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Human exposure to dioxins and furans

Application of the substance flow analysis to health risk assessment

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Abstract

Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) is an important instrument that allows for the undertaking of environmental management for a specific contaminant. ‘Control Analysis’ is a tool that assesses the effect on a target flow of changes in flows forming part of a control basis set. The purpose of the present study was to perform a modeling of the annual PCDD/F flows in Tarragona Province and to apply the model for human health risk assessment. The validation of the model has been evaluated by comparing estimated fluxes with experimental values. Eleven subsystems, as well as a set of 88 flows of the system in Tarragona Province were considered. The total PCDD/F accumulation in Tarragona Province was between 62.6 and 159.5 g I-TEQ/y. Accumulation in sediments (27.9–74.6 g I-TEQ/y) and soils (35.0–80.8 g I-TEQ/y) are the two principal modes of deposition. Estimated flow in human adipose tissue means a mean intake of PCDD/F (via ingestion and inhalation) of 243 pg I-TEQ/person/day. The food chain pathway accounts for 99% of the total daily intake. As a result of the simulation, a 100% decrease in industrial emissions would cause a 1.7% reduction in the PCDD/F accumulation in humans. In turn, a 100% reduction of PCDD/Fs in the industrial waste waters would cause only an insignificant 0.1% decrease in the accumulation of PCDD/Fs in humans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Rovira i Virgili University, San Lorenzo 21, 43201, Reus, Spain

    Gerard Fuster, Marta Schuhmacher & José L. Domingo

  2. Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rovira i Virgili University, Campus Sescelades, 43007, Tarragona, Spain

    Gerard Fuster & Marta Schuhmacher

Authors
  1. Gerard Fuster
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  2. Marta Schuhmacher
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  3. José L. Domingo
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Correspondence to José L. Domingo.

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Fuster, G., Schuhmacher, M. & Domingo, J.L. Human exposure to dioxins and furans. Environ Sci & Pollut Res 9, 241–249 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02987498

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02987498

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