Status of PCDD/F-emission control in Germany on the basis of the current legislation and strategies for further action

The protection of environment from polychlorinated dibenzodioxin and -furan (PCDD/F) impacts, caused by a heterogeneous spectrum of thermal stationary sources and several others in chemical industry, bases on a comprehensive legislation in Germany. The results of this emission reduction strategy are presented by emission inventories for stationary, mainly industrial sources comparing in this paper data for emissions between 1994 and 2001. These results show that the implementation of best available techniques (BAT) at industrial sources for PCDD/F-reduction has been nearly fully exhausted at nearly all relevant sources and extensive overall emission reductions were achieved by the end of the 1990s. Further reductions for PCDD/F are needed for specific sources in metallurgical industries, especially sinter plants, and for domestic furnaces only. For coplanar PCBs (co-PCBs) almost no emission data are available from German sources; a few data from measurements of co-PCB have been published from two waste incineration plants. These measurements show that the emission limit value of 0.1 ng TEQ/m(3) is not exceeded by co-PCBs in the waste gas in addition to the background PCDD/F concentration. As a consequence from the new appraisals for toxicity equivalences (TEQ) and tolerable daily intakes (TDI) of the World Health Organisation the Federal Environmental Agency in Germany discusses a level of 1 pg WHO TEQ/ (kgb(w) d) as an acceptable limit value for adult's burden, taking into account, that this value is too much for children in the pre- and post-natal age and further action for PCDD/F- and co-PCB reduction is needed for the last sensitive group. As a summary can be reported that PCDD/F and co-PCB intakes into the nutrition chain could not have their origin from stationary industrial sources mainly. More attention should be given to more diffuse source such as residential combustion and others, which are more directly connected to the nutrition chain, like green food drying. Important effects could be expected by restrictions of PCDD/F impacts by regulations for control of feed, feed components and compounds feed for pigs and cattle. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.