Air Dispersion Modeling, Human Health Risk Assessment, and Exposure Class Identification for an Industrial Coke Manufacturing Facility
RoseyFields conducted a comprehensive environmental air dispersion modeling and human health risk assessment for a large-scale industrial metallurgical coke manufacturing facility. Our team evaluated the atmospheric release and subsequent community exposure to volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds. Specifically, we focused on evaluating the emissions of benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, and complex particulate coke oven emissions. The investigation required a rigorous analysis of historical emission inventories to characterize both point-source emissions—such as those from combustion stacks, quench towers, and baghouses—as well as facility-wide fugitive area emissions.
To accurately assess the fate and transport of these airborne contaminants, our experts performed advanced air dispersion modeling and deposition analysis. We evaluated critical exposure pathways, primarily focusing on residential inhalation of toxic gases and the localized deposition of hazardous particulates. Our team modeled complex facility parameters, including stack heights, exit velocities, and gas temperatures, to generate detailed atmospheric concentration plumes over multiple operational years. By scaling reported emission rates and incorporating standardized particle deposition parameters, we mapped the geographical footprint of the airborne contamination spreading from the industrial site into the surrounding environment.
Utilizing the spatial outputs from our air dispersion models, RoseyFields evaluated potential human health impacts to systematically identify and characterize the affected population. We conducted a highly individualized cancer risk assessment by overlaying historical residential location data onto our modeled atmospheric concentration contours. By integrating localized exposure durations, exposure frequencies, and chemical-specific inhalation unit risk factors, our team calculated cumulative cancer risks for individuals residing within the impacted geographic area. This rigorous methodology allowed us to scientifically delineate the boundaries of the exposure class and quantify the long-term health risks associated with the facility’s atmospheric emissions.
This investigation was conducted under the direction of Dr. Paul Rosenfeld, an environmental scientist and environmental forensic expert with extensive experience in environmental exposure assessment, toxicology, air quality, environmental fate and transport, risk assessment, and environmental forensics. Through RoseyFields LLC, Dr. Rosenfeld provides scientific consulting, environmental forensic analysis, regulatory support, and expert witness services involving environmental contamination, human exposure, and public health. His technical oversight helped ensure that the methodologies, scientific interpretations, and conclusions presented in this case study are consistent with accepted scientific principles and current best practices.