Evaluation of the public health risks associated with semivolatile metal and dioxin emissions from hazardous waste incinerators

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3431311· OSTI ID:5904765

Sedman, R M; Esparza, J R ^[1]

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1. California Dept. of Health Services, Sacramento (United States)

The public health impacts associated with stack emissions from hazardous waste incinerators have become a major concern in recent years. Most evaluations of incinerator stack emissions have focused on three classes of compounds: metals, semivolatile, and volatile compounds. These investigations have been complicated by the difficulty and expense of analyzing the emissions and the limited amount of toxicity information for many of the compounds that have been detected. The results of over 20 trial burns at hazardous waste incinerators were assembled in an attempt to determine which compounds may pose a significant threat to the public health. The risks associated with semivolatile emissions were found to be inconsequential, although further study of dioxins and dibenzofurans emissions appears to be warranted. The risk associated with the emission of cadmium and perhaps chromium (VI) may pose a significant risk to public health at certain facilities. Controls on waste feed or air pollution control devices should be employed to reduce the emission of these metals. Any monitoring of metal emissions from hazardous waste incinerators should focus on cadmium and chromium (VI).

• OSTI ID: 5904765
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States) Vol. 94; ISSN 0091-6765; ISSN EVHPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
AROMATICS
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHROMIUM COMPOUNDS
CONTROL
DIOXIN
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ELEMENTS
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INCINERATORS
MANAGEMENT
MATTER
METALS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
STACK DISPOSAL
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
VOLATILE MATTER
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT