title: Evaluation of environmental impact produced by different economic activities with the global pollution index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The paper analyses the environment pollution state in different case studies of economic activities (i.e. co-generation electric and thermal power production, iron profile manufacturing, cement processing, waste landfilling, and wood furniture manufacturing), evaluating mainly the environmental cumulative impacts (e.g. cumulative impact against the health of the environment and different life forms).
  
  
  METHODS
  The status of the environment (air, water resources, soil, and noise) is analysed with respect to discharges such as gaseous discharges in the air, final effluents discharged in natural receiving basins or sewerage system, and discharges onto the soil together with the principal pollutants expressed by different environmental indicators corresponding to each specific productive activity. The alternative methodology of global pollution index (I (GP)*) for quantification of environmental impacts is applied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Environmental data analysis permits the identification of potential impact, prediction of significant impact, and evaluation of cumulative impact on a commensurate scale by evaluation scores (ES(i)) for discharge quality, and global effect to the environment pollution state by calculation of the global pollution index (I (GP)*).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The I (GP)* values for each productive unit (i.e. 1.664-2.414) correspond to an 'environment modified by industrial/economic activity within admissible limits, having potential of generating discomfort effects'. The evaluation results are significant in view of future development of each productive unit and sustain the economic production in terms of environment protection with respect to a preventive environment protection scheme and continuous measures of pollution control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, 'Gheorghe Asachi' Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof. Dr. docent D. Mangeron Blvd, 700050 Iasi, Romania. czah@ch.tuiasi.ro
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zaharia
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D011210:Power Plants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants