Assessment of baseline levels of PCDD/F in soils in the neighbourhood of a new hazardous waste incinerator in Catalonia, Spain.
In order to determine the baseline contamination by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) in an area from Catalonia (Spain), which will be under the influence of a new hazardous waste incinerator, PCDD/F concentrations were measured in 40 soil samples collected in the vicinity of the facility now under construction. Thirty samples represented rural soils and 10 samples urban soils. PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 0.08-8.4 ng I-TEQ/kg for rural soils and 0.63-24.2 ng I-TEQ/kg for urban soils. The mean value for the 40 samples was 1.64 ng I-TEQ/kg (dry matter). The current PCDD/F levels and profiles are comparable to those found in soils from other countries. The PCDD/F concentrations found in this study show that at present the contamination by PCDD/F in soils of the examined area is rather low.
Schuhmacher
M
M
Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona, Spain.
Granero
S
S
Llobet
J M
JM
de Kok
H A
HA
Domingo
J L
JL
D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D017745:Incineration; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D011786:Quality Control; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013030:Spain; D018505:Waste Management / Q000592:standards*
D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D012989:Soil Pollutants