerable neighborhood of emission sources.Paper wants to show the results of an inquiry commissioned by CE.RI.CA (Research Center for Environment Conservation) to the aim to discover the relationship between the fallout of gaseous pollutant emitted by petrochemical plants into the urban area, and the checkable pathologies of resident population in Melilli town (Italy).The enquire has been developed in three steps: • The localization of high risk areas has been achieved making use of fluid dynamic ADREA-3D computer code. • The validation of data of pollution coming from numerical simulations of computer code has been done through comparison with data recorded by networks of environmental steady stations, that is: CIPA ( Industrial Consortium for Environmental Protection), District of Siracusa City and Enel networks. • The correlation between pollutant concentrations and respiratory pathologies and diseases has been carried out through " questionnaire method" by medical team.