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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Potential health risks from exposure to hazardous waste incinerator emissions -- Worst-case scenarios

Conference ·
OSTI ID:225185
Potential health hazards to persons exposed to maximum permitted levels of air emissions from a hypothetical hazardous waste incinerator were investigated. By using extremely conservative assumptions, a multiple pathway, health risk assessment was performed for the facility. The procedures used to perform the risk analysis were based on US EPA ``Methodology for Assessing Health Risks Associated with Exposure to Combustor Emissions.`` Ambient air concentrations of chemicals in air approved dispersion model (ISCST model). The model is based on maximum (instantaneous) allowable emission rates for permitted constituents, which is likely to overstate exposures and resultant health risks associated with facility emissions. The analysis focused on 22 key chemicals which typically exist in emissions from hazardous waste incinerators. Exposure pathways included inhalation, soil contact, and consumption of locally derived food products (fruits and vegetables, beef, milk, and fish). The receptors were hypothetical residents living in an area of maximum air concentrations and deposition downwind of the facility. The results showed that the theoretical excess cancer risk levels for lifetime exposure to the incinerator emissions for residents was 1.3 {times} 10{sup {minus}5} (i.e., 1 in 100,000 exposed individuals), which is approximately one magnitude higher than EPA`s target risk level of 10{sup {minus}6} (i.e., 1 in 1 million exposed individuals) used for environmentally-related chemical exposures. Long-term exposure to noncarcinogenic chemicals potentially present in the emissions was not expected to result in adverse health effects for adults or children living in the immediate vicinity. Total hazard quotients which included oral, dermal, and inhalation exposures, were below unity (i.e., 0.30 and 0.26 for a maximally exposed child and a maximally exposed adult, respectively).
OSTI ID:
225185
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English