Environmental and health risks related to waste incineration

Abstract

The article presents a mini review of the published research focused on understanding environmental and human health impacts nearby waste incineration plants. We found no studies indicating that modern-technology waste incineration plants, which comply with the legislation on emissions, are a cancer risk factor or have adverse effects on reproduction or development. There are several factors in favor of this affirmation: (a) the emission levels of the plants currently built in the developed countries are several orders of magnitude lower than those of the plants in whose environments epidemiological studies have been carried out and which have found some kind of negative association in terms of health; (b) risk assessment studies indicate that most of the exposure is produced through the diet and not by a direct route; and (c) monitoring dioxin level studies in the population resident in the environment of incineration plants did not reveal increases of these levels when compared with a population living in reference areas. A necessary condition for the development of a waste incineration plant is to generate the conditions to prevent any impact that activates or potentially carries damage or risks to the environment and, in particular, to health. This makes it imperative to use a preventive strategy through the implementation of a previous environmental impact assessment and the establishment of emissions standards and an emissions monitoring program in order to ensure the prevention of environmental damage.