Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical waste—but there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion. Waste Incineration and Public Health informs the emerging debate with the most up-to-date information available on incineration, pollution, and human health—along with expert conclusions and recommendations for further research and improvement of such areas as risk communication. The committee provides details on:




Processes involved in incineration and how contaminants are released.
Environmental dynamics of contaminants and routes of human exposure.
Tools and approaches for assessing possible human health effects.
Scientific concerns pertinent to future regulatory actions.


The book also examines some of the social, psychological, and economic factors that affect the communities where incineration takes place and addresses the problem of uncertainty and variation in predicting the health effects of incineration processes.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
Scope of the Committee's Effort
Waste Incineration Overview
Incineration Processes and Environmental Releases
Environmental Transport and Exposure Pathways of Substances Emitted from Incineration Facilities
Understanding Health Effects of Incineration
Regulation Related to Waste Incineration
Social Issues and Community Interactions
Uncertainty and Variability
References
Appendix A: Biographical Information on the Committee on Health Effects of Waste Incineration
Appendix B: Off-Normal Operations of Six Facilities
List of Abbreviations
Index