Assessing the Risks of Tire Burning on Human Health

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Assessing the Risks of Tire Burning on Human
Health

• Andrew Mahon, Neale Mahoney, Adrienne Moretti,
  Shane Murphy, Blake Rainville

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Location
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Problem

• The combustion of tires could potentially
  release levels of fine particulates which could
  adversely affect human health

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Background

• International Paper Company hopes to utilize
  scrap tires as an additional fuel source
• IPC plans to burn 3 tons/hour
• IPCs current permit
• (Title V permit) requires
• 2-week test period

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Background

• Local citizens are concerned that emissions
  could reach toxic levels and have harmful
  affects
• Vermont has filed suit against IPC to ensure a
  full environmental review is completed

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Goal

• To ensure that, if tire burning takes place at
  IPC, necessary actions are taken to reduce risks
  to human health

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Objectives

• To determine recognized acceptable
  concentrations of particulate matter in
  emissions
• To evaluate human health risks associated
  with fine particulate matter emitted during
  tire combustion
• To evaluate mechanisms that could be
  implemented to reach LOAEL
• To make recommendations on how IPC should
  proceed with tire burning

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Burn Rubber

• Tires composed of petroleum-based products
• Incomplete combustion produces polycyclic
  aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which condense from
  gaseous form to become ultra-fine PM
• The PAH particulate
• matter is hydrophobic

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Particulate Matter

• Particulate matter consists of different
  substances suspended in the air in the form of
  particles
• PM size classifications
• PM10
• PM 2.5
• Ultra-fine

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Particulate Matter and Health Risks

• PM 2.5 poses most serious known health risks
• When inhaled, can become lodged deep into the
  lungs
• Chronic exposure can
• cause respiratory
• problems, lung disease,
• and cardiovascular
• complications

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National Ambient Air Quality Standards for
Particle Pollution
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Thar She Blows
(Revised Title V Permit, ENSR Corp., 2005)
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ISCST3 Modeling Results

• Models show no significant human health risks
  from short-term exposure
• Models do not take PM 2.5 or ultra fine matter
  into account

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Size Does Matter

• PM is only measured by mass
• Recently the EPA found importance in measuring
  particulate size
• Particulate size most important factor in
  selecting scrubbers

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Scrubber Technology

• IPC currently uses wet scrubber to reduce
  large PM (PM10)
• Wet scrubbers do not remove PM 2.5 or smaller
• PAHs are hydrophobic, so wet scrubbers will
  not be effective

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Recommendations

• More thorough modeling/testing, including
  ultra-fine particulate matter
• Run modeling/testing for longer periods of
  time to determine long-term effects on human
  health
• During two-week test, quantify fine/ultra- fine
  PM emitted to properly assess risks

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Questions???

• Nothing difficult, please.