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Abstract
In 1998 and 1999, the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans
(PCDD/Fs) were determined in soil and herbage samples collected in the vicinity of
an old municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) (S. Adrià del Besòs, Barcelona, Spain).
Just after the 1999 collection, an adaptation to the EU legislation on pollutant emissions
from the stack was carried out in this facility. The purpose of the present study
was to determine the current concentrations of PCDD/Fs in soil and herbage samples
collected in the neighbourhood of the MSWI and to compare these concentrations with
those obtained in the 1998 and 1999 surveys. During the period 1998-1999, an increase
of 31% (P>.05) was found in the median PCDD/F levels in soils, while a reduction of
40% (P>.05) was observed in the period 1999-2000. Similarly, in the period 1998-1999
an increase of 41% (P>.05) was found in the levels of PCDD/Fs in vegetation, while
a 30% decrease (P<.05) was seen in the period 1999-2000. Although after introduction
of the technical improvements in the MSWI a notable reduction in the levels of PCDD/Fs
in soil and vegetation has been noted, the median decreases have not been as great
as it could be expected according to the very pronounced reductions in PCDD/F emissions
from the stack. It indicates that other emission sources of PCDD/Fs also have a notable
impact on the area under direct influence of the MSWI.