Intermedia transfer factors for modeling the enviromental impact of air pollution from industrial sources

Abstract

Toxic contaminants emitted to the atmosphere may be transformed and/or transported to other enviromental media such as water, soil, and biota. Many models have been developed to assess the impact of these emissions on human health and ecosystems. These models require input of chemical-specific parameters called intermedia transfer factors (ITFs). This study focuses on assessing the accuracy of ITFs used in modeling the enviromental impact of benzene, 2,3,7,8-TCDD and hexavalent chromium because these chemicals pose significant health risks and are widely emitted from various industrial processes. Many of the IFTs cited in the literature were estimated rather than measured which highlights the need for employing the most accurate estimation techniques available. This study can be used to refine the health risk assessment approach for identifying major enviromental hazards caused by industrial emissions and thus elucidating effective control strategies.