Climate Change and Cement Plants: Health Risks of Partial Replacement of Fossil Fuel

Domingo, José L.

doi:10.1080/10807039.2013.797252

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), one of the four main options to reduce the CO 2 emissions for the cement industry (IEA 2010), is increasing the use of alternative fuels. In Catalonia (NE Spain), several cement companies started in the 2000s decade to partially replace the traditional fuel, either petroleum coke or coal, by alternative fuels-sewage sludge, refuse derived fuel (RDF), or agricultural by-products being the most frequently used resources (Domingo 2013). However, this practice has generated some concern among the populations living in the neighborhood of cement plants and public authorities, since these operational changes could be associated with the potential emission of higher amounts of toxic substances, ultimately affecting the environment and the human health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Environmental Surveillance and Health Risks of Metals and PCDD/Fs Around a Cement Plant in Catalonia, Spain

Rovira

Flores²,

Schuhmacher

et al. 2014

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal

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In this study, environmental data concerning the potential impact of a cement plant were updated, 10 years after a previous monitoring study. In 2011 and 2012, samples of soil, vegetation, and air were collected in the vicinity of a cement plant located in Santa Margarida i els Monjos (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain). The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and those of a number of metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Tl, V, and Zn) were determined. The results were compared with data from two previous sampling campaigns, performed in 2000 and 2001. Vanadium was the only element presenting a significant increase in the three monitors. In turn, a significant decrease of PCDD/Fs was noted in vegetation, from 0.2 to 0.1 ng WHO-TEQ/kg. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) of exposure to all pollutants was below the safety limit, while cancer risk associated with the exposure to metals and PCDD/Fs was within the range considered as assumable (10 −6 -10 −4 ). Despite the long period of time elapsed between campaigns (10 years) and the use of alternative fuels, the impact of the cement plant seems to be low, based on the emissions of the contaminants here evaluated.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%