Groundwater of Sicily (Italy) Close to Landfill Sites: Quality and Human Health Risk Assessment
Groundwater close to three municipal solid waste landfill sites in Sicily (southern Italy) was sampled to determine the presence of contaminants and the risk associated with its possible use as drinking and sanitary water. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and metals were investigated. These target compounds are the most common pollutants present in leachates. Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS, US EPA) was used to assess human health risk. Ingestion, dermal, and total exposure to these xenobiotic contaminants in groundwater were evaluated, and the cancer and non-cancer risk indexes were c…
Effect of solid waste landfill organic pollutants on groundwater in three areas of Sicily (Italy) characterized by different vulnerability
The aim of this study was to obtain information on the presence and levels of hazardous organic pollutants in groundwater located close to solid waste landfills. Eighty-two environmental contaminants, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 29 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 7 dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and 10 furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) were monitored in areas characterised by different geological environments surrounding three municipal solid waste landfills (Palermo, Siculiana and Ragusa) in Sicily (Italy) in three sampling campaigns. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs were always below t…