Dioxin and Furan Emissions and Its Management Practices

Many changes like increment of the population and demanded services, expansion of industries, increasing of transportation demand, etc., have increased the emission of dioxin and furan. There was no indicative research conducted on the quantification and management practices of the unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants like dioxin and Furan. A UNEP model for dioxin- and furan-related POPs management was commonly used to assess the main anthropogenic sources of dioxin and furan. In this book chapter, UNEP toolkit that was developed in 2013 is used to identify and quantify the sector-based emission of dioxin and furan. About nine main groups of anthropogenic POPs sources such as waste incineration, open burning process, ferrous and nonferrous metal production, etc., explicitly discussed in the report were identified. The case study in Addis Ababa showed that all organizations have no awareness about the dioxin and furan emission issues and follow very weak management styles. Finally, the book chapter suggests the reformulation of the national legal management framework, adaptation of best available technology with less POPs footprint, increasing public and stakeholder’s awareness and participation and capacitating the concerned government organization

Food and feed control using GC×GC-(MR)TOFMS: Dioxin measurements and beyond

peer reviewe

A Compilation of Europe-Wide Databases from Published Measurements of PCBs, Dioxins and Furans

Chemical risk assessment always entails an evaluation of expected environmental concentrations of substances; these concentrations may be predicted using mathematical models or may be chosen on the basis of experimental observations and monitoring activities. The work discusses the usefulness and limitations in building compilations of published monitoring data by describing a feasibility study on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), for which observed concentration data were retrieved from scientific journal articles published between 2000 and 2009. These chemicals are typical POPs and are of constantly high concern for their potential adverse effects on human health and ecosystems. PCBs were mainly used by the power industry in electrical transformers, capacitors, hydraulic equipment, and as lubricants. PCDD/Fs are formed as unintentional by-products of chemical manufacturing and incineration processes, as well as natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, and biomass burning. Emissions from incineration of industrial wastes such as metal reclamation and domestic heating (especially in central Europe) are considered as current sources of PCDD/Fs to the environment. A database of published observed concentrations of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in air, soil sediments and water was built as described in details in the report. As continental scale assessment is aimed more at the evaluation of the regional distribution of contamination, we excluded from the database those measurements taken close to known PCB or PCCD/F pollution sources of exceptional entity such as waste incinerators or contaminated sites. After presenting and interpreting the results of the literature search, we critically examine the completeness and usability of this information, and the usefulness of data compilations in the framework of chemical risk assessment.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

The occurrence of persistent chlorinated and brominated organic contaminants in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Irish waters

peer-reviewedThe European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a relatively high lipid, long lived species capable of living in a variety of brackish, fresh and marine habitats. As such, eels can accumulate organic pollutants and have been incorporated into environmental monitoring programs as a suitable “bioindicator” species for the determination of the levels of organic contaminants within different water bodies. The global eel stock is now in decline and while the cause of the collapse remains unidentified, it is likely to include a combination of anthropogenic mortality in addition to environmental degradation. This study provides valuable data on a range of contaminants (PCDD/Fs, PCBs, OCPs, PBDEs, HBCD, TBBPA and PBBs) and extractable lipid levels in eel muscle tissue collected from five Irish catchments. Extractable lipid levels were lower in the yellow eels compared to those in the silver eels. These levels were similar to those reported elsewhere and it has been posited that a decline in the lipid content in yellow eels may have consequences for the future viability of the stock. With the exception of higher substituted dioxins (especially OCDD), in three samples collected from one catchment (Burrishoole) in the West of Ireland, POP levels in general were determined to be low in eels from Irish waters compared to those in other countries

Human biomonitoring. Basics: educational course

Ana Isabel Cañas Portilla, Argelia Castaño, Susana Pedraza Diaz y Marta Esteban López del Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (ISCIII) han contribuido en el desarrollo de este curso.Human biomonitoring (HBM) is an instrument for measuring the internal dose of exogenous substances/chemicals that enter a body during a certain period of exposure from a range of sources. It contributes to reducing uncertainties in the assessment of health risks from chemicals and provides information for decision-making on the prevention of negative impacts of chemicals on human health and the environment. Promoting the use of HBM is a recognized priority of chemical safety globally and in the WHO European Region. Given the complexity of HBM, relevant capacities should be built at the national level to explore its benefits. This educational course on HBM, presented in the form of slides with accompanying notes and references, compiles scientific information on HBM as well as practical examples. It was developed to support the training of public-health and health-care professionals; students of medical, biological and other allied sciences; and professionals and decision-makers in the health, environment and other relevant sectorsThis course was developed with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and the German Federal Ministry of Health.S

Impact of contaminants on aquatic systems and inundated sites with respect to flood events - In vitro biotests, chemical target analysis and fractionation methods

Scope of the present study is the development and application of aquatic in vitro bioassays and methods of effect-directed analysis (EDA). It aims at investigating contamination of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and pollution of inundated sites and riparian aquifer, respectively. In the first part of this study, SPM was sampled during flood events and toxicological activities were determined. The second part of the study dealt with possible conflict of interests between flood management (operation of retention basins) and drinking water supply (sustainment of water protection areas). Cytotoxic potencies were determined with the Neutral Red retention assay and dioxin-like and aryl hydrocarbon receptor mediated activities with the 7 ethoxyresorufin-o deethylase (EROD) assay, both using RTL W1 cells derived from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Both bioassays indicated elevated potencies assoviated with SPM sampled during flood events. Highly active samples were fractionated in order to determine effective compounds. Strongly persistent compounds had an only minor contribution to total biological effects, whereas less persistent substances caused the bulk of biological activity. Chemical analysis showed that compounds analyzed with priority are not capable of adequately explaining the biological effects measured. Non-priority and a priori unknown compounds were mainly effective. The second part of the study aimed to investigate impacts of river contaminants to inundated sites and aquifer in flood events. For this end, the biotest battery was extended with the Ames Fluctuation assay and the bacterial tester strains TA98 and TA100 (Salmonella typhimurium) to detect mutagenic activity, as well as the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) assay with bakery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to determine endocrine activity. Further, a recently developed method of effect-directed analysis (EDA) was used to separate more polar compounds in SPM and soil. Less persistent compounds were shown to be highly active. However, more polar compounds caused the highest effects. In accordance to findings of the first part of the study, chemical analysis showed that priority compounds only made a minor contribution to biological effects. River contaminant infiltration in the aquifer was assessed following a flood event with a recurrence interval of ten years by measurement of a tracer compound and hormonal activity. Both parameters indicated contamination of the aquifer following the flood. Water that was sampled in the hinterland showed delayed effects and, thus, indicated mass transport in groundwater layers over elevated distances. The findings of this study document high contamination of flood SPM that may be deposited at inundated sites. In particular, increased biological effects and chemical loads of more polar compounds indicate an increased impact of contaminant transfer through soil and aquifer contamination. Furthermore, infiltration and increased toxicological effects indicate a general risk of groundwater contamination in consequence of flood events. The results of the present study directly contribute to a manual assisting stakeholders and operators of retention basins and waterworks to a priori avoid potential conflict of interests and, thus, could directly be implemented in practical work