engleski

Qualitative Public Health Risk and Impact Assessment – Phosphogypsum Tailing Facility at Kutina _Volume00_A

Executive Summary This environmental health risk assessment report is retrospective and site specific focused on the desirable remediation and/or abatement of the Phosphogypsum (PG) tailing and neutralization dams sites at Kutina municipality. Health impact assessment to the public should be one of the key principles in the process of decision-making in physical planning and the construction of industrial, infrastructure and other facilities. It is absolutely necessary to integrate environmental health in the processes of strategic environmental and health assessment. Therefore, this report should give basic data about the health risk connected to harmless development and reconstruction of potentially hazardous industries related to a fertilizer production by-product - PG. Based on this report, one of the main tasks of the environmental health services (and other responsible stakeholders) will be to provide appropriate information and education of the Kutina municipality population, and to ensure a timely and accurate notification on possible health hazards, generate correct risk perception, as well as to provide public cooperation and understanding when introducing particular environment and health protection measures due to a desirable reconstruction of the fertilizer industrial facilities and remediation of existing industrial PG waste. The town Kutina is a member of the Croatian Healthy Cities Network paying a special attention on the European Charter on Health and Environment. There are 185.387 inhabitants of Sisak-Moslavina County (SMC), which makes about 4.18 % of all Croatian population. The population density is 41.53 inhabitants per square kilometre, which is quite less than the national average of 78.40 inhabitants per square kilometre. Town Kutina and its surroundings have 83.1 inhab./km2 which is comparable to Croatian average meaning that health statistic for comparison and risk assessment can and should be evaluated regarding these fact. Identified main risk factors irrefutable associated with PG tailing facility and transport pipeline affecting the environmental health were: • Radioactivity - TENORM • Chemical and toxicological substances and Trace Metals/Heavy Metals • Acidy Water - Phosphoric acid: • Accidentally Events – pipeline breakdown Evident migration paths of hazardous substances (TENORM and chemicals) were found to be air, through dust and airborne suspended particles dispersion and surface water flows. Receptors are identified to be a special group of Kutina municipality population working at the fertilizer plant tailing facility and group of inhabitants living in the vicinity (not more than 500 m distance) of the tailing facility. Number of possible impacts depends on a number of people who are in a situation to get at certain contact with PG, dust containing PG airborne particles, acidy water or sulphates which is very low comparing to total Kutina municipality population. Results regarding Hazardousness, Migration / Reception and final risk : • Air (dust, particles and gas emission) + TENORM = very low – low Risk (HLL) • Water/groundwater very low - no abnormalities identified so far • Soil for agriculture purposes - neglect able • Soil in natural park very low – low risk for biodiversity • Surface waters low – medium in case of geotechnical interference • Radon in occupational manners occurs evident but low risk • Radon has no direct or indirect risk potential for the public health situation According to risk assessment matrix evident receptors are Limited and Identified, which defines environmental health risk as: Radioactivity- TENORM HLL Trace/heavy metals HHL Acidic waters HLL Pipeline accidents HHL There is no official recording of the radionuclide - chemical toxins synergic use of occupational carcinogens. There is insufficient information on dose-effect relations in some segments of the chemical industry. Recent data obtained for morbidity and mortality showed that no relevant difference to other industrialized urban parts of RH exists or that it is unreasonable and not plausible to draw any connection with the defined hazards/risk factors even if eventual further remediation – technological enhancement of PG tailing facility will take place in the future. Capping and bioremediation via greening of open tailing facility surfaces will reduce the existing very low risk on dust/air – respiratory diseases to zero and will certainly enhance biodiversity. Taking into account all relevant, and to authors of this report, accessible public health status data, air pollution monitoring data, TENORM and toxicology data and all other data necessary for finishing the high quality health risk report describing the risk impact to a Kutina municipality population from existing PG tailing facility the conclusion is that the described health risk of SCM in comparison to Croatia is showing no significant differences. Current recognizable risk and potential impacts to environmental health, their optimisation and justification, allow us to state that a justified remediation purpose taken over the PG tailing and neutralization dams over a period up to 20 years is acceptable.

Phosphogypsum; TENORM; Radioactivity; Effective dose; Radium index; Health impact; resue of waste; biodiversity; environmental protection; hot spot sites; tailing facility; electronic dosemeter

PHARE 2006: "Development of hazardous waste management system, including the identification and management of "hot spot sites" in Croatia". The project PHARE 2006 "Development of hazardous waste management system, including the identification and management of "hot spot sites" in Croatia" started in December 2008 and will end in December 2010.