Composting public health aspects: Odors and bioaerosols
- E&A Environmental Consultants, Inc., Cary, NC (United States)
The two dominating public health issues associated with composting are odors and bioaerosols, regardless of the feedstock or method of composting. Odors, per se, are an irritant and a nuisance rather than a direct health problem. However, when odors emanate form a facility, the surrounding public often associates odors with compounds which may result in health problems. For example, hydrogen sulfide is not found in high concentrations during composting or found to be of a health significance in the air surrounding composting facilities, yet health issues related to this compound have emerged as a result of odors. Another health concern associated with odors is bioaerosols. Bioaerosols are biological organisms or substances from biological organisms which have been implicated in human health. Bioaerosols may contain fungal spores, actinomycetes, microbial products, and other organisms. Mitigating odors and bioaerosols is a function of facility design and operations. There is a greater opportunity in municipal solid waste (MSW) and biosolids facilities for effective design than with year waste facilities. MSW and biosolids facilities as a result of the nature of the feedstock generally require more sophisticated materials handling equipment which require enclosures. With enclosures there is a greater opportunity to scrub the air for removal of odors and dust. There are also more regulatory requirements for MSW and sewage sludge composting for both process and product by states and the Federal government. The objective of this paper is to provide information on the concerns, state-of-the-art, and potential mitigating aspects which need to be considered in the design and operation of MSW facilities.
- OSTI ID:
- 96125
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950166-; TRN: 95:005788-0012
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: U.S./Canadian Federation solid waste management conference, Washington, DC (United States), 17-20 Jan 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1995 US/Canadian federal solid waste management conference; PB: 402 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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