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

Multimedia, multipollutant field study to establish levels of toxic contaminants in air, soil, sediment, water, and agricultural products from a model municipal-waste combustor

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7098209
In the past, assessments have been directed only at the public-health risks posed by stack and fugitive emissions of pollutants from municipal-waste combustors (MWCs) by direct inhalation exposure. Recently, the U.S. EPA has developed methodologies to extend risk assessment to a consideration of indirect exposure pathways in addition to the direct inhalation pathway. A better understanding of the multipollutant and multiple-exposure pathways of emissions from waste combustors is needed in order to improve the overall assessment of the risks to humans and the environment. This study provides a preliminary determination of the overall risks associated with MWCs. As part of the overall approach, a field evaluation of a MWC was selected in Rutland, Vermont. During a one-year period, a four-station ambient-air-monitoring network for pollutants will be operated by the State of Vermont. The purpose of the monitoring is to ensure that the pollution controls and regulatory requirements imposed on the facility are sufficient to prevent adverse impacts on human health or the environment.
Research Organization:
Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH (USA). Office of Environmental Criteria and Assessment
OSTI ID:
7098209
Report Number(s):
PB-88-239124/XAB; EPA-600/D-88/155
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English