Health and environmental effects document on geothermal energy: 1981
Several of the important health and environmental risks associated with a reference geothermal industry that produces 21,000 MW/sub e/ for 30 y (equivalent to 20 x 10/sup 18/ J) are assessed. The analyses of health effects focus on the risks associated with exposure to hydrogen sulfide, particulate sulfate, benzene, mercury, and radon in air and arsenic in water. Results indicate that emissions of hydrogen sulfide are likely to cause odor-related problems in geothermal resources areas, assuming that no pollution controls are employed. For individuals living within an 80 km radius of the geothermal resources, chronic exposure to particulate sulfate could result in between 0 to 95 premature deaths per 10/sup 18/ J of electricity generated. The mean population risk of leukemia from the inhalation of benzene was calculated to be 3 x 10/sup -2/ cases per 10/sup 18/ J. Exposure to elemental mercury in the atmosphere could produce between 0 and 8.2 cases of tremors per 10/sup 18/ J of electricity. Inhalation of radon and its short-lived daughters poses a mean population risk of 4.2 x 10/sup -1/ lung cancers per 10/sup 18/ J. Analysis of skin cancer risk from the ingestion of surface water contaminated with geothermally derived arsenic suggests that a dose-response model is inconsistent with data showing that arsenic is an essential element and that excessive body burdens do not appear even when arsenic reaches 100 ..mu..g/liter in drinking water. Estimates of occupational health effects were based on rates of accidental deaths and occupational diseases in surrogate industries. According to calculations, there would be 14 accidental deaths per 10/sup 18/ J of electricity and 340 cases of occupational diseases per 10/sup 18/ J. The analysis of the effects of noncondensing gases on vegetation showed that ambient concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are more likely to enhance rather than inhibit the growth of plants.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5349877
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-53232; ON: DE82007989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ARSENIC
CARCINOGENESIS
BENZENE
LEUKEMOGENESIS
GEOTHERMAL INDUSTRY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
MERCURY
RADON
SULFATES
ACCIDENTS
AIR POLLUTION
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
ENERGY
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LUNGS
MORTALITY
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
PARTICULATES
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
PRODUCTION
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
SKIN
STATISTICS
STIMULATION
WATER POLLUTION
AROMATICS
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
GROWTH
HAZARDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
MATHEMATICS
METALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PATHOGENESIS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RARE GASES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEMIMETALS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
Geothermal Legacy
150600* - Geothermal Energy- Environmental Aspects
560306 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560303 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)
552000 - Public Health
299002 - Energy Planning & Policy- Geothermal- (-1989)