Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with changing patterns of exposure to the emissions of a municipal waste incinerator

Supporting the investigation of health outcomes due to airborne emission by different approaches: current evidence for the waste incineration sector

Life cycle assessment (LCA) along with a survey on epidemiologic and oxidative potential studies was used for analysing the current evidence of the impact of airborne emissions from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) on human health. The correspondence among investigated health outcomes and pollutants was discussed based on the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). LCA indicated the ability of MSWI in avoiding human health impact, about - 2 × 10-4 DALY/tonne together with avoided emissions of particulate matter (PM) and resource depletion, about - 2.5 × 10-3 kg Sbeq/tonne and about - 0.11 kg PM2.5 eq/tonne, respectively. Positive emissions were detected for greenhouses (about 900 kg CO2eq/tonne) and ecotoxicity (about 15,000 CTUe/tonne). Epidemiologic studies performed on population exposed to MSWI reported quite contrasting results. In some of these, hazard ratio (HR) ranging from about 0.7 to 2.2 was reported concerning the incidence of stomach, liver, breast and bladder cancer. Larger agreement was detected concerning the incidence of larynx and lung cancer with HR ranging from about 1 to about 2.6. Direct causal nexuses were not definitively identified. Oxidative potential of PM was characterized by a high Pearson correlation > 0.8 to the presence of CrVI, Cu and Zn. These heavy metals were also identified by both CAS and IARC as toxic (i.e. Cu and Zn) and cancerous (i.e. CrVI) substances affecting the organs of both respiratory and digestive apparatus. In general, even if more research is necessary, LCA, oxidative potential and the epidemiologic survey results showed a high level of accordance. This suggests their integrated exploitation for supporting the investigation of both direct and indirect consequences on environment and health related to waste incineration for both retrospective and predictive studies.

Landfill leachate a potential challenge towards sustainable environmental management

The increasing amount of waste globally has led to a rise in the use of landfills, causing more pollutants to be released through landfill leachate. This leachate is a harmful mix formed from various types of waste at a specific site, and careful disposal is crucial to prevent harm to the environment. Understanding the physical and chemical properties, age differences, and types of landfills is essential to grasp how landfill leachate behaves in the environment. The use of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in managing leachate is noticeable, as applying these goals directly is crucial in reducing the negative effects of landfill leachate. This detailed review explores the origin of landfill leachate, its characteristics, global classification by age, composition analysis, consequences of mismanagement, and the important role of SDGs in achieving sustainable landfill leachate management. The aim is to provide a perspective on the various aspects of landfill leachate, covering its origin, key features, global distribution, environmental impacts from poor management, and importance of SDGs which can guide for sustainable mitigation within a concise framework.

Study on site selection of municipal solid waste incineration plant based on swarm optimization algorithm

In this paper, based on an improved swarm optimization algorithm, a new site selection model of a municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plant is proposed. First, the whale optimization algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm are combined according to certain rules to improve the performance of the hybrid algorithm. Through a verification of the single and multi-peak functions, the results show that the algorithm achieves a good performance. The location model of the MSW incineration plant is based on many factors, including the economy, environmental protection, population scale, and operation cost. Finally, based on a sample analysis, a new location model of an MSW incineration plant is used to select the location of an Anshan MSW incineration plant, and a reasonable location is obtained.

The life cycle approach for assessing the impact of municipal solid waste incineration on the environment and on human health

The impact of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) on the environment and on human health was assessed by a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Even if risk assessment and epidemiologic analyses are specifically indicated for the investigation of the health outcomes, they resulted costly, time intensive and generally focused only on the effects caused by pollutant compounds directly emitted by the facility. Differently, LCA approaches are less time and cost intensive and able to account also for other indirect and direct emission of MSWI. However, results returned by LCA are based on average pollutant diffusion and individual exposure models limiting their representativeness for the specific context investigated. Furthermore, LCA is not able to return information about the final health outcomes caused by the pollutants emitted. The LCA performed for the Italian MSWI detected avoided impacts of about -0.11 kgPM_2,5eq/tonne of MSW and of about -2.5 × 10^-3 kgSb_eq/tonne MSW for particulate matters and resource depletion, respectively. Positive impacts of about 900 kgCO_2eq/tonne MSW and about 15,000 CTUe/tonne MSW were detected for global warming and freshwater ecotoxicity indicators, respectively. Avoided impacts of about -1 × 10^-6 CTUh/tonne MSW and of about -2 × 10^-4 DALY/tonne MSW were also detected for human toxicity cancer and human health indicators, respectively. Epidemiologic studies referred to different Italian and EU reported some correlations among MSWI and some specific cancer and non-cancer health outcomes. By the way, these resulted affected by some methodological limitation preventing the definitive identification of causal nexus. In any case, a general coherence between LCA and epidemiologic approaches was detected. Furthermore, a particular correspondence was found between LCA results and biomonitoring studies concerning the concentration of heavy metals in blood and urinary samples of exposed individuals. All this highlighted the important role that LCA can have in supporting health impact assessment of MSWI in combination with epidemiologic approaches.

Health effects of living near an incinerator: A systematic review of epidemiological studies, with focus on last generation plants

Huge reductions in incinerators' emissions occurred over time, and results of older studies cannot be directly generalized to modern plants. We conducted a systematic review of the epidemiologic evidence of the health effects of incinerators, classifying plants in three generations, according to emission limits. A systematic search identified 63 epidemiologic studies, published in English, investigating health effects of incinerators on humans. We focused on cancer, cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) and respiratory diseases, pregnancy outcomes and congenital anomalies. Only six studies in the general population were on third generation incinerators providing data on pregnancy outcomes and congenital anomalies. Given the heterogeneity of methods, the abundance of ecological/semi-ecological studies and the lack of reliable quantitative measures of exposure in several studies we did not perform any meta-analysis. No excesses emerged concerning all cancers and lung cancer. An excess of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was reported in some earlier studies, but not for second generation plants. Possible excesses of soft tissue sarcomas were confined to earlier incinerators and the areas closer to the plants. No clear association emerged for CVD and diseases of the respiratory system. Several different pregnancy outcomes were considered, and no consistent association emerged, in spite of a few positive results. Studies were negative for congenital anomalies as a whole. Sporadic excesses were reported in a few studies for specific types of anomalies, but no consistent pattern emerged. Evaluation of the evidence was hindered by heterogeneity in reporting and classification of outcomes across studies. Direct evidence from third generation plants is scarce. Methodological issues in study design (mainly related to exposure assessment, confounding and ecological design) and analysis make interpretation of results complex. In spite of this, the overall evidence suggests that, if there were any excesses at all for older incinerators, they were modest at most. Additional monitoring of third generation plants needs to overcome methodological weaknesses.

Concentrations of PCDD/Fs in Human Blood: A Review of Data from the Current Decade

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDD/Fs) are environmental pollutants with great persistence, the capacity of bioaccumulation, and well known important toxic effects in humans and animals. Incinerators of hazardous, municipal and medical waste, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp, cement plants, and the traffic of motor vehicles are the most frequent emission sources of these compounds. The diet, followed at a great distance by inhalation, is generally the main way of human exposure to PCDD/Fs. Human biomonitoring is of great importance to prevent potential adverse effects derived from exposure to chemicals such as PCDD/Fs. In relation to this, blood is among the most used biological monitors. In the current review, we have summarized the recent information (2000–2009) published in the scientific literature (databases: Scopus and PubMed) on the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood samples of non-occupationally exposed populations, as well as in some groups of occupationally exposed individuals. We have revised a number of studies conducted in various African, American, Asian and European countries, and Australia. Unfortunately, the information is quite limited. No data are available for most countries over the world. Based on the results here reviewed, where available, the current health risks for the general populations do not seem to be of concern. Moreover, taking into account the important reductions observed in the levels of PCDD/Fs in foodstuffs, new decreases in the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood—and other biological tissues—are very probable in the immediate years.

Metals in biological tissues of the population living near a hazardous waste incinerator in Catalonia, Spain: Two decades of follow-up

During the period 1996-1998, a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) was built in Constantí (Tarragona County, Catalonia, Spain). Because of the potential adverse effects of toxic emissions, mainly metals and dioxins and furans, waste incinerators in general have been an important cause of concern for the public opinion. For that reason, to assess its environmental impact on the surroundings, as well as the potential human health risks of the HWI, environmental and biological monitoring studies have been carried out since 1996-1998, when the baseline concentrations were established. This article summarizes all the results corresponding to metals in biological tissues of the population living near the HWI, two decades after the construction of the facility. In 1996-1998, the baseline concentrations of a number of elements (As, Be, Cd, Cr, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Tl and V) were determined in samples of hair, blood and autopsy tissues (bone, brain, liver, lung and kidney) of subjects living in the area. In successive 5-year periods, new surveys were conducted to periodically measure the levels of metals in the same biological tissues. The daily dietary intake of these metals was also estimated for the population of the area. The results of this surveillance program do no suggest additional adverse health risks of metals for the population living near the HWI. However, special attention should be paid to Cr, due not only to the increases of this element observed in most analyzed biological tissues, but also in its dietary intake.

Concentrations of dioxins and furans in breast milk of women living near a hazardous waste incinerator in Catalonia, Spain

Since 1999, a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) is operating in Constantí (Tarragona County, Catalonia, Spain). In 1996-1998, when the facility was being built, we started a monitoring program aimed at evaluating the impact of the emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) by the HWI on the environment and the human health. This study aimed at determining the current concentrations of PCDD/Fs in breast milk samples of women living nearby the HWI and at comparing these levels and profiles with those obtained in the baseline (1996-1998) and previous surveys (2002, 2007 and 2012). Furthermore, the association between the dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and the congener profiles in breast milk was also explored. Twenty milk samples were collected from women living in Tarragona downtown and near the industrial area where the HWI is placed. The content of PCDD/Fs was analyzed by following a procedure derived from the US EPA methods 1613 and 8290A. The mean concentration of PCDD/Fs was 2.26 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat. No significant differences were found between women living in industrial and urban areas (1.67 pg vs. 2.48 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat). Interestingly, a notable significant reduction (81%) was observed with respect to the concentrations found in the baseline study. The profiles of PCDD/Fs in breast milk were similar independently on the area and period of collection, being mainly influenced by the intake of fish, meat, oils and fats. The decreasing trend of PCDD/Fs in human milk agrees with the reduction observed in the dietary intake of these pollutants. It was also concluded that the current levels of PCDD/Fs in human milk levels are not influenced by the HWI stack emissions.