Environmental Forensics, Air Dispersion Modeling, and Risk Assessment for Historical Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Dioxin and Arsenic Emissions
RoseyFields conducted a comprehensive environmental assessment to evaluate historical emissions and community exposure associated with a former municipal solid waste incinerator. We evaluated the release, fate, and transport of combustion-related byproducts, identifying primary chemicals of concern that included dioxins and furans, arsenic, fine particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other heavy metals. Our team performed an extensive review of historical facility operations, stack design, and waste management practices to determine the magnitude of toxic air pollutants released into the surrounding atmosphere and subsequently deposited onto nearby properties over the facility’s operational lifespan.
To accurately characterize the environmental impact, our team performed rigorous technical analyses spanning advanced air dispersion modeling, environmental forensics, and human health risk assessment. We utilized regulatory-approved air modeling software to simulate historical stack emissions, evaluating the spatial extent, plume behavior, and ground-level deposition patterns of particulate matter and associated contaminants. In addition to deposition analysis, RoseyFields conducted complex dioxin congener fingerprinting, comparing soil sampling profiles from the community with known chemical signatures of municipal solid waste fly ash. This forensic analysis allowed us to scientifically link the historical incinerator emissions to the persistent soil contamination discovered in the area. Furthermore, we conducted a quantitative risk assessment to estimate incremental cancer and non-cancer risks associated with primary exposure pathways, specifically focusing on the incidental ingestion of contaminated surface soils and the inhalation of airborne particulates.
Using the results of our comprehensive site assessment, RoseyFields developed a robust, data-driven methodology to identify and characterize the affected geographic area and the potentially exposed population. We established an environmental exposure boundary by systematically comparing statistical evaluations of empirical soil sampling data against established regulatory residential soil cleanup target levels. By integrating these empirical soil contamination metrics with our predictive air dispersion modeling results, we successfully delineated a unified geographic exposure zone. This approach provided a scientifically sound framework for determining the full extent of the environmental impact, defining the geographic scope for necessary environmental remediation, and identifying the affected population for the overall exposure assessment.
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.