A mathematical model for multimedia health risk assessment

Abstract Industrial and research facilities lead to the release of a variety of potentially toxic chemicals in the environment. Chemical waste released from anthropogenic sources may consist of gas or aerosol emissions to the air (e.g., from stacks), liquid discharges (e.g., from cooling towers and wastewater treatment facilities), and solid storage or disposal (e.g., from coal piles and landfills). The variety of waste type (gas, aerosol, liquid, solid) and receiving environmental media (air, soil, water) requires a multimedia approach to both the characterization of chemical emissions and the assessment of the associated ecological and health impacts. The development of a multimedia public health risk assessment model is presented, and its application to actual power plant emissions is described.