Follow-up study in a population cohort resident near a urban incinerator First results of the SPoTT surveillance program on metal levels in urine

Introduction Health impact of waste incinerators are controversial, as well as the human biomonitoring (HBM) results on people living nearby are still inconclusive Objective of this follow-up investigation, performed within the SPoTT health surveillance program, was to evaluate the effects of air emissions from a urban incinerator on metals content in urine of residents. Methods 394 subjects (35 – 69 years) were randomly selected from the municipal registers, equally distributed by gender and age group 196 residents in the fallout area of the plant (exposed) and 198 outside (unexposed). Urine were collected before the start-up of the incinerator (T0, June-July 2013) and after one year of operation (T1, July 2014). Each subject filled in a questionnaire about several variables including personal data, habits, and diet. Mean and median levels of metals were computed for exposed and unexposed subjects at T0 and T1 periods, and stratified by gender and age classes. The metals analysed both at T0 and T1 were: As, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ir, Mn, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Sn, Tl,V, Zn. Results 96% of the original sample at T0 completed the examination at T1 phase. On average, a decrease of ca. -30% (ranging from -2% for Ni to -57% of As) of metals content in urine (except Cr, that showed an increase of about +18%) was found, with no incremented levels in exposed subjects in comparison to those unexposed, and without any correlation with the plant emissions. The PM2.5 concentrations showed a similar reduction between T0 and T1 (-25%) but with the contemporary rise of Cr concentrations measured on PM (+14%). Levels of metals in drinking water did not change between T0 and T1. Conclusions After the first year of follow-up, results did not show a relationship between air emissions from the incinerator and the urine levels of metals in subjects living in different areas nearby.