Generic health impact prediction and assessment methodology for environmental impact studies

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5140202

Arquiaga, M C

Human health impacts have been given minimal attention in most environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies despite the increasing awareness that many projects may have the potential for causing adverse health effects. The need to address human health in EIA studies was recognized in the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and, more explicitly, in the 1979 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations. In this study a generic health impact prediction and assessment methodology for EIA studies was developed and presented. The first phase of this study consisted of establishing the need for such a methodology. A review of 39 selected EISs showed that human health impacts, although not completely ignored, are typically given inadequate attention. Among those EISS that assessed health impacts, only 27% used risk assessment techniques for assessing all the health impacts addressed. This review was complemented with a more detailed analysis of two EISs that used risk assessment techniques. This analysis showed a lack of integration of the risk assessment elements into the overall EIA process. In the second phase of the study the methodology was developed by aggregating principles contained in risk assessment methods as well as in traditional approaches used in EIA studies. The main consideration was that it should be integrated into the unified analytical process that is basic in an EIA study. Consequently, the generic methodology was organized according to the activities conducted in a typical environmental impact study, with these activities linked to such tasks as scoping, impact identification, impact quantification and evaluation, and aggregation with other impacts. The proposed methodology was tested in a generic case study involving a coal gasification complex. This case study showed that the methodology can be applied to EIA studies.

• Research Organization: Oklahoma Univ., Norman, OK (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5140202
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
ANIMALS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LAWS
MAMMALS
MAN
POLLUTANTS
PRIMATES
RISK ASSESSMENT
US NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT
VERTEBRATES