Municipal waste incinerators: air and biological monitoring of workers for exposure to particles, metals, and organic compounds.
نویسندگان
چکیده
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.
منابع مشابه
P-30: Evaluation of Environmental Health Effects of TCDDs and PCDFs on Reproduction of Municipal Waste Incineration Operators Outcomes
Background: Municipal waste incineration are one of the largest resources of 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-pdioxins (TCDDs) and Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from incineration ends up in water and food cycle are taken up by fish and etc. These gaseous emission products tend to give rise to concern due to their carcinogenic potential, as well as their potential adverse health effects on re...
متن کاملEffects of Burning Municipal Waste on Environment and Health
Source separation, recycling, combustion, and bene ficial use of ash residues are important components of plans for management of household and commercial wastes in order to minimize the cost and risks of landfilling. Municipal incinerators, originally built to avoid unsanitary landfills, are now becoming efficiently operated power plants. However, in order to obtain permits to build and opera...
متن کاملEvaluation of the public health risks associated with semivolatile metal and dioxin emissions from hazardous waste incinerators.
The public health impacts associated with stack emissions from hazardous waste incinerators have become a major concern in recent years. Most evaluations of incinerator stack emissions have focused on three classes of compounds: metals, semivolatile, and volatile compounds. These investigations have been complicated by the difficulty and expense of analyzing the emissions and the limited amount...
متن کاملEvaluation of medical waste incinerators in Alexandria.
Medical establishments play important roles in different activities by using of modern technology to serve the humans and the environment through different departments in the establishment and its firms. Medical wastes are considered as a hazardous waste because they contain toxic materials, infectious, or non-infectious wastes and they are considered as a hazard to millions of patients, health...
متن کاملDioxin concentrations in the blood of workers at municipal waste incinerators.
OBJECTIVES Increased concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs) in pooled blood samples from workers at municipal waste incinerators have been reported. This study was undertaken to confirm these results in individual blood samples from potentially exposed and unexposed workers at municipal waste incinerators compared with matched unex...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Occupational and environmental medicine
دوره 60 8 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2003