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IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF EMISSIONS FROM A MUNICIPAL WASTE INCINERATOR

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Abstract

Emissions from a refuse-derived fuel steam generating plant indowntown Albany, NY, have been a subject of public concernduring, and since cessation of, operation of the plant.Aerosol samples routinely collected every sixth day at fourair quality monitoring sites (three PM10 and one TSP) inthe environs of the plant were analyzed for fourteen tracemetals and three combustion-related inorganic anions to detectcontributions of the incinerator to the ambient burden inAlbany. Statistical and correlative comparisons of the analyteconcentrations were made using direct comparison of monthly,quarterly and annual arithmetic and geometric means,enrichment-factor analysis, factor analysis and correlationwith wind direction, precipitation and tonnage of refuseburned. These several comparisons reveal that trace-metal andanion concentrations in the fallout of emissions from theplant are extremely low and are indistinguishable from thecorresponding ambient concentrations at Albany. Factoranalyses and wind-direction correlations indicate thatcontaminants at Albany were components of mixed air masseswith contributions from a variety of regionally distributedsources.

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KOBLANTZ, S.M., TEIGER, D.G., KITTO, M.E. et al. IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF EMISSIONS FROM A MUNICIPAL WASTE INCINERATOR. Environ Monit Assess 45, 21–42 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005752614038

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