Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to Ambient Emissions from a Construction Industry Enterprise for Residents of an Industrial City

Introduction: Operation of an industrial facility is accompanied by ambient emissions of pollutants that can negatively affect human health.

Objective: To determine the impact of emissions from a construction company on forming health risks to the local population with and without taking into account background ambient air pollution.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, using data on the maximum permissible emissions of a construction industry enterprise. Calculations of pollutant concentrations at 40 sites selected in residential areas of the city were carried out using the “ECOcenter-Standard” software. Maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants were retrieved from sanitary regulations 1.2.3685–21. The health risk assessment was carried out according to Guidelines R 2.1.10.3968–23.

Results: Non-carcinogenic risk for acute inhalation exposure to inorganic dust containing 20-70 % of SiO2 was at the level of concern (1.167) in the Ordzhonikidzevsky District of the city. Given the background level of pollution, non- carcinogenic risk for chronic inhalation exposures to benzo(a)pyrene (4.540–10.400) was high at all sites. Chronic inhalation exposure forms an acceptable risk level (HI 1.184) at the first site. The remaining hazard indices at all sites correspond to the minimal risk. Background exposure to various pollutants poses moderate (HI 4.540–5.820) to high (6.490–10.400) levels of risk for the immune system. With the background pollution excluded, the total individual carcinogenic risk from industrial emissions was minimal and ranged from 6.42 × 10^–12 to 1.63 × 10^–9. It was at the acceptable level otherwise ranging from 1.08 × 10^–5 to 2.49 × 10^–5.

Conclusions: Ambient emissions from the construction industry enterprise do not have a significant impact on public health. Chronic background exposure to benzo(a)pyrene poses a high non-carcinogenic risk. Chronic background exposure to pollutants also poses moderate to high levels of non-carcinogenic risks to the immune system.

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