A comparison of human exposures to PCB emissions from oceanic and terrestrial incineration

ABSTRACT Incineration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at sea is a hazardous waste disposal option that has received increasing attention. Because bioconcentration factors for PCBs in fish and shellfish are extremely high (4 × 104 and 3 × 104, respectively), concern is that human exposures to PCBs incinerated at sea could be significantly higher than exposures to PCBs incinerated on land. This paper reports the results of a comparative assessment that focused on the potential differences in human exposure from routine on-land versus at-sea incineration. Identical 135 × 106 BTU/h liquid injection incinerators (M/T Vulcanus design) were assumed for this evaluation. A PCB waste stream consisting of 18.5% Aroclor 1242 was assumed. Minimum, expected, and maximum individual exposures for on-land incineration and the maximum individual exposures for at-sea incineration were estimated. Results show that the incineration of PCBs on land leads to higher human exposures to PCBs than the incineration of PCBs at se...