Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to air from waste incinerators and … (original) (raw)
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Environmental Science & Technology
The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental impact of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) 4 years after regular operation of the facility. A double approach was carried out. The PCDD/F congener profiles corresponding to environmental samples, soil and herbage, collected before the HWI (baseline) and 4 years after starting regular operations, as well as PCDD/F profiles of air emission samples, were compared. The potential health risks (carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic) due to PCDD/F exposure were assessed for adults and children living in the neighborhood of the facility. Human exposure to PCDD/Fs was mainly due to dietary food intake. Comparisons between the PCDD/F congener profiles corresponding to the baseline and current surveys, as well as data concerning the human health risk assessment, indicate that the HWI in question does not cause additional risks to the environment or to the population living in the vicinity of the facility.
Chemosphere, 2008
The emission inventory and strategy for reducing unintentionally formed products is a very complex and difficult part of the NIP. In this paper, we analyzed the potential sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in China and calculated their possible emissions. We included municipal solid waste incineration, hazardous and medical waste incineration, pulp bleaching, sodium pentachlorophenate production and usage, illegal electrical and electronic waste (''e-waste") recycling, and ferrous and non-ferrous metal production, and prepared a preliminary analysis of dioxin emissions in China. The results show that ferrous metal production (104.2-6648.3 g TEQ), non-ferrous metal production (2.6-3389.8 g TEQ), and sodium pentachlorophenate production and usage (120-368.0 g TEQ) should be major potential sources of dioxins and furans. Moreover, municipal solid waste and hazardous and medical waste incineration (35.5 g TEQ) should also be considered high priority sources owing to a rapidly increasing incineration ratio anticipated for the near future.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2000
Objectives: To find whether or not incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning municipal incineration plants are exposed to high concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Methods: 20 Workers employed at three municipal waste incineration plants (incinerator workers) and 20 controls were studied. The previous job, dietary, smoking, and body weight and height were obtained from a questionnaire survey. Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in serum samples of the workers and the deposited dust of the plants. The influence of occupational exposure on concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in serum samples was examined by multiple regression analysis. Results: Dust analysis showed that dominant constituents were octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) among the PCDDs, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF) and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) among the PCDFs. The toxicity equivalents (TEQs) of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the deposited dust were 0.91, 33, and 11 ng TEQ/g, respectively, for plants I, II, and III. The means of TEQ in serum samples of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the incinerator workers and controls were 22.8 and 16.4 pg TEQ/g lipid for area I, 29.4 and 19.3 pg TEQ/g lipid for area II, and 22.8 and 24.9 pg TEQ/g lipid for area III, which were almost the same as for the general population of Japan. No significant differences in the TEQ of PCDDs and TEQ of PCDDs and PCDDs were found between the incinerator workers and the controls. However, the TEQ of PCDFs was significantly higher among the incinerator workers in areas I and II, and the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF concentration was also significantly higher for all three areas. When the occupational exposure index for each constituent of PCDDs and PCDFs was defined as the product of the duration of employment at the incineration plant and the concentration of the constituent in the deposited dust, multiple regression analysis showed that the concentrations of HxCDF, HpCDF, and TEQ of PCDFs in serum samples increased with the occupational exposure index. The multiple regression analysis also suggested that significant factors affecting the concentrations in serum samples were area for HxCDD, age for TCDD, PeCDD, PeCDF, TEQ of PCDDs, TEQ of PCDFs, and TEQ of summed PCDDs and PCDFs, and BMI for HxCDD, HpCDD, and OCDD. Conclusion: This study showed that incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning incineration plants were not necessarily exposed to high
Environmental Science & Technology, 2005
To assess emissions of dioxins (chlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans) and PCB from uncontrolled domestic combustion of waste ("backyard burning"), test combustions in barrels and open fires were monitored. The waste fuels used were garden waste, paper, paper and plastic packaging, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), PVC, and electronic scrap. Combustions including PVC and electronic scrap emitted several orders of magnitude more dioxins than the other waste fuels. Emissions from the other fuels had considerable variations, but the levels were difficult to relate to waste composition. Emission factors of PCDD/F and PCB from the backyard burning ranged from 2.2 to 13 000 ng (WHO-TEQ)/kg. The levels found in ash usually were less than 5% of the total. For assessment of total emissions of dioxins and PCB from backyard burning of low and moderately contaminated wastes, an emission factor range of 4-72 ng (WHO-TEQ)/kg is suggested. These figures imply that combusting waste in the backyard could contribute substantially to total emissions, even if the amounts of fuel involved are equivalent to just a few tenths of a percent of the amounts combusted in municipal waste incinerators.
Atmospheric Environment, 2003
The atmospheric particle size distributions of 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) between 0.056 and 100 mm in aerodynamic diameter (D p ) were measured at two sampling sites during January 2002. These sites were 1.1 and 2.1 km downwind from a municipal incinerator in central Taiwan, respectively. Size-segregated atmospheric particles were simultaneously collected by means of a cascade impactor and a rotary impactor. The results showed that PCDD/Fs were associated with the full size range of atmospheric particles. More than 80% of the SPCDD/Fs and toxic equivalents (TEQs) were found to be associated with fine particles of aerodynamic diameter, D p o2.0 mm. Generally a smaller particle had a higher SPCDD/Fs content. The particle size distributions of SPCDD/Fs and TEQs were shifted to larger particles with increasing time and distance. It is noteworthy that PCDFs were found to distribute significantly among aerosol size fractions based on their chlorination level at both sampling sites. There was an increase in the proportion of the less chlorinated PCDFs in the coarse particles (D p > 2:0 mm). As for PCDDs, however, a relative enrichment of the less chlorinated congeners on coarse particles was found only at the farther sampling site (2.1 km).
2012
Introduction Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are primarily formed from inefficient combustion and also by unintentional by-products 1 . Further, PCDD/Fs are resistance in environment and found everywhere in the world. Therefore, Stockholm Convention listed PCDD/Fs among persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Due to their resistance to chemical, physical and biological degradation, PCDD/Fs have been transported world-wide, affecting regions far from their original sources and found in all environmental media of the earth 2 . PCDD/Fs adsorbed to dust particles in atmosphere and most of PCDD/Fs are found in the particulate phase 3 . Gas-phase PCDD/Fs are believed to be depleted due to degradation reactions in the atmosphere. Particle properties play an important role in the transport of particle-bound PCDD/Fs away from sources 4 . Compared with the larger particles the inhalable <PM10 could remain longer in the air and therefore, ca...
Chemosphere, 2010
The occurrence and characteristics of 2,3,7,8-substituted polybrominated and polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/F and PCDD/F) from various combustion and metallurgic industrial thermal processes were investigated. PBDD/F levels from metallurgic processes (TEQ * concentrations from 0.14 to 1.5 ng N m À3 , mass concentrations from 0.56 to 5.8 ng N m À3 ) were markedly higher than those from combustion processes (TEQ * concentrations from 0.010 to 0.054 ng N m À3 , mass concentrations from 0.025 to 0.15 ng N m À3 ). This indicated that metallurgic processes could be important sources of PBDD/F. Consequently, more attention should be paid to the metallurgical emission sources in addition to combustion of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and related products. Specific isomeric patterns for PCDD/F from various industrial sources were highly consistent, while PBDD/F patterns were not. This revealed that PCDD/F might form through a common mechanism such as de novo synthesis mechanism, while PBDD/F might form by different mechanisms in thermal processes such as precursor mechanisms. Finally, an approach to identify the PBDD/F sources in ambient air by using the PBDD/F to PCDD/F ratio was developed.