| Abstract Title: | Multi-Pathway Probabilistic Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment in the Former Mercury Mining Area of Idrija, Slovenia |
| Presenter Name: | Adna Alilović |
| Company/Institution: | International postgraduate school Jožef Stefan |
| Session: | Human Exposure and Risk Assessment of Hg |
| Day and Session: | Tuesday 26th July - Session One |
| Start Time: | 07:30 UTC |
| Co-Authors: | Adna Alilovi?,Milena Horvat |
Abstract Information :
Idrija, a small town in western Slovenia, is home to what used to be one of the largest mercury mines in the world. More than 500 years of mercury mining and smelting has led to severe mercury pollution of almost all environmental compartments in this area. Nearly 30 years have passed since cessation of all mining and smelting activities in Idrija, nonetheless, mercury concentrations still remain elevated. To this date, there has not been a study that investigates health risks for residents of this area, imposed by the aforementioned elevated mercury concentrations. In the present study, Monte Carlo simulation and Bayesian modeling are used in order to estimate human exposure and the non-carcinogenic health risk related to mercury through multiple exposure pathways in the former mercury mining area of Idrija. Site-specific measurements collected in earlier studies in this area are used in combination with prior knowledge for the sake of obtaining the probability distribution of risk, that is, knowledge about the percentage of population exposed to non-acceptable risk.
