University of Minnesota Duluth, gasifier health risk assessment

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6876472

Meyer, H R; O'Donnell, F R; Van Hoesen, S D; Etnier, E L

This document describes an investigation of potential public and occupational health impacts associated with operation of the small, low Btu gasifier at the University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD). The purpose of this study is to identify and quantify, within the uncertainty limits imposed by the available data, major contributors to such impacts. Consequently, we have estimated potential occupational health impacts and the gasifier's potential for producing certain health endpoints in the general public. Endpoints are specifically noncancer acute and chronic effects (threshold effects), and cancer and SO/sub x/-related mortalities (linear, nonthreshold effects) associated with atmospheric releases (no direct releases to aquatic systems occur at the facility) and subsequent inhalation exposure to representatives of three classes of released materials - metals, organics, and criteria pollutants. Other potential pathways to public exposure (atmospherically-contaminated drinking water, ingestion of locally produced foods, etc.) should not be responsible for a significant fraction of estimated risk, given the high dilution potential of the city's drinking water source (Lake Superior), and the fact that a relatively small quantity of food is grown locally. The report is organized to provide the reader with: (1) discussion and estimation, as feasible, of gasifier worker health risks, (2) source term (release rate) data, environmental transport and population exposure information, and (3) an assessment of the general population health risk based on these exposure estimates. 82 references, 1 figure, 9 tables.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6876472
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-9333; ON: DE84016986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
MONITORING
COAL GASIFICATION PLANTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
ARSENIC
CADMIUM
CARBON MONOXIDE
CHROMIUM
EMISSION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INHALATION
LOW BTU GAS
MINNESOTA
NICKEL
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PERSONNEL
PRODUCTION
PUBLIC HEALTH
SULFUR DIOXIDE
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION V
FLUIDS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
INTAKE
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
SEMIMETALS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
010900* - Coal
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016000 - Coal
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500200 - Environment
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