A generic comparison of the airborne risks to human health from landfill and incinerator disposal of municipal solid waste

摘要

A comparison of the potential risks to human health from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration and landfill on a generic basis I attempted. For this purpose a 'worst case' approach is adopted and a number of assumptions regarding the size and activities of each waste disposal method are made. The airborne pollutants measured for an incinerator are different from those for landfill with or without gas collection. However, based on the available information it appears that as far as airborne pollution is concerned, landfill sites without gas collection pose a potentially higher generic risk to human health than MSW incinerators performing to Environmental Agency (UK) standards.