Unit:
Library of the School of Health SciencesΔιατμηματικό ΠΜΣ Εκτίμηση και Διαχείριση Επαγγελματικού, Περιβαλλοντικού και Φαρμακευτικού κινδύνου
Author:
Kouroutou Paraskevi
Supervisors info:
Ελένη Ριζά, ΕΔΙΠ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Θεοδώρα Ψαλτοπούλου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρία Καντζάνου, Επίκουρος Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Χαρτογράφηση των βιομηχανικών μονάδων της περιοχής των Οινοφύτων του Δήμου Τανάγρας και κατηγοριοποίηση τους με βάση την περιβαλλοντική επιβάρυνση
Translated title:
Mapping of Industrial Units in the Inofita area of the Municipality of Tanagra and classification along environmental hazards
Summary:
Over the last twenty years, the area of Inofita has been developed in one of the most extensive and intensively industrialized areas of Greece. Economic and regulatory developments have led to the emergence of significant industrial activity in that area, and to numerous large units operating there. At the same time, the unregulated and unplanned development of industrial activities and the lack of the appropriate infrastructure and services (such as road networks and waste-handling facilities) have resulted in significant environmental damage to the area. This was mainly due to heavy metals and other industrial by-products escaping into the environment and into the Asopos river, whose waters have been used for drinking, cooking and irrigation. Heavy metals are widely used in industrial sectors and are linked to severe environmental pollution, and at the same time with multiple health hazards for those exposed to them – and particularly for industrial workers. In particular, the international literature has documented the relationship between mortality caused by certain types of diseases (cancer, serious blood disorders, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, dermatological conditions etc.) and industry occupations, in which workers are directly exposed to heavy metals and other harmful agents. Although several studies have highlighted the problems created in the area of Inofita, in the literature there is a lack of systematic attempts at assessing the potential hazards for the environment and for public health due to industrial activities. The present dissertation attempts to address this gap through mapping the industrial activity of the area of Inofita and examining it through the lens of potential health hazards. Drawing information from local authority sources and from a field survey that was conducted, a detailed map of the industrial units operating in the area of Inofita was developed; and information on the type of waste produced by each unit and on the health hazards associated with each industrial activity was compiled and analyzed. It was concluded that many of industrial activities located in the area of Inofita are using extensively heavy metals and their compounds, with potential adverse effects on the health of workers exposed to those harmful agents, but also on the health of the local population.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Inofita, Asopos, Heavy metals, Industrial units, Occupational exposure, Morbidity, Mortality
