title: The release of persistent organic pollutants from a closed system dicofol production process.
abstract: High concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) have been found to be produced in chemical processes in which chlorine is a raw material. Samples of workshop air, waste water, waste acid, and the dicofol product were collected from a pesticide factory in China that uses a closed-system dicofol production process, and were analyzed for PCDD/Fs and ΣDDTs. The ΣDDTs concentrations were 1.88-17.53 μg m(-3) in the workshop air samples, 4.85-456 μg kg(-1) in the waste water and waste acid samples, and 4.74 g kg(-1) in the dicofol product. The total estimated daily intakes of ΣDDTs for workers by inhalation in the workplace were in the range of 0.38-3.51 μg kg(-1)bwd(-1) for moderate activities. The annual amounts of ΣDDTs and p,p'-DDT directly released to the environment via the use of dicofol were 9,480 kg and 1,080 kg, respectively. The PCDD/F toxicity equivalent values (I-TEQs) in the waste water and waste acid samples ranged from 1.5 to 122 pg I-TEQ kg(-1) and 86.3 ng I-TEQ kg(-1) in the dicofol sample. The annual amount of PCDD/Fs released to the environment was 0.17 g I-TEQ. From the PCDD/F distribution patterns, it is suggested that the major pathway for PCDD/F formation involves precursor synthesis during the production of dicofol in the closed-system process.
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Sumei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yajing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D055884:Chemical Hazard Release; D002617:Chemical Industry; D002681:China; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004010:Dicofol / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D004010:Dicofol
keywords: DDTs; PCDD/Fs; POPs; Waste acid; Waste water