An Evaluation of the Occupational Health Risks to Workers in a Hazardous Waste Incinerator (original) (raw)
Related papers
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2013
The construction in Constantí (Tarragona County, Catalonia) of the first, and up till now the only hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) in Spain, finished in 1999. In this study, we measured the concentrations of a number of organic substances determined in blood and urine of the HWI workers. Samples of 18 men and 9 women, classified according to their respective workplaces, were collected in 2011, after approximately 12 years of regular operations in the facility. The current results were compared with those of the baseline survey, as well as with the most recent surveys performed in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Plasma analyses were carried out for hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), while the levels of 2,4and 2,5-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,5-and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 1hydroxypyrene (1-HP) were measured in urine samples. In plasma, the mean concentrations were the following: 10.8 g/kg lipid for HCB; 0.8 g/kg lipid for PCB28; 0.3 g/kg lipid for PCB52; 0.5 g/kg lipid for PCB101; 42.2 g/kg lipid for PCB138; 18.5 g/kg lipid for PCB153, and 51.2 g/kg lipid for PCB180. For PCDD/Fs, the mean concentration was 4.6 ng I-TEQ/kg lipid (4.7 ng WHO-TEQ/kg lipid). These levels, as well as those found in urine samples, are in agreement with the data of previous surveys performed in the same area. The current results in HWI workers do not show any evident sign of occupational exposure to PCDD/Fs and other organic substances. However, these results must be considered only as an indication of potential exposure, as the study presents notable limitations, such as the reduced number of participants and the lack of data relative to the air concentrations of chemicals. Consequently, general conclusions cannot be derived and the results should not be used as a basis for the implementation of industrial hygiene measures in other HWIs.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2003
Aims: To evaluate occupational exposure to toxic pollutants at municipal waste incinerators (MWIs). Methods: Twenty nine male subjects working near the furnaces in two MWIs, and 17 subjects not occupationally exposed to combustion generated pollutants were studied. Individual air samples were taken throughout the shift; urine samples were collected before and after. Stationary air samples were taken near potential sources of emission. Results: Occupational exposure did not result in the infringement of any occupational threshold limit value. Atmospheric exposure levels to particles and metals were 10-100 times higher in MWIs than at the control site. The main sources were cleaning operations for particles, and residue transfer and disposal operations for metals. MWI workers were not exposed to higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than workers who are routinely in contact with vehicle exhaust. The air concentrations of volatile organic compounds and aldehydes were low and did not appear to pose any significant threat to human health. Only the measurement of chlorinated hydrocarbon levels would seem to be a reliable marker for the combustion of plastics. Urine metal levels were significantly higher at plant 1 than at plant 2 because of high levels of pollutants emanating from one old furnace. Conclusion: While biological monitoring is an easy way of acquiring data on long term personal exposure, air monitoring remains the only method that makes it possible to identify the primary sources of pollutant emission which need to be controlled if occupational exposure and environmental pollution are to be reduced.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2000
Objectives: To find whether or not incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning municipal incineration plants are exposed to high concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Methods: 20 Workers employed at three municipal waste incineration plants (incinerator workers) and 20 controls were studied. The previous job, dietary, smoking, and body weight and height were obtained from a questionnaire survey. Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in serum samples of the workers and the deposited dust of the plants. The influence of occupational exposure on concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in serum samples was examined by multiple regression analysis. Results: Dust analysis showed that dominant constituents were octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) among the PCDDs, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF) and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) among the PCDFs. The toxicity equivalents (TEQs) of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the deposited dust were 0.91, 33, and 11 ng TEQ/g, respectively, for plants I, II, and III. The means of TEQ in serum samples of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the incinerator workers and controls were 22.8 and 16.4 pg TEQ/g lipid for area I, 29.4 and 19.3 pg TEQ/g lipid for area II, and 22.8 and 24.9 pg TEQ/g lipid for area III, which were almost the same as for the general population of Japan. No significant differences in the TEQ of PCDDs and TEQ of PCDDs and PCDDs were found between the incinerator workers and the controls. However, the TEQ of PCDFs was significantly higher among the incinerator workers in areas I and II, and the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF concentration was also significantly higher for all three areas. When the occupational exposure index for each constituent of PCDDs and PCDFs was defined as the product of the duration of employment at the incineration plant and the concentration of the constituent in the deposited dust, multiple regression analysis showed that the concentrations of HxCDF, HpCDF, and TEQ of PCDFs in serum samples increased with the occupational exposure index. The multiple regression analysis also suggested that significant factors affecting the concentrations in serum samples were area for HxCDD, age for TCDD, PeCDD, PeCDF, TEQ of PCDDs, TEQ of PCDFs, and TEQ of summed PCDDs and PCDFs, and BMI for HxCDD, HpCDD, and OCDD. Conclusion: This study showed that incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning incineration plants were not necessarily exposed to high
Chemosphere, 2001
Two municipal waste incinerators in the vicinity of a residential area close to the city of Antwerp caused concern to local habitants. Risk assessment was performed combining chemical, toxicological measurements and model calculations. As the ®rst step in risk assessment an inventory was made of historic emissions from both incinerators with emphasis on dioxins. The operational atmospheric transport and deposition model for priority substances (OPS) was used to calculate the deposition of dioxins in the vicinity of incinerators. The observed soil contamination pattern did not correspond to the calculated deposition pattern, indicating that other sources may contribute at least partly to the local PCDD/PCDF contamination of the area. Dioxin exposure of people in the Neerlandquarter as a function of the food consumption behavior was calculated using a mathematical model (VLIER-HUMAAN) combined with transfer factors. According to the results of these calculations, just residing in the impact area does not result in a meaningful risk. Only if locally produced food was consumed (milk, meat and vegetables), exposure in the Neerlandquarter was enhanced compared to the average dioxin exposure estimated for the Flemish population. Exposure in 1997 was below the exposure in 1980. As a consequence of dierent eating habits and lower bodyweight, children are subjected to signi®cantly higher exposure than adults. Adverse health outcomes from dioxin exposure in the past cannot be excluded. There was no evidence for enhanced exposure to genotoxicants based on a comparison of chromosomal damage to blood cells of children from the study area to those from a control group. Ó
Environmental Science & Technology
The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental impact of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) 4 years after regular operation of the facility. A double approach was carried out. The PCDD/F congener profiles corresponding to environmental samples, soil and herbage, collected before the HWI (baseline) and 4 years after starting regular operations, as well as PCDD/F profiles of air emission samples, were compared. The potential health risks (carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic) due to PCDD/F exposure were assessed for adults and children living in the neighborhood of the facility. Human exposure to PCDD/Fs was mainly due to dietary food intake. Comparisons between the PCDD/F congener profiles corresponding to the baseline and current surveys, as well as data concerning the human health risk assessment, indicate that the HWI in question does not cause additional risks to the environment or to the population living in the vicinity of the facility.
Occupational hygiene in a waste incineration plant
Waste Management, 2005
The Turku incineration plant was renovated in 1995 to meet the emission requirements of modern waste combustion facilities. It treats presorted municipal waste from 170,000 residents in the Turku area. In the plant, the incineration process produces several types of by-products having importance in terms of occupational hygiene.
Human biomonitoring to define occupational exposure and health risks in waste incinerator plants
International Journal of Environment and Health, 2009
A contribution to the research on the relationship between exposure to ambient pollutants and diseases comes from human biomonitoring data collection and interpretation. The 21 biomonitoring studies reviewed are mainly aimed at providing either information on exposure amongst worker subgroups, serving as a reference, or information on the relationship between exposure and toxicity. Attention was also paid to the relationship between internal biomarker dose and environmental pollution levels through a combined use of biomonitoring epidemiological study design and environmental monitoring. Marker levels of internal dose (in blood and urine), DNA damage and oxidative stress tend to be higher mostly in highly exposed workers, i.e. those employed in furnace maintenance, residue transfer, cleaning operations, metal disposal and all activities where there is direct contact with fly ash. The presence of old furnaces or non-upgraded plants was associated with acute and chronic health problems in workers.
Respiratory function among waste incinerator workers
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2004
Introduction: Whereas air pollutants have been measured in incinerator working areas, few studies have focused on the effects of these pollutants on the lung function of incinerator workers. In France, a study was performed among workers at two urban incinerators, aimed at identifying a link between exposure to different pollutants in incinerator plants and respiratory lung function impairments. Methods: A follow-up of lung function was carried out on 83 incinerator workers from two incinerator plants, comparing them with a group of 76 non-exposed workers recruited by the same occupational physician. Workers' lung functions were measured during their yearly occupational medical examination, for 3 years. The American Thoracic Society quality criteria were used to control the quality of the flow-volume curves. Results: Base-line lung functions were lower among incinerator workers than among non-exposed workers. The few significant differences were indicative of obstructive symptoms. During the first year the differences observed between the two groups were close to the significant threshold value of 5% for FEF 75 / PV and FEF 25-75 /PV. During the third year significant differences covered three parameters: FEF 50 /PV, FEF 25-75 /PV and FEF 25-75 /FVC. After smoking habits (pack-years), medical history of allergy or lung diseases and the examination centres had been taken into account in a linear regression, the reduction of FEF 75 /PV in the first year and FEF 25-75 /FVC in the third year was linked to exposure in incinerator plants. There was no significant association between exposure and the differences observed in the FEF 25-75 /PV in the first year or in the FEF 50 /PV and the FEF 25-75 /PV in the third year. Conclusion: This analysis of incinerator workers' lung functions has identified some lung impairments among workers exposed to incinerator air pollutants compared to non-exposed workers, thus indicating possible obstructive disorders among incinerator workers. However, these impairments are moderate and in accordance with the low levels of airborne pollutants identified in a previous study.
“Dioxin Releases in Waste Incinerations and Thermal Processes”
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2010
The releases of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) from waste incinerators and thermal processes were investigated. The characteristics of mean PCDD/Fs I-TEQ concentrations and congener profiles were studied over the samples of water, soil, fly ash and bottom ash of individual source. The TEQ value for fly ash ranges from 0.013 to 17.01 pg-TEQ/ g. Moreover, the TEQ value for bottom ash was 12.06 pg-TEQ/g and the TEQ values for the water samples were found to be in a consistent range from 0.41-0.56 ng-TEQ/ L. In almost all the analyzed matrices the congener OCDD/ OCDF was found in highest concentration raising the critical concerns over the overall PCDD/Fs emissions from incinerations and thermal processes.