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Title: Occupational health aspects of the resource recovery of municipal solid wastes

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:6092653

A comprehensive industrial hygiene study of seven representative municipal solid waste processing facilities was conducted to determine the level of worker exposures to physical, chemical and microbiological hazards of the processes studied. Two mass burn incineration, four waste processing to fuel, and one combined waste processing to steam plant were evaluated. Samples were collected to determine particulate, general organic vapor, pesticide, polychlorinated biphenyl, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, bacteria, fungi, human pathogenic virus, and noise exposures. Hazard evaluations were then made based on a comparison of the results of the sampling with currently required or recommended standards for occupational exposures. Examination of the particulate matter from airborne dust samples indicated a wide range of heteromorphic particles and fibers. A size fractionation of these particulates showed that a significant portion of most of the dusts were respirable (<15 ..mu..m aerodynamic diameter). High levels of welding fume exposure at two facilities and area noise levels above 90 dBA in all facilities were found. Total bacteria, fecal coliforms, Salmonella enteritidis, Klebsielly sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptomyces sp., Aspergillus fumigutas, Aspergillus flavus, and mycobacterium sp. were recovered from the workplace air. The implications of worker inhalation exposures to these mixed microbial contaminants are unknown.

OSTI ID:
6092653
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English