Comparative analysis of health risk assessments for municipal waste combustors

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5735802

Levin, A; Fratt, D B; Leonard, A; Bruins, R J.F.; Fradkin, L

Quantitative health risk assessments have been performed for a number of proposed municipal waste combustor (MWC) facilities over the past several years. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of a total of 21 risk assessments, focusing on seven of the most comprehensive methodologies. The analysis concentrates on stack emissions of noncriteria pollutants and is comparative rather than critical in nature. Overall, the risk assessment methodologies used were similar whereas the assumptions and input values used varied from study to study. Some of the variability results directly from differences in site-specific characteristics, but much of it is due to absence of data, lack of field validation, lack of specific guidelines from regulatory agencies, and reliance on professional judgment. The results indicate that carcinogenic risks are more significant than chronic non-carcinogenic risks. In most instances polychlorodibenzodioxins, polychlorodibenzofurans, and cadmium contribute more significantly to the total carcinogenic risk from MWC stack emissions than other contaminants. In addition, the contribution to total risk of all indirect routes of exposure (ingestion and dermal contact) exceeds that of the direct inhalation route for most studies reviewed.

• Research Organization: Alliance Technologies Corp., Bedford, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5735802
• Report Number(s): PB-91-182337/XAB; CNN: EPA-68-02-4396
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
AIR POLLUTION
BENZOFURANS
CADMIUM
CARCINOGENS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DEPOSITION
DIOXIN
ELEMENTS
FURANS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INCINERATORS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
MUNICIPAL WASTES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PERMITS
POLLUTION
PROCESSING
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
STACK DISPOSAL
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES