Sara Fabbi

Adverse pregnancy outcomes in a population exposed to the emissions of a municipal waste incinerator

Some contaminants emitted by municipal waste incinerators are believed to adversely affect reproductive health in the exposed populations; yet only limited and conflicting epidemiologic evidence on this issue has been provided so far. In this study we analyzed rates of spontaneous abortion and prevalence at birth of congenital anomalies in women residing or working near the municipal solid waste incinerator of Modena, northern Italy, during the 2003--2006 period and who experienced higher levels of exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, compared to the remaining municipal population. In women residing in two areas close to the incinerator plant with increasing exposure to dioxins, we did not detect an excess risk of miscarriage (relative risk [RR] 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.48) and of birth defects (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.20-1.55), nor did any indication of dose-response relation emerge. Among female workers employed in the factories located in the exposed areas, we did not observe a higher risk of spontaneous abortion (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.38-2.30); however, an increase in prevalence of birth defects was noted (RR 2.26), although this risk estimate was statistically very unstable (95% CI 0.57-6.14). Overall, the study results provide little evidence of an excess risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to emissions from a modern municipal solid waste incinerator.

Risk of congenital anomalies around a municipal solid waste incinerator: a GIS-based case-control study

BackgroundWaste incineration releases into the environment toxic substances having a teratogenic potential, but little epidemiologic evidence is available on this topic. We aimed at examining the relation between exposure to the emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator and risk of birth defects in a northern Italy community, using Geographical Information System (GIS) data to estimate exposure and a population-based case-control study design. By modelling the incinerator emissions, we defined in the GIS three areas of increasing exposure according to predicted dioxins concentrations. We mapped the 228 births and induced abortions with diagnosis of congenital anomalies observed during the 1998–2006 period, together with a corresponding series of control births matched for year and hospital of birth/abortion as well as maternal age, using maternal address in the first three months of pregnancy to geocode cases and controls.ResultsAmong women residing in the areas with medium and high exposure, prevalence of anomalies in the offspring was substantially comparable to that observed in the control population, nor dose-response relations for any of the major categories of birth defects emerged. Furthermore, odds ratio for congenital anomalies did not decrease during a prolonged shut-down period of the plant.ConclusionOverall, these findings do not lend support to the hypothesis that the environmental contamination occurring around an incineration plant such as that examined in this study may induce major teratogenic effects.

Risk of hematological malignancies associated with magnetic fields exposure from power lines: a case-control study in two municipalities of northern Italy.

BackgroundSome epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between electromagnetic field exposure induced by high voltage power lines and childhood leukemia, but null results have also been yielded and the possibility of bias due to unmeasured confounders has been suggested.MethodsWe studied this relation in the Modena and Reggio Emilia municipalities of northern Italy, identifying the corridors along high voltage power lines with calculated magnetic field intensity in the 0.1-<0.2, 0.2-<0.4, and ≥ 0.4 microTesla ranges. We identified 64 cases of newly-diagnosed hematological malignancies in children aged <14 within these municipalities from 1986 to 2007, and we sampled four matched controls for each case, collecting information on historical residence and parental socioeconomic status of these subjects.ResultsRelative risk of leukemia associated with antecedent residence in the area with exposure ≥ 0.1 microTesla was 3.2 (6.7 adjusting for socioeconomic status), but this estimate was statistically very unstable, its 95% confidence interval being 0.4-23.4, and no indication of a dose-response relation emerged. Relative risk for acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 5.3 (95% confidence interval 0.7-43.5), while there was no increased risk for the other hematological malignancies.ConclusionsThough the number of exposed children in this study was too low to allow firm conclusions, results were more suggestive of an excess risk of leukemia among exposed children than of a null relation.

Tri-generation power plant and conventional boilers: pollutant flow rate and atmospheric impact of stack emissions

The atmospheric impact of stack emissions from a power plant (tri-generator and boilers) that will be installed in an urban area in the central Po valley (Northern Italy), characterized by calm wind events, is studied and compared with the impact of the existing plant (conventional boilers). Both the plants are supplied by methane gas. The atmospheric dispersion of NOx emitted is simulated, both in the current and future scenario, by the software package ARIA INDUSTRY. The NOx emission rates are set equal to the regulatory emission limits for existing and future boilers, while the tri-generation system emission rates are set equal to the emission limits certified by the system manufacturer. The simulation periods focus over the 2010 winter season. The simulation estimates the impact of NOx emissions on air quality (vertical concentration profiles and concentration maps at the ground) in the urban area close to the plant. The future power plant impact on air quality results lower than the impact of the existing plant, even if the yearly total mass of pollutants emitted in atmosphere from the new power plant is higher than from the existing plant. The emissions of conventional boilers result the main responsible of the air pollution at the ground in the future scenario.

Micro-scale simulation of atmospheric emissions from power-plant stacks in the Po Valley

The atmospheric dispersion of the NOX plume that will be emitted from a new power–plant, at present under installation, was simulated at micro–scale with Micro–Swift–Spray (MSS) Model. The plant will be constructed in a residential urban area in the town of Modena (Po Valley, Northern Italy), where low wind speeds and thermal inversions are quite frequent. Simulation results point out a different behavior of urban canopy in influencing the 3D dispersion patterns among urban obstacles, according to atmospheric mixing conditions: in case of moderate wind events, urban canyon phenomena may occur with a consequent increasing of NOX concentration gradients among buildings, while with low winds the near–field influence of the buildings emphasizes pollutant accumulation. The MSS simulated NOX concentrations result always much lower than the regulatory limits for air quality. The comparison of simulation results with measured concentration data for NOX shows the importance of micro–scale dispersion modeling to perform an accurate and reliable assessment of meteorological condition effects on pollutant distribution, and the ability of MSS in providing reliable simulations of atmospheric dispersion.

Model comparison in simulating the atmospheric dispersion of a pollutant plume in low wind conditions

This study investigates the performance of different air pollution dispersion models in low wind conditions. The models have been applied to two sites frequently characterised by weak winds: the cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in the Po River Valley (Northern Italy). The emission sources are the municipal waste incinerator (Modena) and a turbogas plant (Reggio Emilia). Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) concentration levels are estimated by the gaussian Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) and WinDimula 3.0 models, and the Langrangian model SPRAY. WinDimula 3.0 and SPRAY simulations perform significantly better than ISC3, SPRAY shows the highest reliability close to the source.

Magnetic fields exposure from high-voltage power lines and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in two Italian populations

Abstract The aetiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare and extremely severe neurodegenerative disease, has been associated with magnetic fields exposure. However, evidence for such a relation in the general population is weak, although the previous null results might also be due to exposure misclassification, or a relationship might exist only for selected subgroups. To test such a hypothesis we carried out a population-based case-control study in two Northern and Southern Italy regions, including 703 ALS cases newly diagnosed from 1998 to 2011 and 2737 controls randomly selected from the residents in the study provinces. Overall, we found that a residence near high-voltage power lines, within the corridors yielding a magnetic fields of ≥0.1 μT, was not associated with an excess disease risk, nor did we identify a dose-response relationship after splitting the exposed corridor according to the 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 μT cut-points of exposure. These results were confirmed taking into account age at onset, period of diagnosis, sex, geographical area, and length of exposure. Overall, despite the residual possibility of unmeasured confounding or small susceptible subgroups not identified in our study, these results appear to confirm that the exposure to magnetic fields from power lines occurring in the general population is not associated with increased ALS risk.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with changing patterns of exposure to the emissions of a municipal waste incinerator

&NA; Municipal solid waste incinerators emissions contain pollutants that, despite their low concentration, might adversely affect reproductive health. In the present study, we examined rates of miscarriage and birth defects among women who resided or were employed in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste incinerator plant from 2003 to 2013. In 2009, a progressive shutdown of the old incineration lines and operation of a new line caused considerably higher atmospheric release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particularly of dioxins, due to these irregular operating conditions, technological renovation, and increased capacity. We used dioxin emission levels, based on a dispersion model, to define exposure status of the residing population to air pollutants emitted by the waste incinerator. In women who resided in areas characterized by higher emission exposures compared with a referent area, the relative risk (RR) of miscarriage was 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–1.32) based on 62 cases overall, with little evidence of a dose‐response relation. RRs were similarly null for both 2003–2008 and 2010–2013 periods (RR 1.12 (95% CI 0.80–1.53) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.63–1.48), respectively). Concerning birth defects in the offspring of women residing in the exposed area, no evidence of increased risk emerged, since the prevalence ratio at birth was 0.64 (95% CI 0.29–1.26), with comparable results in the 2003–2008 and 2010–2013 period. Corresponding analyses carried out in municipal residents who worked in the exposed area confirmed these findings. We also did not detect abnormally high rates of miscarriage and birth defects in the exposed cohorts in the single year 2009. Overall, these results do not suggest an effect of exposure to the emissions of the municipal solid waste incinerator we investigated on two indicators of reproductive health. However, the limited statistical stability of the estimates and the absence of individual‐based information on some potential confounders suggest caution in the interpretation of study findings. HighlightsReproductive health outcomes are suitable for risk assessment of a waste incinerator.Emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator did not increase miscarriage rate.Emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator did not increase birth defects.