Secondary Lead Smelter Emission Analysis: Air Dispersion Modeling, Deposition, and Community Risk Assessment
RoseyFields conducted a comprehensive environmental evaluation and risk assessment of emissions originating from a large-scale secondary lead smelting and battery recycling facility. Our team evaluated the release, migration, and environmental accumulation of highly toxic chemicals of concern, specifically focusing on heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, as well as persistent organic pollutants including dioxins. To understand the true magnitude of the releases, we performed an in-depth historical and operational analysis of the facility’s engineering controls, ventilation systems, and negative pressure enclosures to quantify the proportion of uncaptured fugitive emissions bypassing standard industrial containment measures.
To accurately characterize the fate and transport of these contaminants, our team performed advanced environmental modeling and deposition analysis. We utilized industry-standard air dispersion modeling software to simulate the downwind migration of both stack and fugitive emissions over an extended operational period. We calibrated these environmental models using historical production records, local meteorological data, and ambient air monitoring results to account for chronically underreported pollutant releases. Furthermore, RoseyFields evaluated multiple exposure pathways, including the inhalation of airborne particulates, direct contact with contaminated soil, and the infiltration and accumulation of hazardous dust within indoor living spaces. We integrated these findings with physical environmental sampling data—such as attic dust and surface soil analysis—to complete a robust human health risk assessment and calculate cumulative cancer risks for the surrounding community.
Based on the results of our technical analyses, RoseyFields successfully identified and characterized the affected population residing within the contamination zone. By generating detailed concentration and deposition isopleths, we mapped the geographic footprint of the migrating pollutant plumes to establish an objective, scientifically supported impact boundary. This spatial delineation allowed us to accurately define the potential exposure class, demonstrating how chronic off-site pollutant transport contributed to long-term, community-wide exposure and diminished environmental quality in surrounding residential neighborhoods.
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.