Site-specific health risk assessment of dioxins and furans in an industrial region with numerous emission sources.
While the sources of releasing dioxins have received much attention, the health risks of incinerators are studied considerably more than those of other sources, such as metallurgical industry. Furthermore, risk assessments focus primarily on the effects of single sources; few have addressed the aggregate risks from multiple sources in a region. When many sources of dioxins exist in an area, such as the Industrial Park located in the densely populated district-Siaogang District in southern Taiwan where 17 primary known PCDD/F stationary emission sources are clustered, is the aggregate exposure to these sources imposing high risks even though individual sources comply with emission standards? The study combined the multimedia and multiple pathway exposure modeling and site-specific exposure scenario to assess dioxin risks contributed by the 17 emission sources in the District, including municipal waste incinerators, medical waste incinerators, sinter plants, electric arc furnace, secondary aluminum smelters, cement kilns, etc. The average cancer risk of a resident living in the District was found to be 3.43E-04 under the site-specific exposure scenario. The top emission source is the sinter plant, followed by the electric arc furnace. The information has driven the local government to conduct more complete assessment and at the same time to consider enforcing a stricter local standard of dioxin emissions in the Siaogang District.
Kao
Wei-Yu
WY
Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71 Chou-Shan Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
Ma
Hwong-wen
HW
Wang
Lin-Chi
LC
Chang-Chien
Guo-Ping
GP
D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005663:Furans / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D017745:Incineration; D007220:Industrial Waste; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013624:Taiwan
D004147:Dioxins; D005663:Furans; D007220:Industrial Waste