Health risk assessment of toxic elements in sedimentable dust from landfills

Abstract

Four monitoring campaigns of sedimentable dust were provided from two large non-sanitary landfills (Zrenjanin and Novi Sad) in Serbia during 2021. Particle size analysis by laser diffraction and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry were carried out in order to obtain the particle size distribution (PSD) and the toxic elements (TEs) concentrations. The health risk assessment of the landfill employees was performed according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency methods based on TEs concentrations. The PSD results demonstrated that the majority of sedimentable dust samples mass were not concentrated neither within PM2.5 neither within PM10 fraction. Analysis revealed high concentration of TEs at both landfills: an extremely high concentrations of Cr and Zn in samples from Zrenjanin landfill was detected. Health risk potential of elements was as follows for both landfills: Cr > Co > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cu. According to the results, maximal hazard index for landfill employees in Zrenjanin (0.197) and Novi Sad (0.113) showed that non-cancer risk was very low. For both landfill sites, cancer risk was highest for Cr (2.75×10-5 for Zrenjanin and 2.02×10-7 for Novi Sad), though still within the defined threshold for tolerable cancer risk.

Na dve velike nesanitarne deponije u Srbiji (Zrenjanin i Novi Sad) sprovedene su četiri kampanje monitoringa taložne prašine. Analiza raspodele veličine čestica urađena je laserskom difrakcijom, dok je koncentracija toksičnih elemenata (TE) određena pomoću optičke emisione spektrometrije sa induktivno spregnutom plazmom. Procena rizika po zdravlje zaposlenih na deponijama sprovedena je na osnovu koncentracija TE prema metodama Agencije za zaštitu životne sredine Sjedinjenih Američkih Država. Rezultati raspodele veličine čestica su pokazali da najveći deo uzoraka taložne prašine ne pripada ni PM2,5 ni PM10 frakciji. Analiza je pokazala visoku koncentraciju TE na obe deponije: ustanovljena je izuzetno visoka koncentracija Cr i Zn u uzorcima sa zrenjaninske deponije. Potencijal analiziranih toksičnih elemenata u pogledu rizika po zdravlje za obe deponije je sledeći: Cr > Co > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cu. Prema rezultatima, ukupni (maksimalni) indeks opasnosti za zaposlene na deponijama u Zrenjaninu (0,197) i Novom Sadu (0,113) pokazao je da je rizik od kancera veoma nizak. Za obe deponije, rizik od kancera je bio najveći za Cr (2,75×10-5 za Zrenjanin i 2,02×10-7 za Novi Sad), čija je vrednost takođe u okviru definisanog praga tolerancije za rizik od kancera.