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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Incineration and human health. State of knowledge of the impacts of waste incinerators on human health.

After pollutants from an incineration facility disperse into the air, some people close to the facility may be exposed directly through inhalation or indirectly through consumption of food or water contaminated by deposition of the pollutants from air to soil, vegetation, and water. For metals and other pollutants that are very persistent in the environment, the potential effects may extend well beyond the area close to the incinerator. Persistent pollutants can be carried long distances from their emission sources, go through various chemical and physical transformations, and pass numerous times through soil, water, or food.

Environmental Health↗
PubMed2002

Transfer of dioxin risk between nine major municipal waste incinerators in Taiwan.

The objective of this study was to assess site-specific carcinogenic risks of incinerator-emitted dioxins and risk transfers among the areas covered by nine municipal incinerators in Taiwan. We used actual emission data and the industrial source complex short-term model (ISCST3) to determine the dioxin impact areas within the 8 x 8-km simulation regions surrounding the incinerators. We then used multimedia model to estimate cancer risks in individual impact areas for two exposure scenarios, which were sufficient (SFP) and insufficient food production (IFP) for residents' consumption in each impact area. We also used information of food supply and consumption between impact areas to calculate risk transfers among these nine incinerators. We found that dioxins' carcinogenic risks ranged from 1.4 x 10(-8) (Incinerator F) to 7.1 x 10(-5) (Incinerator A) for the nine incinerators under the exposure scenario of SFP, and ranged from 8.7 x 10(-8) (Incinerator D) to 1.1 X 10(-6) (Incinerator E) under the exposure scenario of IFP. The food ingestion was the main exposure pathway, which accounted for 64-99% of total dioxin risks among nine impact areas. For the nine major food items consumed by residents in the impact areas, eggs (14-35%) and chicken (11-26%) were two main routes of dioxin exposure in the SFP scenario, while chicken (8-78%) and vegetables (0.2-81%) were two main routes of dioxin exposure in the IFP scenario. Significant risks of dioxins were transferred among incinerators, which accounted for up to 88% among the incinerators. Incinerator E was the major risk-exporting source to six Incinerators C, D, F, G, H, and I. For these six incinerators, Incinerator E accounted for their 51-88% imported risks. We concluded that risk transfers among incinerators through routes of food consumption should be considered in assessing health risks associated with incinerator-emitted dioxins in Taiwan. We should place high priority on implementing control measures to lower dioxin emissions in important food-exporting areas like Incinerator E. We should also emphasize analyzing dioxin contents in eggs, chicken, and vegetables in order to improve dioxin-related health risk assessments in the future.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

Health survey on workers and residents near the municipal waste and industrial waste incinerators in Korea.

Hazardous substances, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) also have been detected in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and industrial waste incinerators in Korea. In this study, we estimated the exposure status of these hazardous substances and their heath effects in workers and residents near the MSW incinerators and residents near the industrial waste incinerators. We interviewed 13 workers and 16 residents from the area around the two MSW incinerators, and further 10 residents from the area around one industrial waste incinerator, which is suspected to emit higher hazardous substances. During the interview we collected information including sociodemographic information, personal habits, work history, detailed gynecologic and other medical history. Blood samples from 45 subjects were also collected for analysis of PCDDs and PCDFs, which were analyzed by HRGC-HRMS (High Resolution Gas Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometer). In addition to a questionnaire survey, urinary concentrations of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured as oxidative injury biomarkers. Urinary concentrations of 8-OH-dG were determined by in vitro ELISA (JAICA, Fukuroi, Japan). MDA were determined by HPLC using adduct with TBA (thiobarbituric acid). The PCDD/F concentrations in residents from the area around industrial waste incinerator were higher than those in workers and residents from the area around MSW incinerator. The average toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations of PCDD/Fs in residents from the area around industrial waste incinerator were 53.4 pg I-TEQs/g lipid. The average TEQ concentrations of PCDD/Fs in workers and residents near MSW incinerator were 12.2 pg I-TEQs/g lipid. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of each person was calculated, and the EDI of all workers and residents near MSW incinerator were within the tolerable daily intake range. But for only 30% of 10 people near the industrial waste incinerator were the EDI within the tolerable daily intake range (1-4 pg I-TEQ/kg bw/day) suggested by WHO (1997). The oxidative stress of residents near the industrial waste incinerator was higher than that in workers and residents from the area around MSW incinerator. This oxidative stress may have been caused by hazardous substances, such as PCDD/Fs emitted by incinerators. The residents from the area around industrial waste incinerator were exposed to hazardous substances such as PCDD/ Fs. Proper protection strategies against these hazardous chemicals are needed.

Benzofurans↗
PubMed2000

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran concentrations in the serum samples of workers at continuously burning municipal waste incinerators in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To find whether concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in serum increased in workers at municipal incinerators that burn continuously. METHODS: 30 Workers employed at three municipal waste incineration plants (incinerator workers) and 30 control workers were studied. The incinerator workers had worn dust masks or airline masks during the periodic repair work inside the incinerators. Previous job, dietary habit, smoking habit, distance from residence to the incineration plant, and body weight and height were obtained from a questionnaire survey. Concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs were measured in the serum of the workers and the dust deposited in the plants. The influence of various factors on serum concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs was examined by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Dust analysis showed the greatest amount of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), followed by 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD), 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF), and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF). The toxicity equivalents (TEQs) of PCDDs and PCDFs in the deposited dust were 4.8, 1.0, and 6.4 ng TEQs/g, respectively, for plants A, B, and C. The mean serum TEQs of PCDDs and PCDFs in the incinerator workers and control workers were 19.2 and 22.9 pg TEQs/g lipid, respectively, for area A, 28.8 and 24.5 pg TEQs/g lipid for area B, and 23.4 and 23.6 pg TEQs/g lipid for area C. No significant differences were found between the incinerator workers and the controls for TEQs of PCDDs and PCDFs separately, and TEQs of PCDDs and PCDFs together. However, the serum 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF concentration was significantly higher in the incinerator workers than in the controls for all the three areas. When the exposure index to 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF is defined as the product of the concentration of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF in the deposited dust and duration of employment, the concentration of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF in serum increased as the exposure index increased. Multivariate analysis suggested that the serum concentration of HpCDF increased with duration of employment at the incineration plants and OCDF increased with employment of > or = 21 years. The other significant variables (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) were area for hexachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HxCDD) and tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), Brinkman index for HpCDD, and body mass index (BMI) for tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), HpCDD, and TEQs of PCDDs. CONCLUSION: The serum TEQs of PCDDs and PCDFs was not significantly higher among the incinerator workers, but the serum concentration of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF was. This suggests that the incinerator workers had inhaled dust containing PCDDs and PCDFs while working in plants equipped with incinerators that burn continuously.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dioxin concentrations in the blood of workers at municipal waste incinerators.

OBJECTIVES: Increased concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs) in pooled blood samples from workers at municipal waste incinerators have been reported. This study was undertaken to confirm these results in individual blood samples from potentially exposed and unexposed workers at municipal waste incinerators compared with matched unexposed controls and compared with concentrations in the slag and fly ash from the municipal waste incinerators. METHODS: Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were determined in the blood of 10 workers from an old municipal waste incinerator without adequate pollution controls, 11 workers from a newer incinerator with modern pollution controls, and 25 controls from the general population group matched for age (+/- 10 years), sex, and race, and in the slag and fly ash from the older incinerator. RESULTS: Significant increases of certain PCDDs and PCDFs were found in the blood of the workers from the older incinerator compared with the controls as follows: octaCDD (1051 (438) v 637 (344), P < 0.001), hexaCDF (52.3 (28.7) v 30.2 (18.2), P < 0.01), heptaCDF (43.9 (30.4) v 22.7 (12.4), P < 0.001), total PCDDs (1262 (484) v 825 (454), P < 0.001), total PCDFs (133.0 (68.1) v 93.7 (36.7), P < 0.05), and total PCDD/Fs (1395 (537) v 918 (437), P < 0.001). The workers from the older incinerator with the greatest exposure were found to have the most significant increases of the blood PCDDs and PCDFs, and the pattern of increased PCDD and PCDF congeners in the blood corresponded to the pattern in the incinerator slag and ash. No significant differences were found between the blood concentrations of the workers at the newer incinerator and the controls. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposure to slag and fly ash from municipal waste incinerators may increase the blood concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs. Modern pollution control technology in new incinerators may be able to minimise potential exposure to slag and fly ash and thus the absorption of PCDDs and PCDFs from this source.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Risks of municipal solid waste incineration: an environmental perspective.

The central focus of the debate over incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) has shifted from its apparent management advantages to unresolved risk issues. This shift is a result of the lack of comprehensive consideration of risks associated with incineration. We discuss the need to expand incinerator risk assessment beyond the limited view of incinerators as stationary air pollution sources to encompass the following: other products of incineration, ash in particular, and pollutants other than dioxins, metals in particular; routes of exposure in addition to direct inhalation; health effects in addition to cancer; and the cumulative nature of exposure and health effects induced by many incinerator-associated pollutants. Rational MSW management planning requires that the limitations as well as advantages of incineration be recognized. Incineration is a waste-processing--not a waste disposal--technology, and its products pose substantial management and disposal problems of their own. Consideration of the nature of these products suggests that incineration is ill-suited to manage the municipal wastestream in its entirety. In particular, incineration greatly enhances the mobility and bioavailability of toxic metals present in MSW. These factors suggest that incineration must be viewed as only one component in an integrated MSW management system. The potential for source reduction, separation, and recycling to increase the safety and efficiency of incineration should be counted among their many benefits. Risk considerations dictate that alternatives to the use of toxic metals at the production stage also be examined in designing an effective, long-term MSW management strategy.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dioxin incinerator emissions exposure study Times Beach, Missouri.

PURPOSE: To determine whether living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator that was burning material contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) increased TCDD and toxicity equivalencies (TEQ) in individuals living near the incinerator. METHODS: Participants were randomly chosen from an area close to the incinerator and compared to participants outside of the exposure area. TCDD and related compounds were measured in blood serum before incineration, four months after incineration started, and at the end of incineration. RESULTS: Lipid adjusted serum levels of TCDD and TEQ decreased from pre-incineration to four months after incineration, and decreased further by the end of incineration. CONCLUSION: Incineration of TCDD did not result in any measurable exposure to the population surrounding the incinerator.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Dioxin-like PCBs released from waste incineration and their deposition flux.

To investigate the formation and decomposition behaviors of dioxin-like PCBs during incineration of municipal solid wastes in a recently constructed facility, the concentrations of dioxin-like PCBs were measured in municipal solid waste before incineration and in the incinerator emission gas and residues. Using these values, release/inflow ratios of dioxin-like PCB congeners (ratio of the amount released from the incinerator to the amount flowing into the incinerator through waste) were calculated. For PCB congeners 126, 169, and 189, these ratios were greater than 1. In contrast, ratios of the other dioxin-like congeners were much less than 1. To take into account atmospheric sources, the amounts of dioxin-like PCBs released via emissions from municipal solid waste incineration were compared with atmospheric depositions in the Kyoto City area. Most of the PCDD/F congeners and homologue groups were deposited in amounts similar to those found in emissions from the waste incinerator. Deposition of dioxin-like PCB congeners 81, 126, 169, and 189 were also found in amounts similar to those released via the waste incinerator emissions. However, depositions of congeners 105, 114, and 118 greatly exceeded the amounts released via waste incinerator emissions. In reviewing the congener profiles of industrial PCB products and emission gas, the following general trends were observed: (i) For congeners whose contents are high in industrial PCB products (e.g., 105 and 118), the amounts deposited were much higher than the amounts released with waste incineration emission gas. (ii) For congeners whose percentages were high in the waste incineration emission gas (e.g., 126 and 189), the amounts deposited were similar to the amounts released in the waste emission gas.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2002

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran concentrations in serum samples of workers at intermittently burning municipal waste incinerators in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To find whether or not incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning municipal incineration plants are exposed to high concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). METHODS: 20 Workers employed at three municipal waste incineration plants (incinerator workers) and 20 controls were studied. The previous job, dietary, smoking, and body weight and height were obtained from a questionnaire survey. Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in serum samples of the workers and the deposited dust of the plants. The influence of occupational exposure on concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in serum samples was examined by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Dust analysis showed that dominant constituents were octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) among the PCDDs, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF) and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) among the PCDFs. The toxicity equivalents (TEQs) of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the deposited dust were 0.91, 33, and 11 ng TEQ/g, respectively, for plants I, II, and III. The means of TEQ in serum samples of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the incinerator workers and controls were 22.8 and 16.4 pg TEQ/g lipid for area I, 29.4 and 19.3 pg TEQ/g lipid for area II, and 22.8 and 24.9 pg TEQ/g lipid for area III, which were almost the same as for the general population of Japan. No significant differences in the TEQ of PCDDs and TEQ of PCDDs and PCDDs were found between the incinerator workers and the controls. However, the TEQ of PCDFs was significantly higher among the incinerator workers in areas I and II, and the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF concentration was also significantly higher for all three areas. When the occupational exposure index for each constituent of PCDDs and PCDFs was defined as the product of the duration of employment at the incineration plant and the concentration of the constituent in the deposited dust, multiple regression analysis showed that the concentrations of HxCDF, HpCDF, and TEQ of PCDFs in serum samples increased with the occupational exposure index. The multiple regression analysis also suggested that significant factors affecting the concentrations in serum samples were area for HxCDD, age for TCDD, PeCDD, PeCDF, TEQ of PCDDs, TEQ of PCDFs, and TEQ of summed PCDDs and PCDFs, and BMI for HxCDD, HpCDD, and OCDD. CONCLUSION: This study showed that incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning incineration plants were not necessarily exposed to high concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs. However, the increases in the concentrations in serum of HxCDF, HpCDF and TEQ of PCDFs with the occupational exposure index suggest that the incinerator workers had inhaled dust containing PCDDs and PCDFs during their work.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Potential method for reducing emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the incineration of biological sludge for the terephthalic acid manufacturing industry.

This study illustrates a potential method for reducing PAH emissions from the incineration of biological sludge by adding a suitable and available waste as a co-fuel. The whole study was conducted on a full-scale fluidized-bed incinerator operated by a terephthalic acid (TPA) manufacturing plant for disposing of biological sludge. Two incinerating conditions were studied, one directly incinerating biological sludge (the normal incinerating condition), and the other adding the waste TPA as a co-fuel during the biological sludge incineration process (the trial incinerating condition). Both incinerating conditions used heavy oil as auxiliary fuel. Although the former had a higher heavy oil consumption rate than the latter, both had comparable combustion efficiencies. Results show that the total PAH input mass rate for the former was only 2.35 times higher than the latter, but the total PAH emission factor for the former was 6.52 times higher than the latter. Total PAH output/input mass ratios for both incinerating conditions were lower than unity, but the value for the normal incinerating condition was approximately 2.91 times higher than the trial condition. In conclusion, the use of waste TPA as a co-fuel not only saved the consumption of heavy oil but also reduced PAH emissions during the combustion process.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2001

Waste incineration and pulmonary function: an epidemiologic study of six communities.

This study investigated the chronic effects of emissions from three different waste incinerators on pulmonary function of both healthy and sensitive subjects with chronic respiratory symptoms. Participants were 8-80 years old, not currently smoking, and living in one of three communities each with an incinerator or one of three matched comparison communities. In total, 1018 subjects underwent a spirometric test once a year during 1992-1994. Exposure was assessed by three methods: living in an incinerator community; distance from the incinerator; and an incinerator exposure index, a function of the distance and direction of each subject's residence to the incinerator, days downwind, and average time spent outdoors. The results generally showed no statistically significant association between pulmonary function and these three incinerators, adjustment for gas oven/range use at home, length of residency, and smoking history in the mixed linear models. Two significant associations were that exposure to the hazardous waste incinerator in 1994 and to the municipal waste incinerator in 1993 were related to poor forced vital capacity. Sensitive subjects were not more adversely affected by incineration emissions than were hay fever or normal subjects. Possible explanations for the negative findings are low exposure levels and bias due to nondifferential misclassification of exposures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Experimental incineration of low level radioactive samples.

To determine the volume reduction potential for incineration of radioactivity in low-level radioactive waste, an incineration experiment was performed at the Okayama University Radioisotope Center (OURIC). Solid low-level radioactive samples (LLRS) were prepared for 15 routinely used radionuclides (45Ca, 1251, 32p, 33p, 35S, 59Fe, 123I, 131I, 67Ga, 99mTc, 111In, 3H, 14C, 51Cr, and 201Tl). For each radionuclide, incinerated one at a time, the smoke duct radioisotope concentration was less than 1/10 of the regulatory concentration limit (The Japanese law concerning prevention of radiation hazard due to radioisotopes, etc.). The radionuclide-containing combustible and semi-combustible LLRS were incinerated at the AP-1 50R furnace erected at OURIC, and the distribution of radioactivity inside and outside the furnace was measured. In the experimental incineration of LLRS containing these 15 radionuclides, the fractions released (RF) in the gas phase of the final smoke duct ranged from 0.165 to 0.99. The radioactivities remaining in the incineration residue were 99mTc, 87%; 59Fe, 83.1%; 45Ca, 75%; 51Cr, 62.1%; 33P, 62.0%; 32P, 61.1%; 67Ga, 57.7%; 35S, 26.0%; 111In, 21.1%; 201Tl, 16.6%; 123I, 11.9%; 131I, 8.2%; 125I, 2.4%; 14C, 0.39%; 3H, 0.04%. In the incineration of LLR S containing 35S, the rate of adhesion to the furnace wall was lower at high-temperature (809 degrees C) incineration than at low-temperature (376 degrees C) incineration. For LLRS containing one of the three radioiodines, 123I, 125I, or 131I, no such difference was observed between low (372 degrees C) and high (827 degrees C) temperature incineration (RF varied from 0.82 to 0.94).

Incineration↗
PubMed1996

[Dioxins in the municipal waste incineration process--threats, norms, actual situation, counter-actions].

Within the group of organochlorine, posing a positive danger the natural environment, the most interesting, controversial and objectionable for ecology++ are dioxins. In professional journals the name "dioxins" is a simplification which commonly refers to a certain group of organic chemical compounds, or, to be more precise, their derivatives called polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The latest research has confirmed the existence of yet another group of similar character polybrominated and polyfluorinated. Though other sources of industrial dioxins emission exist their first and foremost sources are incineration processes, in particular the processes of municipal, hospital and other toxic and chemical waste incineration. The compounds mentioned above, but all their isomers--tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF)--are highly toxic and lack of emission control may prove highly hazardous for health and natural environment. The paper discusses a number of issues connected with dioxin emission during incineration of solid and gaseous municipal waste. A balance of the transport of dioxins between their source (i.e. the waste), through the process of their incineration and recombination, to the final stage--their presence in solid and gaseous incineration products. Following that European legislature on dioxin emission is discussed together with the presentation of state-of-the-art installations for reducing the amount of dioxins in exhausted gasses. Most of the research has been based on author's own observations and research done while taking active part in operation of selected waste incineration plants. The remaining data have been gathered from reference papers on current experiments carried out in European waste incineration plants. Summing up, the paper maintains that the incineration of municipal waste in state-of-the-art installations conforming to emission norms does not endanger the natural environment with dioxins emitted in exhaust gasses. This danger is, however, present in the solid incineration products due to high concentration of dioxins there. Operators are fully aware of this fact and attempt to counteract it. The awareness of presence of dioxins emitted in the process of waste incineration should be decisive factor while choosing technology and installation, which fitted appropriate cleanup equipment will guarantee level of dioxin emission safe for the environment and conforming to the norms of dioxin emission.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1983

[Technology of waste incineration].

Refuse incineration as one of the methods of controlled waste disposal was introduced as early as the last century. However, in Germany, comparable technologies have only seen moderate attempts up to the middle of this century. The increasing volume of refuse as a result of growing prosperity, as well as new laws for environmental protection made it necessary for the technology of refuse incineration to be restarted or developed further. The technical development of these methods was pushed on the basis of the following prerequisites: The incinerator plants must not give rise to new problems of environmental protection. The plants should operate continuously and ensure waste disposal as complete as possible in the long term. Wherever possible, the energy set free by the incineration process, should be utilized. As a rule, for the incineration of solid refuse modern plants use mechanically actuated grate systems of different design, which in part had been developed from known power-generating plant components. For the destruction of special refuse rotary drum furnaces are prevalently employed. In evaluating the entire system of refuse incineration the following 3 points are worthy of note: The energy produced by incineration is mainly used for the generation of electric current or heat for long-distance supply lines. However, other applications are also possible. For the purification of the exhaust gases originating from incineration, nowadays technical facilities are available for separating out solid substrances and noxious gases. The solid incineration residues can be recycled into the economic system after separation and processing. The state of the art of present refuse incinerators is comparable to that of conventional power generating plants operating on solid fossil fuels. Alternative waste disposal technologies still have to prove their ability to give a comparable performance.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2003

Dioxin emission factors for the incineration of different medical waste types.

Previous research works showed that to protect public health, hospital incinerators should be provided with equipment to reduce atmospheric emissions. Most hospital incinerators do not possess such equipment, so efficient methodologies should be developed to evaluate the safety of incineration procedures. Emission factors can be used for an easy estimation of the parameters defined in legislation. Nevertheless, the actual knowledge is very scarce, mainly because previously published emission factors do not include enough information about the incinerated waste types and the respective proportion in incinerated mixture. The existence of different waste classifications also reduces the usefulness of previously published results. This study reports the first dioxin emission factors estimated for the incineration of medical waste, segregated in different types according to the classification of the Portuguese legislation. The main purpose was to evaluate the influence of waste type on emission factors, assessing how useful they are if not associated to the composition of the incinerated mixture. The study also allowed analyzing the correspondence between different waste classifications that are being used, comparing the estimated emission factors with the sole results previously published for specific waste types but segregated according to a different classification. The influence of the incinerated waste type and segregation practices on the concentration and amount of emitted dioxin was assessed, as well as the influence of segregation practices on the amount of wastes that must be incinerated. To estimate eventual hazards for human health, dioxin concentrations in combustion gas flow were compared with the respective legal limits.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationships between dioxins in soil, air, ash, and emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator emitting large amounts of dioxins.

The Columbus Municipal Waste-to-Energy (Columbus WTE) facility in Columbus, Ohio, began operation in June, 1983 and ceased operation in December, 1994. During its operation, it was estimated to have released nearly 1,000 grams of dioxin Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) per year. This compares to a 1994 estimate of 9,300 g TEQ/yr from all sources emitting dioxins into the air in the United States (EPA, 1994), and to total releases of dioxins near or below 1,000 grams TEQ/Yr for England (Eduljee and Keyke, 1996), Belgium (Wevers and De Fre, 1995), and West Germany (Fiedler and Hutzinger, 1992). Because of the magnitude of emissions from this single source, studies were undertaken to evaluate the impacts to air and soil near the incinerator. This paper presents analyses evaluating dioxin concentrations and profiles in four media: stack gas, ambient air within 3 km of the incinerator, soil samples up to 8 km from the incinerator, and incinerator ash. Principal findings include: 1) an "incinerator signature" profile, as defined by stack gas emissions, was found in the ash and in subsets of the air and soil matrices, 2) soil concentrations declined from directly outside the incinerator property to the city at large, 3) an urban background soil concentration of dioxin Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) was estimated at 4 pg/g, while concentrations generally within 2 km of the incinerator ranged from 4-60 pg TEQ/g, 4) an urban background air concentration was estimated at 0.05 pg TEQ/m3, while air concentrations at a specific location about 2 km in the downwind direction of the incinerator had concentrations of 0.17 and 0.35 pg TEQ/m3 during two sampling dates, 5) analysis of the soil monitoring data in combination with the stack test data suggests that less than 2% of emitted dioxins can be found in the soil near the incinerator, and 6) principal component analysis suggests that the fraction of total concentration of OCDD is the single feature explaining most of the variation of all concentration profiles. This paper discusses these and other findings, and their implications.

Air Pollution↗