Odor Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Open Dumps Constituting Health Problems Due to their Composition, Ecological Impacts and Potential Health Risks

The presence of Hydrogen sulfide, Methane, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and other odorous compounds in the ambient air is the root cause of the offensive odor emitting from the MSW dumping yard. Composition features and health risks associated with odor emissions concentrations in MSW dumping yards. This paper aims to provide an overview of research on health problems due to their composition, ecological impacts, and potential health risks of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to examine the relationship between VOC exposure and chronic illnesses in humans and the environment. In this study, a comprehensive investigation of VOC odor emission from an urban MSW dumping site has been performed. The VOC odor sample was analyzed using the GC-MS technique. The maximum VOCs concentration reported is due to tert - butylbenzene at 1.41μg.m-3 and the minimum is due to Sec-butylbenzene at 0.07 μg.m-3. Scientific databases, including Google Scholar, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), and US EPA (Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), were searched extensively using a bibliographic technique, in addition to a case study on MSW dumping yard workers. The findings of epidemiologic and experimental research, the emission of odors as a result of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause a variety of non-cancerous health effects that are linked to abnormal functioning of the body’s vital organs, including the nervous and coronary, and pulmonary systems. It can also have minimal impact on the environment by causing global warming and ozone layer depletion. The odor emissions from the dumpsite pose both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks to the health of the individuals participating in the dumping yard. As a result of these results, it is important to manage odor emissions (VOCs) during composting and take steps to reduce their negative effects on the environment and public health.