Health and environmental effects document for direct coal liquefaction - 1981.

Technical Report · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6754065· OSTI ID:6754065

Mellinger, P J; Wilson, B W; Mahlum, D D; Sever, L E; Olsen, A R

This document presents initial estimates of potential human health effects from inhalation of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) that may be released from a future hypothetical industry producing about 600,000 bb1/day of synthetic fuel by direct liquefaction of coal. The assessment approach starts wth general assumptions that are then refined in a tiered sequence that considers available epidemiological, environmental and chemical data. The uncertainties involved in such an evaluation have been quantified where possible at this early stage of health risk analysis. Many surrogate data bases were considered for application to coal liquefaction including coke oven, British gas retort, roofing tar and asphalts, and cigarette smoke. The coke oven data base was selected for this assessment because the chemical and physical nature of coke oven emissions are judged to more closely approximate potential coal liquefaction emissions. Utilizing the extensive epidemiological data base for coke oven workers as a surrogate model, health effects from release of coal liquefaction NMHC may be quantified. This method results in estimates of about 1 x 10/sup -3/ excess cancer deaths/yr to an industrial work force of 7800 persons and 5 x 10/sup -2/ excess cancer deaths/yr in the U.S. population as a whole from NMHC that boil above 600/sup 0/F. Sources of uncertainty in the estimates are listed. Using these uncertainties, it is estimated that from 2 x 10/sup -4/ to 5 x 10/sup -3/ lung cancer deaths/yr may occur in the industrial work force and from 1 x 10/sup -2/ to 2.5 x 10/sup -1/ lung cancer deaths/yr in the U.S. population as a whole. On an individual basis, the excess lifetime risk to occupationally exposed workers is estimated to be 500 times greater than to members of the U.S. public.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6754065
• Report Number(s): PNL-4230; ON: DE83000941
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of document are illegible; Related Information: Use of coke oven data to estimate hazards to industrial workers and US population
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
COAL LIQUEFACTION PLANTS
AIR POLLUTION
HEALTH HAZARDS
RISK ASSESSMENT
HYDROCARBONS
INHALATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARCINOGENESIS
CARCINOGENS
CHEMICAL SPILLS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
COAL LIQUIDS
COKE OVENS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EPIDEMIOLOGY
LEAKS
LUNGS
MUTAGENESIS
NEOPLASMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLES
SRC-II PROCESS
VAPORS
BODY
DATA
DISEASES
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
INTAKE
LIQUEFACTION
LIQUIDS
MASS TRANSFER
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
010405* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
016000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Health & Safety