Emissions from industrial and other activities
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© Esa Partanen
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According to the Environmental Protection Act and the principle of integrated pollution prevention and control, the reduction of emissions needs to be taken simultaneously into consideration along with the generation of waste, energy efficiency, the use of raw materials, and risks caused by emissions and discharges. Discharges into soil and groundwater are prohibited.
To prevent the pollution of the environment the principles of preventing and minimising harmful impacts, caution and care, best available technology, best environmental practice, and the polluter pays principle also haveto be taken into consideration. Emissions may not endanger or harm human health or the environment. Environmental permit
The Environmental Protection Act and Decree require an environmental permit for any operation that causes or may cause environmental damage. The operator has to be aware of potential environmental effects and environmental risks of an operation and how to minimise harmful effects that may occur.
The environmental permit application must include sufficient information on the operation, emissions and the effects of the emissions. The environmental permit for the facility gives emission limit values for emissions into the air and discharges into water, and sets conditions regarding waste issues, energy efficiency, noise reduction, risk management, storage of hazardous materials and emissions monitoring. Monitoring of emissions and reporting
The operator has to monitor the emissions according to the conditions set in the environmental permit. The emissions data are reported to the supervising authority. After the data are checked and approved by the authority, the data are recorded in the Compliance Monitoring Data System (VAHTI). The environmental administration maintains and is developing further a website where operators and authorities can find emission factors and other supportive material for the evaluation of their emissions.
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