摘要：Summary. The risk associated with waste exposure depends on the level of emissions arising from
waste disposal and from the effects of these emissions on human health (dose-reponse). In 2007 an epidemiological
study was conducted in two Italian provinces of the Campania Region, namely Naples
and Caserta, with the aim of assessing the health effects deriving from exposure to waste. In these
studies, the important aspect is the population exposure assessment, in relation to the different types
of waste disposal. The Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Campania) has identified
and characterized the various authorized/unauthorized dumping sites in the provinces of Naples
and Caserta. Most of the waste disposals used are illegal and invisible (sunken or buried); thus, the
toxic substances therein contained are unknown and difficult to identify. In order to locate the possible
areas exposed to a higher waste-related health risk, a synthetical “hazard index” (at the municipality
level) was designed. By means of GIS, the number of waste impact areas was identified for each of
the 196 municipalities in the two provinces; then, Census data (ISTAT 2001) was used to estimate the
proportion of the population living in the impact areas. The synthetical hazard index at municipality
level accounts for three elements: a) the intrinsic characterization of the waste disposal, determining
the way in which the pollutant is released; b) the impact area of the dumping site (within 1 km radius),
same areas are influenced by more than one site; c) the density of the population living in the “impact
area” surrounding the waste disposal site.
