Environ. Sci. Technol. 1996, 30, 1680-1686
Integrated Assessment of Reduced Emission Impacts from a Biomedical Waste Incinerator. Atmospheric Characterization and Modeling Applications on Particulate Matter and Acid Gases S H A I B A L M U K E R J E E , * ,† MATTHEW C. SOMERVILLE,‡ ROBERT D. WILLIS,‡ DONALD L. FOX,§ ROBERT K. STEVENS,† ROBERT B. KELLOGG,‡ DAVID C. STILES,‡ THOMAS A. LUMPKIN,† AND CARL M. SHY⊥ National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7400, and Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7400
A composite approach involving wind sector analyses, receptor modeling, and dispersion modeling has been developed to estimate the impact of a biomedical waste incinerator (BWI). This is presented using measurements of 12-h ambient air particulate matter and acid gases from a versatile air pollutant sampler, with meteorological data obtained near the BWI as part of a larger short-term respiratory effects study. Monitoring was performed in the same time frame for three consecutive years, the first year being prior to installation of air pollution control devices (APCDs) at the BWI, the next year with the BWI having APCDs, and the final year with the BWI being “mothballed”. Use of integrated wind sector analyses and receptor/dispersion modeling provided evidence of reduced emission impacts at the monitoring site during the 3-year period. Principal component analysis combined with linear-angular correlation and regression provided further evidence of reduced BWI impacts in addition to information about the nature of emission sources. The effectiveness of applying a wind direction-based receptor/dispersion model approach to assess emission abatement plans is demonstrated.
1680
9
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / VOL. 30, NO. 5, 1996
Introduction Studies indicate that pollutants such as sulfur, lead, zinc, cadmium, and chromium can be found in waste feeds and fine particulate emissions from biomedical waste incinerators (BWIs) (1-3). Combustion of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride has been demonstrated to produce emissions of HCl from hospital waste incinerators (4). The admixture of chlorine with certain metals to form metal chlorides has been shown to increase their volatility in incinerated waste (5). Waste incineration has been found to be a contributing source for certain metals in urban settings, even though their total particulate contribution may be small (6). Proposed legislation to shut down small hospital refuse combustors could mean a subsequent increase in the number of commercial BWIs to handle this waste stream (7). Though BWI emissions may be a community health concern, incorporation of air pollution control devices (APCDs) on these sources for postcombustion flue gas cleaning, such as acid gas scrubbers and fabric filters, has been demonstrated to effectively reduce many toxic pollutants of interest (8). Our objective was to apply receptor/dispersion techniques utilizing meteorological data to evaluate the impact of a local emission source, the BWI. This approach combined wind sector analyses with chemical mass balance (CMB) and the industrial source complex short-term (ISCST) dispersion model to apportion BWI impact during three operating conditions: (1) prior to installation of APCDs, (2) while APCDs were on-line, and (3) after the source was shut down (i.e., “mothballed”). Finally, an exploratory examination of the results of principal component analysis (PCA) combined with linear-angular rank correlation and regression was employed to assess the associations between pollutant levels and wind direction as further evidence concerning possible pollutant sources. Fine (
