High cancer risks by exposure to PCDD/Fs in the neighborhood of an Integrated Waste Management Facility

Abstract

In 2014, we conducted a study aimed at screening the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and various trace elements in air and soil samples collected in an urban area of Sant Adrià de Besòs (Barcelona, Spain) in the vicinity of an Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF). It consists of a mechanical-biological treatment plant (MBT) and an old municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). Human health risks for the population living in the area were also assessed. The most worrying result was the high cancer risks estimated for the area (2.5×10−6). In March 2017, we have carried out a new survey to check if the authorities had taken the necessary and urgent measures to reduce the environmental concentrations of PCDD/Fs -and the human health risks- until acceptable levels. Although the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in soils are currently lower (mean value: 1.66 vs. 3.6ng WHO-TEQ/kg in 2014), they are still are notably higher than those found near other MSWIs of Catalonia. In turn, the levels of PCDD/Fs in air are even higher than in 2014 (mean value: 0.044 vs. 0.026pgWHO-TEQ/m3 in 2014), being also the highest detected in similar zones of Catalonia. The current cancer risk due to PCDD/F exposure for the residents in the neighborhood of the IWMF is 2.3×10−6, a worrying fact as the 10−6 threshold continues to be exceeded.