EXPOSURE TO INCINERATOR RELEASES

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN

The research carried out on environmental contamination and human exposure to pollutants released by incineratorsis limited and has focused mainly on dioxins and heavy metals. Research has demonstrated that both older and more modern incinerators can contribute to the contamination of local soil and vegetation with dioxins and heavy metals. Similarly, in several European countries, cow’s milk from farms located in the vicinity of incinerators has been found to contain elevated levels of dioxins, in some cases above regulatory limits.
Populations residing near to incinerators are potentially exposed to chemicals through inhalation of contaminated air or by consumption of contaminated agricultural produce (e.g. vegetables, eggs, and milk) from the local area and by dermal contact with contaminated soil. Significantly increased levels of dioxins have been found in the tissues of residents near to incinerators in the UK, Spain and Japan most likely as a result of such exposure. Two studies in the Netherlands and Germany however, did not find increased
levels of dioxins in body tissues of residents living near incinerators. At an incinerator in Finland, mercury was increased in hair of residents living in the vicinity, most likely due to incinerator releases. Children living near a modern incinerator in Spain were found to have elevated levels of urinary thioethers, a biomarker of toxic exposure. Elevated levels or more frequent occurrence of certain PCBs occurred in the blood of children living near a hazardous waste incinerator in Germany.

Source
University of Exeter