Cent Eur J Public Health 2000, 8(1):28-32
Health risk assessment for inhalation exposure to arsenic
- 1 State Institute of Public Health, Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic
- 2 State Institute of Public Health, Prievidza, Slovak Republic
- 3 I.C.P.S., Busto Garoffo, Italy
- 4 TECHNIMONT, Milano, Italy
- 5 Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Health risk assessment was used as the formal process to estimate the likelihood and magnitude of the health effects occurring in humans as a result of environmental and occupational exposure to polluting agents. This study was focused at estimating the human health risk of the general and working population living in the region polluted by arsenic for more than 40 years, from combustion of coal with high arsenic content in the power plant. The exposure to arsenic from inhalation was under investigation. A study period of 40 years (1973-1993) was chosen. The study period was defined taking into account, besides the availability of data, the temporal patterns of the technological processes and the trends over time of environmental concentrations. The results from the arsenic risk assessment study were used for the evaluation of the health risk for different population groups in the polluted areas and for different professions of workers exposed to As in a power plant. The results are applicable for the evaluation of risk in real conditions, for health surveillance and for remedial changes and a potential suggestion on technological improvement.
Zveřejněno: 1. únor 2000 Zobrazit citaci