The Integrated Environmental Health Impact of emissions from a steel plant in Taranto and from a power plant in Brindisi, (Apulia Region, Southern Italy)

OBJECTIVES: to estimate the environmental and health impact attributable to PM2.5 emissions from the ex-ILVA steel plant in Taranto and the ENEL power plant in Brindisi (Apulia Region, Southern Italy). DESIGN: a SPRAY Lagrangian dispersion model was used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations and population weighted exposures following the requirements of the Integrated Environmental Authorization (IEA) of the two plants under study. Available concentration-response functions (OMS/HRAPIE and updates) were used to estimate the number of attributable premature deaths. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: residents in the 40 municipalities of the domains of the VDS (assessment of health damage, according to the Regional Law n. 21/2012) of Brindisi (source: Italian National Institute of Statistics 2011 Census) and residents in Taranto, Statte, and Massafra (source: cohort study). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: mortality from natural causes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and lung cancer attributable to PM2.5. Incremental lifetime cumulative risks (ILCRs) for lung cancer associated to PM2.5 exposure. RESULTS: there was a reduction of the estimated impacts from the pre to the post IEA-scenarios in both Taranto and Brindisi. In Taranto, ILCRs greater than 1x10(-4) were estimated in 2010 and 2012; the ILCR was greater than 1x10(-4) in the district of Tamburi (near the plant) also for the 2015 scenario. ILCRs estimated for Brindisi were between 1x10(-6) and 4x10(-5). CONCLUSIONS: the Integrated Environmental Health Impact Assessment confirmed the results of the VDS conducted according to the toxicological risk assessment approach. An unacceptable risk was estimated for Tamburi also for the 2015 scenario, characterized by a production of 4.7 million tons of steel, about half compared to one foreseen by the IEA (8 mt.).