The Impact of Objects with a Potential Odour Nuisance on the Life Comfort of the Urban Agglomeration Inhabitants

Odour nuisance is one of the main causes of environmental complaints. People exposed to long-term odorants may experience headaches, nausea, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, stress, insomnia, and discomfort. Some chemical compounds, besides unpleasant odours, can cause adverse symptoms, diseases, and even death in human bodies. One of these compounds that make up BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) is benzene, which is present in the environment, mainly in the air, because of emissions from traffic, the petrochemical industry, and combustion processes. Factories, such as refineries and petrochemicals, that form part of some urban agglomerations constitute extensive industrial facilities. This paper presents the survey research results in an urban agglomeration, which enabled, among others, an indication of significant sources of odour nuisance and the areas most exposed to this nuisance. In addition, an analysis of residents’ complaints about odour nuisance over a 10-year period was carried out, which showed, on the one hand, the variability of the number of complaints and, on the other hand, the areas of the city where there were the most complaints. This work aims to evaluate the problem of odour nuisance in an urban agglomeration and to identify its causes through the analysis of residents’ complaints and the results of surveys.