Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to SO2 and NO2 Resulting from Power Plant Fuel Change Using Monte Carlo Simulation

Amir  Sheikhmohammadi; Amir  Mohammadi; Zahra  Atafar; Ahmad  Shakuri; Shiva  Rasoulzadeh; Mohammad  Aghanaghad

doi:10.18502/jehsd.v10i4.20659

Amir Sheikhmohammadi Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran.
Amir Mohammadi Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Zahra Atafar Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Ahmad Shakuri West Azarbaijan Power Generation Management Company, HSE Responsible Expert of the Company, Urmia, Iran
Shiva Rasoulzadeh Student Research Committee, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran.
Mohammad Aghanaghad Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jehsd.v10i4.20659

Keywords: Air Pollution, Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Non-Carcinogenic Risk.

Abstract

Introduction: Exposure to air pollutants is a serious concern that leads to numerous health issues. Power plants are one of the main sources of pollutant emissions, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. This study aimed to estimate the non-carcinogenic risk associated with exposure to SO₂ and NO₂ at a power plant in northwestern Iran.

Materials and Methods: SO₂ and NO₂ concentrations in the power plant exhaust gas and the power plant area were collected from official data recorded during regular monitoring. The health risk of exposure to the detected concentrations of SO₂ and NO₂ was assessed by calculating the hazard quotient based on the estimated chronic daily intake.

Results: The analysis showed that the concentrations of SO₂ and NO₂ in the studied area were 12.60 and 20.18 μg/m³, respectively. However, the concentrations of the total studied pollutants in winter were 45.10% higher than those in summer. In addition, the mean hazard quotient of exposure to SO₂ and NO₂ was calculated as 0.0369 and 0.0905, respectively. But, the use of diesel for energy production in a power plant resulted in a 65.07% higher non-carcinogenic risk than the use of gas as a power plant fuel.

Conclusion: Although the health risk of exposure to the studied pollutants was not significant (HI = 0.127) in the current situation, the use of diesel significantly increased the health risk owing to increased pollutant emissions.