Abstract
Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) by municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerators cause concern to the populations living in the vicinity of these facilities. In this study, the health risks of PCDD/F exposure were assessed for adults and children living 500 and 1,000 m from the MSW incinerator. A comparative analysis was performed before (1998) and after (2000) pronounced decreases in PCDD/F air emissions from the stack were noted as a consequence of technical improvements in the facility. At 500 m, total environmental exposure to PCDD/Fs diminished from 5.102 × 10−5 to 1.271 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day for adults, and from 8.131 × 10−5 to 2.656 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day for children, which means a reduction of 75.1% for adults and 67.3% for children between 1998 and 2000. At 1,000 m, total environmental PCDD/F exposure diminished from 4.087 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day in 1998 to 0.995 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day in 2000 and from 6.294 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day in 1998 to 1.983 × 10−5 ng I-TEQ/kg/day in 2000 for adults and children, respectively. However, these reductions are almost imperceptible compared with the contribution of dietary intake of PCDD/F to total exposure to these contaminants. The present results corroborate that for MSW incinerators with modern technologies, human PCDD/F exposure is mainly due to background contamination.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 2 January 2002/Accepted: 30 May 2002
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Domingo, J., Agramunt, M., Nadal, M. et al. Health Risk Assessment of PCDD/PCDF Exposure for the Population Living in the Vicinity of a Municipal Waste Incinerator. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 43, 0461–0465 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-002-1280-6
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-002-1280-6