Assessment of the environmental impact of PCDD/Fs in the vicinity of a municipal waste incinerator: Congener profiles of PCDD/Fs in soil and vegetation samples

Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration is a component of integrated waste management in many countries. Among typical MSW incinerator contaminants, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are of especial concern. Measuring PCDD/F concentrations in soil and vegetation samples collected in the vicinity of a MSW incinerator can be a suitable method to determine the environmental impact of PCDD/F emissions from MSW incinerators. However, these concentrations can be increased by the presence of other emission sources of PCDD/Fs in the area under evaluation. In the present study, we have used PCDD/F congener profiles from soil and vegetation samples collected near an old MSW incinerator (Montcada, Barcelona, Spain) in 1996, 1997 and 1998 in order to estimate the direct contribution of the plant to the environmental levels of PCDD/Fs in the area under potential influence of the facility. PCDD/F congener profiles were compared with those from samples collected in the vicinity of another MSW incinerator, as well as with those from an area which is not under the direct influence of any MSW incinerator. From an accurate inspection of the PCDD/F congener profiles, it can be concluded that emissions of PCDD/Fs from the MSW incinerator of Montcada are neither the only nor the main responsible for the presence of these pollutants in soil and vegetation samples collected in the area under direct influence of the plant.