Evaluating Risk After a Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant Released Persistent Organic Pollutants: Part 3, Aboriginal Health Risk and Impact

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the atmosphere, including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and furans. The circumstances of exposure are detailed in Part 1, Background and Policy Issues. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted in two parts with two levels of government as sponsors. The first, called the Swan Hills Study, is described in Part 2. A subsequent evaluation, described here in Part 3, was undertaken by Health Canada and focused exclusively on Aboriginal residents in three communities living near the lake, downwind, and downstream of the SHSWTC of the area. It was designed to isolate effects on members living a more traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. Aboriginal communities place great cultural emphasis on access to traditional lands and derive both cultural and health benefits from “country foods” such as venison (deer meat) and local fish. The suspicion of contamination of traditional lands and the food supply made risk management exceptionally difficult in this situation. The conclusion of both the Swan Hills and Lesser Slave Lake studies was that although POPs had entered the ecosystem, no effect could be demonstrated on human exposure or health outcome attributable to the incident. However, the value of this case study is in the detail of the process, not the ultimate dimensions of risk. The findings of the Lesser Slave Lake Study have not been published previously and are incomplete.

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Evaluating Risk After a Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant Released Persistent Organic Pollutants. Part 1. Background and Policy Issues

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2017.000711 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tee L. Guidotti

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Risk Management ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Hazardous Waste ◽

Organic Pollutants ◽

Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Treatment Plant

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants to the atmosphere. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the human health risk, the findings of which are presented in Part 2, on Ecotoxicology and Human Health Risk. The incident resulted in the largest fine for an environmental infraction in Alberta history up to that time. Despite the incident, the province of Alberta has continued to subsidize the facility and has kept it in operation, with changes in management. The policy rationale is that if the facility were not available, accumulation and possible diversion of hazardous waste into illegal disposal alternatives would threaten the environment much more than operation of the plant. This case study illustrates an ecological approach to risk assessment and an attempted culturally sensitive approach to risk management. Incidents in which people are exposed to toxic substances do not occur in a social vacuum. Risk management strategies must be adapted to groups with different cultural values and expectations. Community and individual responses to such incidents, and the development of health advisory messages, may depend on presenting information on exposure and risk in terms consistent with cultural patterns among subpopulations in the community.

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Evaluating Risk After a Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant Released Persistent Organic Pollutants. Part 2. Ecotoxicology and Human Health Risk

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2018.001081 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Tee L. Guidotti

Keyword(s):

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Organic Pollutants ◽

Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Research Report ◽

Wild Game

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants to the atmosphere, including PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs. The circumstances of exposure are detailed in Part 1, Background and Policy Issues. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted in two parts with two levels of government as sponsors. The first, called the Swan Hills Study, is described in this part, which was conducted by the Government of Alberta to evaluate the human health risks, primarily by determining contaminant levels in wild game and fish and in serum of residents of the area to reflect body burden. A diet and activity survey was conducted by telephone to determine and to inform an initial advisory on consumption of country foods. A subsequent evaluation, called the Lesser Slave Lake Study, focused exclusively on Aboriginal residents in the area and is presented in Part 3 of this case study. Because this is a case study and not a research report, the findings are presented as they became available at the time of the study.

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A Centralized Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant: The Facilities of the Zvsmm at Schwabach as an Example

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1994.0416 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (8) ◽

pp. 235-250 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Norbert Amsoneit

Keyword(s):

Hazardous Waste ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Waste Incinerator ◽

Physical Plant ◽

Treatment Centre ◽

Hazardous Waste Treatment ◽

Waste Treatment Plant ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Inorganic Waste

As a rule, hazardous waste needs a pre-treatment, either a thermal or a chemical-physical one, before it can be disposed of at a landfill. The concentration of different kinds of treatment facilities at a Centralized Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant is advantageous. The facility of the ZVSMM at Schwabach is presented as an outstanding example of this kind of Treatment Centre. The infrastructure, the chemical-physical plant with separate lines for the treatment of organic and inorganic waste and the hazardous waste incinerator are described. Their functions are discussed in detail. Emphasis is laid on handling the residues produced by the different treatment processes and the final disposal.

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The Impact of a Chemostat Discharge Containing Oil Degrading Bacteria on the Biological Kinetics of a Refinery Activated Sludge Process

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1988.0276 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (11-12) ◽

pp. 131-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. D. Wong ◽

C. D. Goldsmith

Keyword(s):

Activated Sludge ◽

Retention Time ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Utilization Rate ◽

Activated Sludge Process ◽

Kinetic Evaluation ◽

Degrading Bacteria ◽

Waste Treatment Plant ◽

The Impact

The effect of discharging specific oil degrading bacteria from a chemostat to a refinery activated sludge process was determined biokinetically. Plant data for the kinetic evaluation of the waste treatment plant was collected before and during treatment. During treatment, the 500 gallon chemostatic growth chamber was operated on an eight hour hydraulic retention time, at a neutral pH, and was fed a mixture of refinery wastewater and simple sugars. The biokinetic constants k (days−1), Ks (mg/L), and K (L/mg-day) were determined before and after treatment by Monod and Lineweaver-Burk plots. Solids discharged and effluent organic concentrations were also evaluated against the mean cell retention time (MCRT). The maximum utilization rate, k, was found to increase from 0.47 to 0.95 days−1 during the operation of the chemostat. Subsequently, Ks increased from 141 to 556 mg/L. Effluent solids were shown to increase slightly with treatment. However, this was acceptable due to the polishing pond and the benefit of increased ability to accept shock loads of oily wastewater. The reason for the increased suspended solids in the effluent was most likely due to the continual addition of bacteria in exponential growth that were capable of responding to excess substrate. The effect of the chemostatic addition of specific microbial inocula to the refinery waste treatment plant has been to improve the overall organic removal capacity along with subsequent gains in plant stability.

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