ATSDR - Landfill Gas Primer - An Overview for Environmental Health Professionals

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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Landfill Gas Primer
An Overview for Environmental Health Professionals

November 2001

Prepared by:
Department of Health and Human Services
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: LANDFILL GAS BASICS
	What is landfill gas composed of? How is landfill gas produced? What conditions affect landfill gas production? How does landfill gas move? What conditions affect landfill gas migration? How far can landfill gas travel? How does landfill gas enter buildings and homes? What types of landfills might be found in communities? Are landfill gas emissions regulated? Additional Resources References
CHAPTER THREE: LANDFILL GAS SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUES
	How are people exposed to landfill gas? Explosion Hazards
		When does landfill gas pose an explosion hazard? What types of gases can pose an explosion hazard? How can I assess whether a landfill in my community poses an explosion hazard?
	Asphyxiation Hazards Heath Issues Associated with Landfill Gas Emissions
		Can the presence of odors trigger symptoms? What do we know about the potential health effects of exposure to landfill gas? How can environmental health professionals assess whether landfill gas emissions may be posing a health threat?
	Landfill Fires Additional Resources References
CHAPTER FOUR: MONITORING OF LANDFILL GASES
	Landfill Gas Sampling Approaches: An Overview Soil Gas Monitoring
		What is soil gas monitoring? Why is soil gas monitored at landfills? How are soil gas samples collected? What do soil gas monitoring data tell you? Where can I get more information about soil gas monitoring?
	Near Surface Gas Monitoring
		What is near surface gas monitoring? Why is near surface monitoring performed at landfills? How is near surface gas monitoring performed? What do near surface gas monitoring data tell you? Where can I get more information about near surface gas monitoring?
	Emissions Monitoring
		What is emissions monitoring? Why are emissions monitored at landfills? How are emissions measured? What do emissions monitoring data tell you? Where can I get more information about emissions monitoring?
	Ambient Air Monitoring
		What is ambient air monitoring? Why is ambient air monitored at or near landfills? How are ambient air concentrations measured? What do ambient air monitoring data tell you? Where can I get more information about ambient air monitoring?
	Indoor Air Monitoring
		What is indoor air monitoring? Why is indoor air sampled at or near landfills? How are indoor air concentrations measured? What do indoor air monitoring data tell you? Where can I get more information about indoor air monitoring?
	Air Modeling
		What is air modeling? How can models be used at landfill sites? What factors should be considered when reviewing models? Where can I get more information about models?
	Additional Resources
CHAPTER FIVE: LANDFILL GAS CONTROL MEASURES
	Why would control measures be implemented at a landfill? What are the components of a landfill gas control plan? How is landfill gas collected? What methods are available to treat landfill gas after collection? What methods are available to control landfill gas if it reaches nearby structures? Are there any beneficial uses for collected landfill gas? What landfills can be used for gas recovery and how is energy generated from landfill gas? Additional Resources References
CHAPTER SIX: COMMUNICATION
	Basic Guidelines for Health Risk Communication
		How can you best communicate scientific information? What if you don’t know the answer?
	Additional Resources References
APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS APPENDIX B: ATSDR GUIDELINES
	ATSDR Guidelines for Public Health Actions in Response to Landfill Fires ATSDR Guidelines for Evaluating Gases Migrating from Landfills
APPENDIX C: HEALTH STUDIES RELATED TO LANDFILL GAS EXPOSURES APPENDIX D: WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE—A CASE STUDY APPENDIX E: EXAMPLES

LIST OF TABLES
	Table 2-1: Typical Landfill Gas Components Table 2-2: Factors Affecting Landfill Gas Production Table 3-1: Potential Explosion Hazards from Common Landfill Gas Components Table 3-2: Health Effects from Oxygen-deficient Environments Table 3-3: Common Landfill Gas Components and Their Odor Thresholds Table 4-1: Key Features of Different Types of Monitoring of Landfill Gases Table D-1: Summary of Ambient Air Data Table D-2: Summary of Ambient Air Data

LIST OF FIGURES
	Figure 2-1: Production Phases of Typical Landfill Gas Figure 3-1: Potential Exposure Pathways to Landfill Gas Figure 3-2: Health Effects from Hydrogen Sulfide Exposures Figure 5-1: Passive Gas Collection System Figure 5-2: Active Gas Collection System Figure 5-3: Landfill Gas Recovery System

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