Landfill Gas Modeling, Odor Impact Assessment, and Community Exposure Evaluation
RoseyFields conducted a comprehensive environmental assessment of a large municipal solid waste management facility experiencing elevated landfill gas generation and persistent off-site air quality concerns. Our team evaluated emissions associated with landfill gas production, waste decomposition processes, fugitive gas releases, unpaved road dust, and exposed operational areas. Chemicals of concern included benzene, hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, particulate matter, and other odor-causing volatile compounds commonly associated with landfill operations. The project focused on understanding how these contaminants were generated, transported, and dispersed into surrounding communities through atmospheric pathways.
We executed an advanced multi-layered analytical framework utilizing atmospheric air dispersion modeling to track the fate and transport of specific chemicals of concern, including benzene, a known human carcinogen, and various toxic or highly odorous reduced sulfur compounds. Our technical analysis modeled maximum short-term hourly concentrations and long-term average particulate deposition patterns across a wide geometric grid extending from the property source boundary. Additionally, RoseyFields integrated analytical landfill gas estimation algorithms to evaluate reported material throughput and reconcile discrepancies in historical emission reporting, demonstrating that actual emissions may be significantly underreported.
To characterize the potentially affected population, RoseyFields developed a high-resolution receptor network consisting of residential, commercial, and community locations throughout the surrounding area. We evaluated inhalation exposure pathways by comparing modeled concentrations against health-protective screening criteria, odor detection thresholds, and other environmental benchmarks. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), atmospheric modeling, and risk-based screening techniques were integrated to identify areas experiencing the highest potential exposures and to delineate the extent of potential impact zones. This project highlights RoseyFields’ expertise in landfill gas assessments, odor investigations, air dispersion modeling, environmental forensics, exposure pathway analysis, fate and transport evaluations, community impact assessments, and human health risk screening for complex environmental emissions sources.
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.