Regulatory compliance of PCDD/F emissions by a municipal solid waste incinerator. A case study in Sant Adrià de Besòs, Catalonia, Spain

Abstract

Despite incineration is an important emission source of toxic pollutants, such as heavy metals and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), it is still one of the most widely used methods for the management of municipal solid waste. The current paper summarizes the results of a 20-year follow-up study of the emissions of PCDD/Fs by a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) in Sant Adrià de Besòs (Catalonia, Spain). Samples of ambient air, soils and herbage were periodically collected near the facility and the content of PCDD/Fs was analyzed. In the last (2017) survey, mean levels in soil were 3.60 ng WHO-TEQ/kg (range: 0.40–10.6), being considerably higher than the mean concentrations of PCDD/Fs in soil samples collected near other MSWIs in Catalonia. Moreover, air PCDD/F concentrations were even higher than those found in a previous (2014) survey, as they increased from 0.026 to 0.044 pg WHO-TEQ/m³. Ultimately, the PCDD/F exposure would be associated to a cancer risk (2.5 × 10⁻⁶) for the population living in the surrounding area. Globally, this information indicates that the MSWI of Sant Adrià de Besòs could have had a negative impact on the environment and potentially on public health, being an example of a possible inappropriate management for years. The application of Best Available Techniques to minimize the emission of PCDD/Fs and other chemicals is critical.

Keywords:

• Municipal solid waste incinerator
• PCDD/Fs
• environmental impact
• health risks
• regulatory compliance

Author contributions

José L. Domingo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing-original draft, Visualization. Martí Nadal: Writing-review & editing. Joaquim Rovira: Investigation, Writing-original draft.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of our studies on the topic are available from the corresponding author at reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

No funds were received to prepare this review.