Health Aspects of Waste Incineration

1. Health Aspects of Waste Incineration Dieter Schrenk Food Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology University of Kaiserslautern 2004 Schrenk 2004

2. Waste Incineration: Questions What is incineration? Schrenk 2004

3. Waste Incineration: Questions • Municipal waste is incinerated (burned) in order to • reduce volume (by more than 90%) • produce energy • Products are: • - Bottom ash (non-toxic material used in road • construction etc.) • Filter ash (hazardous material) • Gas (cleaned in gas filtration facility) • Energy • - Iron (collected by magnetic collectors) Schrenk 2004

4. Waste Incineration: Questions How does incineration impact on health? Schrenk 2004

5. Waste Incineration: Questions • Theoretical impact on health: • via emissions (from the stack); health effects in residents living in the vicinity? • via fly ash (hazardous material); health effects in people involved in transport or storage; in residents living close to the storage facility/landfill? Schrenk 2004

6. Waste Incineration: Questions How do we measure effects on health? Schrenk 2004

7. Waste Incineration: Questions • Attempts to measure effects on health • Analysis of the health status in the vicinity before operation starts • Mortality (number and cause of death) • Morbidity (incidence of certain diseases brought in- to relation to chemicals such as respiratory diseases, cancer etc.) • Environmental levels of certain toxic compounds frequently suggested to originate form incineration such as dioxins, mercury, PCBs etc. • Modelling/prediction of the maximum levels of such chemicals in ambient air or soil during operation of the incinerator taking unfavourable weather conditions into account Risk assessment Schrenk 2004

8. Waste Incineration: Questions • Attempts to measure effects on health • II. Monitoring after operation has started • Monitoring of the emissions (levels of toxic compounds at the stack) • Option: Monitoring of levels of certain toxic compounds in the vicinity Schrenk 2004

9. Waste Incineration: Questions What are the emissions? Schrenk 2004

10. Waste Incineration: Questions • Solid particles • Dust, particulate matter (mainly carbon, oxides, salts) containing metals (toxic metals: cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury) and dioxins/PCBs • Gases, gaseous compounds • Sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, chlorine and hydrogen chloride, fluorine and hydrogen fluoride, volatile PCBs, volatile mercury • other organic and inorganic compounds of minor toxicity Schrenk 2004

11. Waste Incineration: Questions What are dioxins? Schrenk 2004

12. Waste Incineration: Questions Dioxins Are organic chemicals formed, e.g., during thermal processes in the presence of organic matter, oxygen, chlorine and a catalyst Dioxins comprise a group of 29 chemicals. Most of them have never been produced on purpose but are formed during chemical processes Dioxins are highly toxic a led to intoxication episodes (e.g. in Seveso, Italy) Dioxins can accumulate in the food chain and are found in the human body and in mother’s milk The levels of dioxins in the environment and in mother’s milk have declined of the last two decades Schrenk 2004

13. Waste Incineration: Questions Where else do dioxins come from? Schrenk 2004

14. Waste Incineration: Questions Best estimates for 2000 (EPA Inventory of Dioxin and Furan Emissions in Ireland) 100 Total 80 Uncontrolled combustion processes 60 % Contribution to total air emissions Production and use of chemical and consumer goods Ferrous and non-ferrous metal production Power generation and heating 40 Mineral products Waste incineration 20 Misceallaneous Disposal/landfill Transport 0 Schrenk 2004

15. Waste Incineration: Questions Best estimates for 2010 (EPA Inventory of Dioxin and Furan Emissions in Ireland) 100 Total 80 Uncontrolled combustion processes 60 % Contribution to total air emissions Production and use of chemical and consumer goods Ferrous and non-ferrous metal production Power generation and heating 40 Mineral products Waste incineration 20 Misceallaneous Disposal/landfill Transport 0 Schrenk 2004

16. Waste Incineration: Questions Best estimates for 2000 and 2010 (EPA Inventory of Dioxin and Furan Emissions in Ireland) in g/annum 2000 2010 Air 34 30 Water 2.2 0.3 Land 57 79* *including 18 g Dioxins/annum mainly in filter ash! Schrenk 2004

17. Waste Incineration: Questions What is the impact on food quality? Schrenk 2004

18. Waste Incineration: Questions Dioxin levels in fish (ng TEq/kg) Sample Ireland* Reference level (country) wild salmon1.07  0.33 (2002) farmed salmon4.10  1.09 (2002) 16 - 38 ng/kg fat (U.K.) farmed trout1.36  0.37 (2002) 0.29 - 3.1 ng/kg (England) Mackerel 0.59 -1.07 (Adriatic sea) *Food Safety Authority of Ireland (2002) in ng TEq/kg wet weight Schrenk 2004

19. Waste Incineration: Questions Dioxin levels in dairy products (ng TEq/kg fat) proposed guidelines in Germany < 0.9 target value > 3.0 investigate source and start measures to minimise release. Recommendation not the distribute product directly to the consumer. > 5.0 product no longer marketable Schrenk 2004

20. Waste Incineration: Questions Dioxin levels in dairy products (ng TEq/kg lipid) (background levels) Sample Ireland Reference level (country) cow’s milk 0.16-0.50*(1996)0.65  0.29 (France) 0.15-0.41*(2000) 0.74  0.41 (USA) dairy products0.45 - 1.1 (Germany) *Irish EPA surveys Schrenk 2004

21. Waste Incineration: Questions Dioxin levels in dairy products from North Rhine - Westphalia Irish EPA survey 2000 Schrenk 2004

22. Waste Incineration: Questions Milk and dairy products*: Dioxin levels in Irish products are significantly lower (by about 50%) than in the U.K., Germany, or Italy (countries with a long history of heavy industry and highly industrialized areas with high population density) Fish**: Average dioxin levels in Irish farmed salmon are about twice as high as in wild salmon (source: feed). Similar findings in Norway, Canadaetc. But: Since no additional dioxin load will be measurable in the vicinity of a modern MWI, an increase in background dioxin levels in fish, dairy products etc. can be excluded. **Report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 2002 Schrenk 2004

23. Waste Incineration: Questions What reserach exists into incineration and health? Schrenk 2004

24. Waste Incineration: Questions • Old incinerators (inadequate filter technology): • enhanced levels of certain toxic chemicals originating from the incinerator were found in the environment including biological samples such as cow’s milk. No human health effects could be linked unequivocally to these levels. • Modern incinerators (adequate filter technology) • - no impact on the (existing) levels of certain toxic chemicals is found in the vicinity. No human health effects can be expected. ‘Reports’ on such ‘possible’ effects are not scientifically sound (Findings could not be attributed to a chemical or could originate from hundreds of other sources). Schrenk 2004

25. Waste Incineration: Questions U.K. Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC): ‘The Committee was reassured that any potential risk of cancer due to residency (for periods in excess of 10 years) near to municipal solid waste incinerators was exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern epidemiological techniques. The Committee agreed that, at the present time, there was no need for any further epidemiological investigations of cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators.’ Schrenk 2004

26. Risk Assessment: Questions What is baseline monitoring? Schrenk 2004

27. Risk Assessment: Questions Monitoring of the health status in the vicinity before operation of the incinertor Schrenk 2004

28. Risk Assessment: Questions What is happening in terms of health baseline monitoring? Schrenk 2004

29. Risk Assessment: Questions Monitoring of the health status before operation of the incinertor Population data: 1996 and 2002 census data at DED level and regional level, by sex and five year age groups (2002 census data is just available) Mapping: Definition of area boundaries, relating these boundaries to recognisable geographical features Cancer incidence data: Incidence data for total cancer incidence, lung, breast, colon and leukemia/lymphoma incidence (1994 to 2000) Mortality data: Incidence data for deaths, including all-cause mortality, deaths from ischemic heart disease, cerebro-vascular disease, respiratory causes, and possibly form injury (1994 to 2000) Congenital anomaly data: Prevelance data for all congenital anomalies, for neural tube defects and congenital cardiac disease (1981 to 1999) GMS prescription data: Prescriptions for asthma and related respiratoty disease (2000 or 2001) Data analysis and presentation: Data will be analysed and presented, in general and where appropriate, by age, sex, and in two time periods (approximately 1994 to 1996 and 1997 to 2001) Schrenk 2004

30. Risk Assessment: Questions What is risk assessment? Schrenk 2004

31. Risk Assessment: Questions A toxicological procedure to predict the additional incidence of a certain adverse effect or disease (resulting from a chemical or compound). Lung cancer mortality in men, South-Western Germany 600 Non-smoker Previous or current smoker 400 age-standardized mortality 200 121 9 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85+ Age Schrenk 2004

32. Risk Assessment: Questions A toxicological procedure to predict the additional incidence of a certain adverse effect or disease (resulting from a chemical or compound). 121:9 = 13.3 Relative Risk of a current or previous smoker to die from lung cancer at the age of 50 – 55 years compared to a non-smoker Schrenk 2004

33. Risk Assessment: Questions How will we know that the incinerator does not affect health when it is in operation? Schrenk 2004

34. Risk Assessment: Questions • Because hundreds of modern MWIs have been in operation for the last 10-20 years • without any indication for higher levels of toxic compounds in the vicinity • without any conclusive evidence for health problems related to the MWI. Schrenk 2004

35. Risk Assessment: Questions Daily average air emission limit values for municipal waste according to EU Directive 2000/76/EC Compound mg/m3 Total dust 10 Organic substances, total 10 Hydrogen chloride 10 Hydrogen fluoride 1 Sulphur dioxide 50 Nitrogen monoxide and dioxide 200 Cadmium, Thallium 0.05 Mercury 0.05 Antimony, Arsenic, Lead, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Manganese, Nickel and Vanadium 0.5 ‘Dioxins’ 0.1 ng/ m3 Schrenk 2004

36. Risk Assessment: Questions The standard in many European countries (and EC Directive**) is 0.1 ng I-TEQ*/m3 flue gas *Dioxin equivalents **sampled over 6 - 8 h 0.1 ng = 10-9 g (0.000 000 0001 g) This emission is further diluted by a factor > 100 000 Schrenk 2004

37. Risk Assessment: Questions rural backgound additional level total MWI contribution 30 fg/m3 0.2 fg/m3 30.2 fg/m3 <1 % Kerst et al. (Dioxin 2002, Barcelona): PCDD/F in air samples (main wind direction) from the vicinity of a Hazardous Waste Incinerator in Bavaria: 26 - 33 fg/m3 (PCB: +9.4 - 14%) No impact on the dioxin levels in the vicinity (air)! Schrenk 2004

38. Summary The relase of toxic chemicals from modern MWI is extremely low (not zero). Its contribution to the overall exposure in the vicinity is in the range of less than 1 % (in some cases in the range of 1 %). Attempts to measure any chemically detectable impact of modern MWIs on the vicinity were negative. Attempts to measure any health effect of modern MWIs on the vicinity were inconclusive. Some epidemiological studies ‚suggest‘ such a corrrelation. Such conclusions lack any scientific proof, they are pure speculation. Schrenk 2004