Health risk assessment of dioxin emissions from municipal waste incinerators: the Neerlandquarter (Wilrijk, Belgium)

Two municipal waste incinerators in the vicinity of a residential area clos e to the city of Antwerp caused concern to local habitants. Risk assessment was performed combining chemical, toxicological measurements and model cal culations. As the first step in risk assessment an inventory was made of hi storic emissions from both incinerators with emphasis on dioxins. The opera tional atmospheric transport and deposition model for priority substances ( OPS) was used to calculate the deposition of dioxins in the vicinity of inc inerators. The observed soil contamination pattern did not correspond to th e calculated deposition pattern, indicating that other sources may contribu te at least partly to the local PCDD/PCDF contamination of the area. Dioxin exposure of people in the Neerlandquarter as a function of the food consum ption behavior was calculated using a mathematical model (VLIER-HUMAAN) com bined with transfer factors. According to the results of these calculations , just residing in the impact area does not result in a meaningful risk. On ly if locally produced food was consumed (milk, meat and vegetables), expos ure in the Neerlandquarter was enhanced compared to the average dioxin expo sure estimated for the Flemish population. Exposure in 1997 was below the e xposure in 1980. As a consequence of different eating habits and lower body weight, children are subjected to significantly higher exposure than adults . Adverse health outcomes from dioxin exposure in the past cannot be exclud ed. There was no evidence for enhanced exposure to genotoxicants based on a comparison of chromosomal damage to blood cells of children from the study area to those from a control group. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail rig hts reserved.