Also discussed here: Population health and waste management: scientific data and policy options (96 page pdf, World Health Organization, 2007)
The advent of incineration or plasma-arc technology to dispose of waste is a growing trend as landfills become full. This in turn becomes a concern when people are exposed to the emissions. Today’s article examines the health threats to people located within a few km of incinerators. The evidence seems to point in this case to no significant mortality threat except from heavy metals which was linked to cancer. Broader questions remain to be answered such as, health impacts from landfills in general, impacts through land, food and water pathways, in addition to the air and, finally, greenhouse gas emissions resulting from incineration.
Key Quotes:
“No increased risk of mortality and morbidity was found in the entire area. The internal analysis of the cohort based on dispersion modeling found excesses of mortality for some cancer types in the highest exposure categories, especially in women”
“We evaluated mortality, cancer incidence and hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among people living close to incinerators using dispersion modelling to assess exposure. The internal analyses showed no association with non-cancer related mortality and morbidity. However, predicted heavy metals concentrations, as indicator of air pollution from the incinerators, were somehow related to cancer mortality in women, in particular for stomach, colon, liver and breast cancer”
“We found some excesses of cancer mortality among residents in areas with the highest predicted concentration of heavy metals”
“available information of localized environmental contamination and, to some extent, of increased occurrence of adverse health effects in the vicinity of landfills and incinerators should inspire a precautionary approach with respect both to the installment of new facilities and the mitigation of exposure to emissions and leachates of existing sites”
“the solid bulk residue from incineration, may pose more of a problem, and can certainly be more hazardous than the original municipal waste, unless properly managed, and safely disposed of. It is usually divided into fly ash, and bottom ash. Fly ash is collected from the exhaust gases, whereas bottom ash is more solid material left at the bottom of the grate after burning. Both types of ash need to be handled carefully, and may be categorised as hazardous waste depending on what waste materials are taken into the plant for processing”
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- Northern mines' toxins a growing threat: report (cbc.ca)
- Gormley Leaflet delivered this afternoon" - "Incineration Levy Will Stop Incinerator" (politics.ie)
- >there is no 'away' in 'throwaway' (thesilverspear.wordpress.com)
- Bury it or Burn it? An Environmental Dilemma (energyrefuge.com)
- Proposed Washington's biomass incinerators are bad for forests and climate (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Toronto Public Works and Infrastructure considers what to do about the HCTP (nadiaheyd.wordpress.com)
- Power from Landfill Waste Incineration (brighthub.com)
- "EPA Establishes Clean Air Act Standards for Boilers and Incinerators" and related posts (realneo.us)
- Camden County may turn over incinerator to private firm (philly.com)
- "EPA Standards For Boilers And Incinerators, Saves Lives, Saves Money, Half The Price Of Previous Proposed Regulations" and related posts (blog.thesietch.org)
- Widow suing White Rock crematorium for incinerating body before autopsy performed (theprovince.com)
- Committee recommends trash incinerator for Metro Vancouver (globaltvbc.com)
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