Table 1

Characteristics and emission data for the 9 study areas

Area of interest
Surface (km2)
Number of inhabitants*
Characteristics and sources of pollution
Pesticide use (kg/km2)**
Industrial Emission to air (per year)***
Industrial Emission to surface water (per year)***

Antwerp
81
404,241
Metallurgic industry, large non-ferrous smelter, important highways, huge traffic
13.3
80 kg PAH

Antwerp Port
179
64,510
Huge petrochemical industries, chemical and plastic industry, production of pesticides
117
15 kg Cd
15 kg Pb





837.5 kg PAH
4.03 kg Cd





93,729 kg benzene
4.1 kg pesticides






3.2 kg PAH






640.9 kg benzene
Fruit area
362
95,829
Apple and pear orchards: more than 10 hectares per km2
617


Olen
183
68,068
Large non-ferrous smelter, delineated in function of modelled, calculated immission of at least 0.9 ng lead per m3 from the non-ferrous smelter. Chemical, plastic and automobile industry. Rural areas
34.6
810 kg Pb
88 kg Pb





87 kg Cd
39.71 kg Cd





4,050 kg benzene

Ghent
100
213,025
Metallurgic and automobile industry, intensive traffic
27.7
150 kg Pb
24.7 kg Pb
Waste incinerators
37
56,405
Waste water and waste treatment. Delineated in function of modelled, calculated immission of at least 1.2 mg smoke per m3 from the waste incinerator
80.1
14 kg Cd
48.7 kg Pb






1.89 kg PAH
Rural area
1181
153,770
Less than 250 inhabitants per km2. No highways crossing the municipalities. No industries reported in the emission inventory of the Flemish Environmental protection agency.
233


Albert canal
711
64,763
Chemical and plastic industries, rural areas, production of electricity
20.8
430 kg benzene
59.5 kg Pb






67.36 kg Cd
Ghent Port
202
65,554
Mainly metallurgic industries
99.2
34,500 kg Pb
1,690 kg Pb





542.1 kg Cd






1,823 kg PAH






225 kg benzene


Total
3036
1,186,165


35,460 kg Pb
1,925.9 kg Pb





658,1 kg Cd
111.1 kg Cd





2,740.5 kg PAH
4.1 kg pesticides





98,434 kg benzene
5.09 kg PAH






640.9 kg benzene

* Based on the number of inhabitants of 1998; ** Belgian ministry of Economic affairs and Institute for Social and Economic Geography, Catholic University of Leuven; *** Emissions of pollutants reported by the emitting companies themselves to the Flemish Environmental Protection Agency http://www.vmm.be.

De Coster et al. Environmental Health 2008 7:26   doi:10.1186/1476-069X-7-26