Subject: Sources of dioxins
Dear Infoterrans,
Because several recent messages have the toxicity of dioxins as topic, it
might be of interest to know the most important sources. A recent inventory
was made in Flanders (the North of Belgium) a densily populated and highly
industrialised country. Total inhabitants 6 million. This country has the
"honour" to have the highest dioxin content in mother's milk of the world,
according to the WHO.
Measured and estimated for 1995 to air:
All figures expressed in gram I-TEQ per year
Process 1995 variation
E-fact extent
Incineration of municipal waste: 187 0 0
Heating of buildings (mainly from wood): 122 2-3 0
Non-Ferro metals: 107 2 1
Incineration of hospital waste: 95 1 1
Sinter processes: 53.2 2 0
Lime kilns: 33.4 2 0
Incineration of industrial waste: 20.9 1 1
Cement kilns: 20.8 2 0
Industrial heating: 7.00 2 0
Electro-steel: 6.42 2-3 0
Incidental fires: 2.56 2 2
Coke factories: 2.31 1 0
Car traffic: 1.71 1 0
Electricity: 1.07 2 0
Incineration of sludge: 0.75 1 1
Crematoria: 0.19 1 0
Chlorine- and VCM-production: 0.05 1 0
Incineration of bio-gas: 0.012 2 1
Paper bleaching: 0 2 1
Total: 662 g I-TEQ/year
E-fact: this is the variation in decades of the available
measurements in similar processes.
extent: 0 = more or less precisely known from measurements
1 = not completely known, completed with estimates
2 = no precise data, estimated
Source: VITO, Materiaal dossier dioxines, 1995
They made also a survey of dioxin sources to water:
Measured and estimated for 1995 to water:
All figures expressed in gram I-TEQ per year
Process 1995 variation
E-fact extent
Sinter processes: 3.19 2 0
Cokes factories: 0.23 2 0
Chlorine- and VCM-production: 0.222 1 1
Crematoria: 0.19 1 0
Incineration of garbage: 0.0575 1 1
Incineration of industrial waste: 0.021 1 1
Incidental fires: 0.015 2 2
Paper bleaching: 0 1 0
Total: 3.77 g I-TEQ/year
The total amount of dioxins, measured in solid waste, was 485 g I-TEQ per
year, more than 97% coming from municipal waste incineration.
Comment:
With the implementation of the European directive to have dioxin emissions
at the stack of less than 0.1 ng/m3, the amounts released by incinerators
should be ten times less now.
More info on dioxin emissions (of The Netherlands and the UK) and dioxin
formation can be found at the Chlorophiles pages at
http://www.ping.be/Chlorophiles/Eng/ChlorineDiSrc.html
Ferdinand Engelbeen
Chairman Chlorophiles
Oude Ertbrandstraat 12
B-2940 Stabroek
Belgium
Tel.&fax: +32-3-664.46.63
http://www.ping.be/Chlorophiles/Eng/ChlorineDiSrc.html
Ferdinand.Engelbeen@ping.be
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