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5B a - RA/ Ranking and Chemical Specific (TUP/197) A GIS-based methodology to estimate the Environmental Human Health Risk by heavy metals and POP's: Application to a developed industrialised area. Nadal, Marti1, Perez, Josep Maria2, Schuhmacher, Marta 1, 2, Domingo, Jose Luis1, 1 Laboratroy of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 'Rovira i Virgili' University, Reus, Spain2 Environmental Engineering Laboratory, ETSEQ, 'Rovira i Virgili' University, Tarragona, Spain ABSTRACT- In areas with a very developed industry an approach into human health and ecological risk assessment related to the emitted pollutants is necessary in order to help local politicians to take decisions to allow new implementations. The environmental and human health for the impacted area must be strictly related to the local conditions and characteristics. In the present work, a tiered methodology was developed to assess environmental and human health risk due to heavy metals and POP's, using monitoring results and risk index, all integrated into a GIS system. The methodology provides information of the areas at risk and help in the decision-making process. Several parameters are taken into account: toxicological properties of the substances under study, environmental characteristics of the zone (land use, crop distribution, topography and population density), etc. These are stored in two different database (relational and spatial) and elaborated to develop a realistic scenario of application. The methodology is composed by an overlay of exposure, effect and characterisation follows two separate pathways, starting from the identification and the calculation of the principal exposure mechanisms to the final risk assessment. Using GIS is possible to calculate and mapping the spatial distribution of results, underlining the importance of synergetic and integrated evaluation between the active ingredients and population exposure. Key words: heavy metals, GIS, POP's, health risk assessment |
