Methodological approach for the evaluation of health risks related to hazardous wastes incineration

Summary

The aim of this work was to improve the quality and readability of health risk assessment studies, especially for the incineration of special industrial waste. Only channelled atmospheric emissions were studied. A list of 12 pollutants was selected on the basis of a literature review of emissions from industrial waste incinerators and the existence of toxicological reference values (TRVs), which can be used to assess the occurrence of a health effect. Following this process, it was established that insufficient data was available on emissions from French incinerators. In order to assess the health risks associated with the selected pollutants, a virtual site was set up, with two real-life meteorological and topographical configurations. Pollutant dispersion was modelled by ARIA Technologies using ARIA Impact, an improved 2D software package that is not recommended for high relief areas. Estimates of exposure through ingestion were calculated using Cal'Tox software. For the two types of wind roses tested, the results of the risk calculations show that a facility complying with the regulatory emission limit values does not give rise to excessive risks, with the exception of dioxins, for which a more detailed study will have to be carried out. The study carried out made it possible to test and refine a methodology for assessing health risks, in particular by taking into account relevant indicators. This study should help industrialists to define the specifications for impact studies and to interpret their results.