0000000000234235
AUTHOR
Outi K. Tolvanen
Occupational hygiene in a waste incineration plant
Abstract The Turku incineration plant was renovated in 1995 to meet the emission requirements of modern waste combustion facilities. It treats presorted municipal waste from 170,000 residents in the Turku area. In the plant, the incineration process produces several types of by-products having importance in terms of occupational hygiene. Although not obligated by the law, the management of the plant has a keen interest in occupational hygiene at the plant, which was studied from 1998 to 2001. Concentrations of microbes, endotoxins, and dust and the noise level were investigated in three different working areas. Microbe measurements were conducted with a six-stage impactor and using the CAMN…
Occupational hygiene in biowaste composting
Source-separated biowastes from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area have been composted in open air windrows at Ammas suo, the Helsinki regional landfill in Espoo (Finland). The most significant problem encountered in the early stages of the process has been the formation of rancid odor causing human discomfort. The offensive odor was mainly due to car boxylic acids. A total of 110 organic compounds were detected in volatile emissions from windrow composts with an integrated sensory and instrumental method. Occasionally the temperatures in the windrows exceeded 80°C. Bacterial measurements also revealed substantial populations of bacte ria at 75°C. The concentrations of airborne microbes and en…
Occupational hygiene in a Finnish drum composting plant
Bioaerosols (microbes, dust and endotoxins) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined in the working air of a drum composting plant treating source-separated catering waste. Different composting activities at the Oulu drum composting plant take place in their own units separated by modular design and constructions. Important implication of this is that the control room is a relatively clean working environment and the risk of exposure to harmful factors is low. However, the number of viable airborne microbes was high both in the biowaste receiving hall and in the drum composting hall. The concentration (geometric average) of total microbes was 21.8 million pcs/m3 in the biowaste…
Windrow composting of source separated kitchen biowastes in Finland
All households in the City of Jyväskylä have been required to source-separate their wastes since June 1996. The accumulation of kitchen biowaste was about 60 kg per resident in 1997, with an efficiency of more than 75%. The residents of almost 50% of the detached houses in the city opted for small-scale composting. Ensuing kitchen biowaste was surprisingly pure: the estimated content of non-compostable material was less than 0.1 % by weight. The biowastes were composted at the Mustankorkea waste station in open windrows. Adequate aeration of the windrows was guaranteed when the initial height of the windrow was less than 1.5 m and the blending ratio for biowaste and bulking agent was one t…
Airborne bio-aerosols and noise in a dry waste treatment plant in Pietarsaari, Finland
Ewapower Ltd in Pietarsaari, Finland produces pellets from paper and plastic waste for burning. During 1998 and 1999, several measurements were made to determine the dust, particle, microbe and endotoxin concentrations, and also the noise level in the hall where the waste is received and pre-crushed. The noise level exceeded the Finnish recommended level of 85 dBA. The dust and the particle concentrations were low, but the microbe concentrations, especially in the summer and in the autumn, were at a level which may be harmful to health. The total concentration of microbes (both dead and alive) was high - approximately 4.8 million particles m-3. The concentrations of endotoxins was high in …
Occupational hygiene in terms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols at two solid waste management plants in Finland
Abstract Factors affecting occupational hygiene were measured at the solid waste transferring plant at Hyvinkaa and at the optic separation plant in Hameenlinna. Measurements consisted of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols including microbes, dust and endotoxins. The most abundant compounds in both of the plants were aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters of carboxylic acids, ketones and terpenes. In terms of odour generation, the most important emissions were acetic acid, 2,3-butanedione, ethyl acetate, alpha-pinene and limonene due to their low threshold odour concentrations. At the optic waste separation plant, limonene occurred at the highest concentration of all sin…
Exposure to bioaerosols and noise at a Finnish dry waste treatment plant
Repeated measurements were carried out during two different campaigns between 1998 and 2001 to assess the occupational hygiene at a Finnish dry waste treatment plant. The analytical determinations were done in four different places within the processing hall of the plant: near a conveyor belt, near a jigger screen, near an after-crusher and near a bailer. Measurements were also carried out in a coffee room for employees. Concentrations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were determined by two methods (six-stage impactor and Camnea method) and levels of endotoxins, dust and noise were also investigated. High concentrations of microbes and endotoxins and the noise level were found to be a …
Mechanical–biological waste treatment and the associated occupational hygiene in Finland
A special feature of waste management in Finland has been the emphasis on the source separation of kitchen biowaste (catering waste); more than two-thirds of the Finnish population participates in this separation. Source-separated biowaste is usually treated by composting. The biowaste of about 5% of the population is handled by mechanical-biological treatment. A waste treatment plant at Mustasaari is the only plant in Finland using digestion for kitchen biowaste. For the protection of their employees, the plant owners commissioned a study on environmental factors and occupational hygiene in the plant area. During 1998-2000 the concentrations of dust, microbes and endotoxins and noise level…