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Related Experiment Videos

A perspective on dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators.

C C Travis1, H A Hattemer-Frey

  • 1Office of Risk Analysis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee 37831-6109.

Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
|March 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Modern waste incinerators are not the primary source of dioxin and furan exposure for humans. Most human exposure to these pollutants stems from general environmental contamination, not local incinerator emissions.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Toxicology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) are persistent organic pollutants.
  • Incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a potential source of PCDD/PCDFs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the role of modern MSW incinerators in environmental PCDD/PCDF input.
  • To assess environmental concentrations of PCDD/PCDFs around MSW incinerators.
  • To determine the primary sources of human exposure to PCDD/PCDFs.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current scientific evidence on PCDD/PCDF sources and environmental concentrations.
  • Analysis of human exposure pathways and contributions from various sources.

Main Results:

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  • Combustion sources, including MSW incinerators, are significant contributors to environmental PCDD/PCDF input.
  • Environmental concentrations of PCDD/PCDFs near MSW incinerators are not substantially elevated above background levels.
  • Background contamination accounts for 99% of human exposure to PCDD/PCDFs.

Conclusions:

  • Modern MSW incinerators are not the major source of human exposure to PCDD/PCDFs.
  • General environmental contamination is the predominant source of human exposure.
  • Public health concerns regarding MSW incinerator emissions may be overstated relative to background exposure.