Incineration of Hospital, Pharmaceutical and Dangerous Wastes. Health Risks

Abstract

Industrial incineration of hospital, pharmaceutical and dangerous wastes contribute to the emission of several environmental pollutants. Several of these pollutants are especially relevant: dioxins, other persistent chlorinated organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals. These cause adverse health effects such as early effects by acute exposure, progressive effects due to a chronic exposure, and delayed effects such as cancer (can develop 30 years after the initiation of exposure), fetal malformations and mutations; additionally cause irreversible effects caused by prenatal, neonatal or infant exposure through the mechanism of imprinting (cell programming), originating in the development of diseases later in life.