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Listing of substances emitted during the disposal of household waste and the identification of the occupational inhalation hazards Volume 1, issue 3, Juillet - Août 2002

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This article lists the substances present in the emanations associated with the disposal of fresh household wastes and identifies the hazards associated with them. Our goal is to make possible a subsequent quantitative assessment of the occupational health risks associated with their inhalation. Quantitative studies of this waste have found a large spectrum of chemical and microbiological agents, including bacteria and endotoxins, fungi and mycotoxins, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), metals and metalloids, biocides, solvents, and organic dusts. The health risks have been studied in workers involved in waste collection and more recently in those who sort household waste. These risks primarily involve principally the airways (bronchitis, asthma...) and the skin (irritation, infection...). Acute systemic effects have also been observed; these can affect the gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting) and nervous (mood disorders, vertigo, headaches) systems. The chronic effects are less well documented and involve principally chronic bronchitis and alveolitis. Nonetheless, carcinogenic or teratogenic substances (some VOCs, mycotoxins or metals) and substances toxic to the liver, kidneys and nervous system are present in household waste emanations. The inflammatory and allergenic effects in the airways are also subject to a substantial possibility of additivity and interactions (synergy and antagonism).