Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32524506›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2020

Mercury from crematoriums: human health risk assessment and estimate of total emissions in British Columbia.

Haley Piagno, Reza Afshari

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Haley PiagnoSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9759-9042
Reza AfshariDivision of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Reza.Afshari@ubc.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesMercury occurs in the environment as a result of natural processes and human activities, including when individuals with amalgam dental fillings are cremated. This work aimed to estimate the quantity of mercury emitted to the atmosphere from crematoriums in British Columbia (BC) and assess the human health risk.

methodsA BC-specific emissions factor for mercury from crematoriums was developed and applied to an estimate of the quantity of mercury released annually to the atmosphere from crematoriums. The maximum ground-level mercury vapour concentrations resulting from crematorium emissions were estimated.

resultsIn BC, it is estimated that approximately 1.20 g of mercury is emitted to the atmosphere per body cremated and about 30,000 cremations were conducted in the province in 2016. It is estimated that almost 36 kg of elemental mercury was released to the atmosphere as a result. The maximum estimated peak short-term and long-term average ground-level mercury vapour concentrations associated with crematorium emissions were 0.31 μg/m

conclusionMercury from crematoriums accounts for more than 7% of total mercury emissions to the atmosphere in BC, but risk assessment found no indication that ground-level exposures to elemental mercury vapour from crematoriums poses a significant risk to human health. If the number of cremations increases, it might reach considerable levels, highlighting the need for developing a national plan similar to other countries.

Indexed as

CremationMercuryBritish ColumbiaHumansRisk AssessmentMercuryCremationEmissionsMercuryRisk

Identifiers

PMID32524506
PMCPMC7728964

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.