Organic toxicants and mutagens in ashes from eighteen municipal refuse incinerators

Abstract

Ashes, obtained from about one-fourth of the operating municipal refuse incinerators in the United States, were analyzed for a range of organic toxicants and mutagens. Thirty percent of the ash samples, which consisted of bottom ash or bottom ash-fly ash mixtures, contained 20-74% organic matter. Thirty percent of the ashes contained direct-acting and/or promutagens which revertedSalmonella typhimurium TA98 or TA100. Sixty percent of the ashes contained more than 5 ng/g of polychlorinated biphenyls. The concentration of tetra- and pentachlorinated biphenyls were higher than the mono-, di-, hepta- and octachlorinated biphenyls. A similar distribution of congeners was seen in polychlorinated dibenzodioxins found in the ashes. The major volatileN-nitroso compounds found in the ashes wereN-nitrosodimethylamine andN-nitrosomorpholine. Other classes of compounds which were found in the ashes included chlorinated benzenes, phthalates, and substituted benzothiophenes.

The Gulf Oil Spill

“…Phenanthrene was the most abundant and frequently detected PAH in samples of fly ash and bottom ash collected from municipal refuse incinerators in the United States (Shane et al 1990), whereas benzo[g,h,i]perylene was the most abundant and frequently detected PAH in fly ash samples collected from municipal solid waste incinerators in the United Kingdom . Fluoranthene, benzo[a]fluoranthene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, indeno [ 1,2,3-c,d]pyrene, phenanthrene, and chrysene were predominant in emission particle samples collected from a municipal waste incinerator, whereas benzo[g,h,i]perylene and benz[a]anthracene were predominant in emission particle samples collected from a municipal and medical/pathological waste incinerator (Williams et al 1994).…”

“…PAH concentrations in fly ash and bottom ash samples from domestic municipal incinerators ranged from not detected to 7,400 µg/kg, with phenanthrene the most abundant and frequently detected compound (Shane et al 1990). Machado et al (1993) Tire wear particles, brake lining particles, and paved road dust from a residential area had total PAH concentrations of 226.1, 16.2, and 58.7 µg/g, with maximum concentrations of individual PAHs of 54.1 µg/g (pyrene), 2.6 µg/g (benzo[g,h,i]perylene), and 9.4 µg/g (pyrene), respectively (Rogge et al 1993c).…”

“…The residential burning of wood is the largest source of atmospheric PAHs (Peters et al 1991;Ramdahl et al 1982); releases are primarily the result of inefficient combustion and uncontrolled emissions (Freeman and Cattell 1990;NRC 1983;Tan et al 1992). Other important stationary anthropogenic sources include industrial power generation, incineration (Shane et al 1990;Wild et al 1992); the production of coal tar, coke, and asphalt; and petroleum catalytic cracking (Baek et al 1991;Guerin 1978;Perwak et al 1982;Santodonato 1981). …”

Hidrocarbonetos Policíclicos Aromáticos Atmosféricos De Fontes Automotivas: Uma Breve Revisão

“…Em áreas rurais, compostos como hidrocarbonetos, tióis, aldeídos, cetonas e HPAs representam cerca de 30% a 50% da massa de material particulado de 10 m (MP 10) 15,16 . O fenantreno é o composto mais abundante e frequentemente detectado em amostras domésticas 17 .…”

Bacterial mutagenicity of pyrolysis tars produced from chloro-organic fuels.

“…Several classes of PACs, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, have been found in the emissions ofrefuse incinerators burning chlorinated wastes (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Increased resistance to biodegradation has been associated with increased chlorine substitution, as evidenced by the environmental persistence and accumulation of polychlorinated aromatics (15).…”