Occurrence and carcinogenic potential of airborne PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs around a large-scale municipal solid waste incinerator: A long-term passive air sampling study

Hui-Ru Li; Ming-Yang Liu; Jun-Jie Hu; Ai-Min Song; Ping-An Peng; Guang-Guo Ying; Bo Yan; Tao Chen

Environment International (Aug 2023)

Occurrence and carcinogenic potential of airborne PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs around a large-scale municipal solid waste incinerator: A long-term passive air sampling study

Hui-Ru Li,
Ming-Yang Liu,
Jun-Jie Hu,
Ai-Min Song,
Ping-An Peng,
Guang-Guo Ying,
Bo Yan,
Tao Chen

Affiliations

Hui-Ru Li: SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Corresponding author at: Science Building 3, 378 Waihuan West Road, Guangzhou University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Ming-Yang Liu: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Jun-Jie Hu: School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
Ai-Min Song: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Ping-An Peng: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou 510640, China
Guang-Guo Ying: SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Bo Yan: SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Tao Chen: SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 178
p. 108104

Abstract

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Municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) not only is deemed one of the uppermost sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs), but also produces substantial amount of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs) owing to the existence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the waste. So far, however, PBDD/Fs in the vicinal environments of MSWI and their associated risks remain rarely studied. Based on a one-year passive air sampling (PAS) scheme, we investigated airborne PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs around a large-scale MSWI that has been operated for multi-years. Both the concentrations of PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs showed spatially decreasing trends with the distance away from the MSWI, confirming the influence of the MSWI on the dioxin levels in its ambient air. But its influence on PBDD/Fs was less because PBDD/Fs exhibit lower volatility and therefore lower gaseous concentrations than PCDD/Fs. Compared to the existing global data of airborne PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs, our data of the MSWI vicinity were at medium levels, despite PAS samples only represent the concentrations of gaseous dioxins in theory. The seasonal data suggest that meteorological conditions exerted apparent influences over the concentrations and sources of airborne dioxins around the MSWI. As for PCDD/Fs, the MSWI was diagnosed as their uppermost source, followed by local traffic and volatilization/deposition. Whereas the top three PBDD/F sources were related to PBDEs, bromophenol/bromobenzene, and traffic vehicles, respectively. The bioassay-derived TEQs based on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation of airborne dioxins around the MSWI were one or two orders of magnitudes higher than their concentration-based TEQs, and the corresponding carcinogenic risks at some MSWI-vicinal sites exceeded the acceptable threshold proposed by the U. S. EPA (10−6 ∼ 10−4) and deserve continuous attention.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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