COPLANAR PCBS AND PCDDS/PCDFS IN MUNICIPAL WASTE INCINERATION

With the objective of developing an efficient method of analyzing non-ortho substituted chlorobiphenyls (hereinafter referred to as Co-PCBs) produced in the municipal waste incineration, particularly a method of simultaneous analysis of Co-PCBs and PCDDs and PCDFs, the alumina column three-fraction method was studied. Recovery tests using standard substances, and analyses of actual samples (exhaust gas and flyash) were conducted. The percent contribution of Co-PCBs to the total PCB concentration in exhaust gas and flyash from municipal waste incineration was about 5 to 10%, higher than that in Yusho oil and PCB oil, which has about 1%. Also, the toxicity of Co-PCBs accounted for about several percents of the 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ); Co-PCBs do not appear to be detected at concentrations as high as in fish and human tissue. However, further investigation should be continued, since the number of samples analyzed was too small to fully assess the status of Co-PCBs involved in the incineration of municipal waste.