Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and –furans (PCDFs) in pine needles of Poland

Abstract

There is scarcity of data on sources, environmental diffusion and concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like compounds in the Eastern and Central Europe. A study has been conducted using pine needles as passive matrix on diffusion of airborne 17 highly toxic PCDD/Fs in Poland. The target compounds were quantified using isotope dilution and HRGC/HRMS. One-year-old pine needles collected from 25 spatially distant sites in October 2002 revealed a relatively very low aerial emission and degree of pollution with PCDD/Fs. The most toxic 2,3,7,8-TCDD was absent (< 0.44 pg/g) in fresh pine needles sampled and absent at all sites were also 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD and 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF (< 0.27 pg/g). OCDD at concentration range from 1.4 to 34 pg/g and OCDF at range from 1.5 to 41 pg/g were the only among 17 compounds found at each site, and next in prevalence was 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF (total range from < 0.41 to 8.1 pg/g), which was found at 24 off 25 sites. The I-TEQ transformed concentrations of PCDD/Fs of pine needles of Poland ranged from < 0.01 to 1.28 pg/g ww or from 0.01 to 3.18 pg/g dw. The CDD/F homologue groups and congeners profiles of pine needles with highly dominant HpCDD/F and OCDD/F found in this survey suggest on lack of significant other than coal/lignite/wood combustiont sources of PCDD/Fs diffusion to ambient air in Poland.

Keywords:

• PCDDs
• PCDFs
• environmental pollution
• dioxins
• forest
• atmosphere

Acknowledgments

Support from the Japanese Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, Japan for B. Wyrzykowska as well as the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education under the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Joint Project (R-92) between Poland and Japan (127/E/335/S/2006) and DS-8250-4-0092-7 is acknowledged. The authors are grateful to the Dyrekcja Generalna Lasów Państwowych in Warsaw, Poland and to the Dyrekcje Regionalne Lasów Państwowych of Poland for kind cooperation.