Multi-Pathway and Cumulative Risk Assessment: Selecting Optimal Pollution Prevention Strategies
Journal
Handbook of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Second Edition
ISBN
9783030758349
Date Issued
2022-01-01
Author(s)
Crawford-Brown, Douglas J.
Abstract
Most pollution control strategies can be characterized as a single-medium, single-pollutant, approach. Such an approach begins by dividing the environment into three primary compartments: air, water, and land (soil). Pollution problems then are grouped into three categories: air pollution, water pollution, and solid waste pollution problems. In the single-medium approach, these three categories of problems are managed independently without consideration of their interactions. For example, major air pollution sources may be required to install the best available control technologies (BACT) based purely on consideration of the risk from releases to air; industrial wastewater dischargers may be required to meet best available technology (BAT) effluent limitations based solely on the risk from releases to water, and RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) and CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) impose restrictions on the options for land disposal of solid waste (Guruswamy, 1990; NRC, 1987; Rao, 1995) based solely on the risk from such routes of disposal. Similarly, the choice of manufacturing processes and pollution control technologies often reflects concern for a single pollutant, while a facility may emit literally dozens of chemicals, metals, etc.
SDGs
Type
book part