Monitoring PCDD/Fs in Soil and Herbage Samples Collected Near a Hazardous Waste Incinerator: Health Risks for the Population Living Nearby
- 7 November 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal
- Vol. 13 (6), 1255-1270
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10807030701655863
Abstract
In 1998, we started a wide environmental surveillance program focused on evaluating the environmental impact of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) emitted by a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) (Tarragona County, Catalonia, Spain) and assessing the potential health risks for the population living nearby. The HWI began regular operations in 1999. Since then, periodical surveys have been performed. We report here the results concerning PCDD/F levels in 40 soil and 40 herbage samples collected in years 2004 and 2005, respectively, in the vicinity of the HWI. The human health risks derived from exposure to PCDD/Fs were also assessed. PCDD/F concentrations in soils ranged from 0.06 to 12.60 ng I-TEQ/kg, with median and mean values of 0.65 and 1.14 ng I-TEQ/kg, respectively. In herbage, PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 1.57 ng I-TEQ/kg, with median and mean values of 0.31 and 0.40 ng I-TEQ/kg, respectively. A comparison of these results with those from the baseline survey shows that, after six years of regular operation, the HWI did not significantly increase PCDD/F levels in soils and herbage in the surrounding environment. Moreover, PCDD/F emissions from the HWI do not mean additional significant risks for the health of the individuals living in the vicinity of the facility. The results of the current study together with those of recent investigations in municipal waste incinerators indicate that, when adequately controlled for PCDD/F emissions, modern waste incinerators should not portend any special concern for the populations living nearby.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Long-term study of environmental levels of dioxins and furans in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste incineratorEnvironment International, 2006
- Particle-bound polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the atmosphere of Guangzhou, ChinaAtmospheric Environment, 2005
- Levels of dioxins and furans in plasma of nonoccupationally exposed subjects living near a hazardous waste incineratorJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2005
- Daily intake of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) in foodstuffs consumed in Tarragona, Spain: a review of recent studies (2001–2003) on human PCDD/PCDF exposure through the dietEnvironmental Research, 2005
- Temporal trends of PCDDs/PCDFs in ambient air in Catalonia (Spain)Science of The Total Environment, 2004
- Health risk assessment of PCDD/F emissions from a hazardous and medical waste incinerator in TurkeyEnvironment International, 2004
- Probabilistic human health risk of PCDD/F exposure: a socioeconomic assessmentJournal of Environmental Monitoring, 2004
- Differential Sensitivity of Children and Adults to Chemical ToxicityHuman and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2004
- Flow analysis of PCDD/Fs for Tarragona Province, SpainEnvironmental Science and Pollution Research, 2001
- Dioxins in the Environment: A Review of Trend DataEnvironmental Science & Technology, 1996