This page is a listing of some of the different types of Dioxin and Furan homologue profiles seen from various sources. Except for sources showing primarily 2,3,7,8-TCDD; profiles are based on absolute concentrations, not TEQ.

(Pictured above - The now abandoned ASARCO/Groupo Mexico Smelter in El Paso, TX. Metals smelting is one source of dioxin. Author photo)

This data may be helpful in interpreting the results of dioxin and furan analyses. This data is presented as an indication of what kinds of results have been found by others, and is not necessarily a substitute for case-by-case analyses of individual locations. This list will always be incomplete and additional data is welcomed. For all references, this page will try to identify the source of the information presented, whether peer-reviewed, community-based, or industry-funded.

Editor's comments and additions are in brackets [like this]. Please note that homologue profiles may be altered over time by biodegradation, physical degradation (in vapor or on surfaces, reference 5), or by differences in bioaccumulation rates. This is especially true for biota samples such as fish and human tissues.

Congener names are abbreviated, using F5 for pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF) and D8 for octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD) and so forth.

By Congener Distribution

Furans

• Primarily F4 - PVC combustion reference 1
  
  
• Primarily F4 - Chlorine Dioxide Pulp Bleaching reference 11
  
  
• Primarily F7 - Vinyl Chloride Manufacture reference 12
  
  
• Primarily F7 and F8 - PVC Pyrolysis reference 1
  
  
• Primarily F7 and F8 - Magnesium and nickel metals (chlorine gas method) reference 9
  
  
• Primarily F8 - Oxychlorination and EDC production (PVC manufacture) reference 2
  
  

Dioxins

• Primarily 2,3,7,8-TCDD (Based on TEQ) - Agent Orange use and Manufacture reference 3 - Natural clay formation reference 4
  
  
• Primarily D8 - Global atmospheric deposition average from combustion reference 7, reference 8
  
  
• Primarily D8 - Global atmospheric deposition average from pentachlorophenol photochemical reaction reference 13
  

Furans and Dioxins

• Primarily F2, F3, F4 and D2, D3, D4 - Wood burning - chimney soot reference 9
  
  
• Primarily F5, F6, F7 and D7, D8 - Municipal Waste Incineration reference 7, reference 14
  
  
• Primarily F8 and D7, D8 - Wood burning - smoke particulates reference 9
  
  
• Primarily F8 and D8 - Pentachlorophenol reference 8
  

By Source Type

Combustion sources -

Incineration
• Incineration of Solid Waste - Primarily PeCDF, HxCDF, HpCDF and HpCDD, OCDD (F5, F6, F7, D7, D8) reference 7, reference 14
  
• Medical Waste Incineration
• Incineration of Hazardous Waste

Fuel Combustion - Primarily OCDD (D8) reference 8
• Coal-fired utilities
• Diesel vehicles
• Wood burning - smoke particulates - Primarily OCDF and HpCDD, OCDD (F8, D7, D8) reference 9
• Wood burning - chimney soot - Primarily DCDF, TriCDF, TCDF and DCDD, TriCDD, TCDD (F2, F3, F4 and D2, D3, D4) reference 9

Industrial Cumbustion
• PVC Combustion - Primarily TCDF (F4) reference 1
  
• PVC Pyrolysis - Primarily HpCDF and OCDF (F7 and F8) reference 1
  
• Wire scrap burning

Manufacturing Sources

• Oxychlorination, EDC manufacture (part of PVC manufacture) - Primarily OCDF (F8) reference 2
• Vinyl Chloride Manufacture - Primarily HpCDF (F7) reference 12
• Paper bleaching
  • Elemental Chlorine
  • Chlorine Dioxide - Primarily TCDF (F4) reference 11
• Secondary Metals Smelting
• Magnesium and nickel metals - Primarily HpCDF and OCDF (F7, F8) reference 9
• Cement Kilns
• Pesticide Manufacture
  • Agent Orange (2,4,5,-T) Manufacture and Use - Primarily 2,3,7,8-TCDD reference 3
    
  • Pentachlorophenol - Primarily OCDF and OCDD (F8 and D8) reference 8
  • Pentachlorophenol - Primarily OCDD (F8 and D8) from photochemical reactionreference 13

Other Sources

• Natural Sources reference 10
  
• Electrostatic Precipitators
• Accidental fires
• Unknown Sources - Natural clay formation - Primarily 2,3,7,8-TCDD reference 4
  
  

Reference 1 - [peer reviewed] Christmann, W., Kasiske, D., Kloppel, K., Partscht, H., and Rotard, W. Combustion of polyvinylchloride - an important source for the formation of PCDD/PCDF. Chemosphere 19 (1-6): 387-392 (1989) Report is given on the combustion and pyrolysis conditions. The analytical procedure is described. During combustion and pyrolysis of pure polyvinylchloride (PVC) and PVC-cable sheathings in an air atmosphere, PCDD/PCDF are formed in significant amounts up to the ppm range. In general furans were formed predominantly. Especially higher levels of octa- and hepta-chlorinated furans were generated in the pyrolysis experiments, whereas lower chlorinated furans were produced predominantly by combustion.

Reference 2 - [peer reviewed] Elena Fattore,* Emilio Benfenati, Giulio Mariani, and Roberto Fanelli, Patterns and Sources of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Sediments from the Venice Lagoon, Italy, Environ. Sci. Technol., 31 (6), 1777 -1784 ESTHAg 0013-936X es9608860 S0013-936X (96)00886-3 Copyright © 1997 by the American Chemical Society, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milano, Italy ... there are the samples with very high levels of OCDF such as samples related to the oxychlorination process and some samples related to the EDC production, while those on the opposite side, such as samples of sewage sludges and PCB contamination, have low levels of this compound.

Reference 3 - [Email] Lew Baker [lab1@ezwv.com], To: Multiple recipients of list DIOXIN-L, Saturday, April 04, 1998 5:35PM - My review of the data from [the mid-80's] and subsequent years shows abnormal enrichment of 2,3,7,8 TCDD relative to all other dioxins/furans in samples of sediment, fish and water from the Nitro area. (This unusual congener profile seems to be a common characteristic of the 2,4,5 T in agent orange). Fish in the Kanawha River have 90-100% of total teq from tcdd, and fish in the Ohio 20 miles below the Kanawha still have 80-90% total teq from tcdd, in contrast to 34% for the upper Ohio. Data from - US F&WS, US EPA, and ORSANCO. [For more info. email "dioxin-l@essential.org"]

Reference 4 - [Email] Pat Costner, P.O. Box 548, or 512 CR 2663, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632 USA, March 12, 1998 10:33:14 PM Dioxins in Clay -- Anthropogenic or Natural, To: dioxin-l@essential.org, - From a telephone conversation with Dwain Winter, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substance, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, [EPA doesn't] "have enough information to even speculate." [on the source] He also said that he "is not comfortable with ruling out that there is some anthropogenic explanation." EPA has collected and analyzed only four clay samples. Three of the four were freshly collected on June 18, 1997, from the Kentucky-Tennessee Company's open-pit clay mine in Crenshaw, Mississippi. The fourth sample was clay that had been dried, or "kilned." Data for kilned clay = 1141. ppt 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 1626.4 ppt TEQ (dry wt.) Raw clay had 598 ppt 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 1099 ppt TEQ [avg. of 3 by wet wgt.] No furans could be detected in the clays. The samples proved to be "pristine", except for the dioxins. According to Mr. Winter, results from "less than a dozen" samples of clay, sand and lignite from mines other than the Crenshaw mine were verbally reported as ranging from 100 ppt TEQ to less than 5,000 ppt TEQ.

Reference 5 - [peer reviewed USEPA draft] EPA/600/6-88/005Ca June 1994 External Review Draft ESTIMATING EXPOSURE TO DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS VOLUME I: Executive Summary, p.11. ... The only environmentally significant transformation process for these congeners is believed to be photodegradation of nonsorbed species in the gaseous phase, at the soil-air or water-air interface, or in association with organic cosolvents.

Reference 6 - [How Dioxins and Furans Form - peer reviewed USEPA draft] EPA/600/6-88/005Ca June 1994 External Review Draft ESTIMATING EXPOSURE TO DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS VOLUME I: p.13. - CDDs/CDFs are ultimately formed from the thermal breakdown and molecular rearrangement of precursor compounds. Precursor compounds are chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons having a structural resemblance to the CDD/CDF molecule. Among the precursors that have been identified are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated phenols (CPs), and chlorinated benzenes (CBs). The formation of CDDs/CDFs is believed to occur after the precursor has condensed and adsorbed onto the binding sites on the surface of fly ash particles. The active sites of the surface of fly ash particles promote the chemical reactions forming CDDs/CDFs. These reactions have been observed to be catalyzed by the presence of inorganic chlorides sorbed to the particulate. Temperature in a range of 250-450 C has been identified as a necessary condition for these reactions to occur, with either lower or higher temperatures inhibiting the process. Therefore, the precursor theory focuses on the region of the combustor that is downstream and away from the high temperature zone of the furnace or combustion chamber. This is a location where the gases and smoke derived from combustion of the organic materials have cooled during conduction through flue ducts, heat exchanger and boiler tubes, air pollution control equipment or the stack. (3) CDDs/CDFs are synthesized de novo in the same region of the combustion process as described in (2), e.g. the so-called cool zone. In this theory, CDDs/CDFs are formed from moieties bearing little resemblance to the molecular structure of CDDs and CDFs. In broad terms, these are non-precursors and include such diverse substances as petroleum products, chlorinated plastics (PVC), non-chlorinated plastics (polystyrene), cellulose, lignin, coke, coal, particulate carbon, and hydrogen chloride gas. Formation of CDDs/CDFs requires the presence of a chlorine donor (a molecule that provides a chlorine atom to the pre-dioxin molecule) and the formation and chlorination of a chemical intermediate that is a precursor. The primary distinction between theories (2) and (3) is that theory (2) requires the presence of precursor compounds in the feed material whereas theory (3) begins with the combustion of diverse substances that are not defined as precursors, which eventually react to form precursors and eventually, dioxin-like molecules.

Reference 7 [peer reviewed] - Global Mass Balance for Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans - LOUIS P . BRZUZY AND RONALD A . HITES * School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405 - VOL. 30, NO. 6, 1996 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 1803 Copyright © 1996 by the American Chemical Society - Chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) were measured in 107 soil samples globally, and depositional fluxes were determined.... Studies of PCDD/F in lake sediment cores have shown that PCDD/F were not present to any large extent before about 1935 (4, 5). This finding has suggested that combus-tion, particularly the combustion of chlorinated waste, is the major source of PCDD/F to the environment (6, 7). In fact, PCDD/F have been detected in the emissions from several combustion sources, including municipal waste incinerators, steel mills, copper smelters, hospital waste incinerators, automobiles, andseveral other smaller sources (8-13).

Reference 8 [peer reviewed] - Environ. Sci. Technol., 32 (6), 729 -735, 1998. ESTHAg 0013-936X es9706099 S0013-936X(97)00609-3 Copyright © 1998 American Chemical Society, Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxin and Dibenzofuran Concentration Profiles in Sediment and Fish Tissue of the Willamette Basin, Oregon, Bernadine A. Bonn*, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, 10615 S. E. Cherry Blossom Drive, Portland, Oregon 97216, ... technical-grade pentachlorophenol contains traces of PCDD/F and its homolog profile is dominated by [OCDD] and [OCDF] ... At all but two sites, a single congener, OCDD, accounted for more than half of the total PCDD/F, and the combined furans accounted for less than 20% of the total.

Reference 9 [peer reviewed] - Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry (1994) 348 63 - 75, Copyright © 1994 Springer - Verlag, Dioxin, Patterns and Source Identification. Christoffer Rappe, Inst. of Env. Chemistry, University of Umea, S-90187 Umea Sweden. Figure 5. Congener profiles (mono through octachloro) for chimney soot and air particulate.

Reference 10 [peer reviewed] - Dioxins in the Environment: A Review of Trend Data R. E. ALCOCKAND, K. C. JONES * Institute of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, U.K., Environmental Science and Technology, 1996, Vol. 30, p. 3133

The question of whether PCDD/Fs existed in the environment before industrialization is one still under review. However, the evidence for the occurrence of some heavier homo-logues of PCDDs is quite good. Nonetheless, the weight of evidence suggests that even if there were PCDD/Fs formed pre-industrially, the PCDD/F burden of the contemporary environment exceeds any historical burden.

A comprehensive review of available PCDD/F time trend data is presented. This focuses on industrialized countries, drawing heavily on those countries that have been actively involved in PCDD/F monitoring and research, notably Germany, the United States, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the U.K. Information on temporal trends comes from the analysis of date-able deposits (e.g., sediments), retrospective analysis of preserved or archived samples, and ongoing monitoring programs. The data on changes in air concentrations, deposition, sediments, soil, biota, food, and human tissues are reviewed. To set the current environmental inputs and loadings of PCDD/Fs in context and to assess the significance of any future declines, it is appropriate to examine the information available on past changes. This paper therefore presents a comprehensive review of available PCDD/F time trend data. This draws heavily on those industrialized countries that have been actively involved in PCDD/F monitoring and research, notably Germany, the United States, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the U.K. It is also appropriate to discuss other issues. One such topic is the debate over whether PCDD/Fs are formed naturally, thereby providing a base level of 'pre-industrial' PCDD/Fs in the environment.

Reference 11 [peer reviewed] - Historical Inputs of PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs to a British Columbia Interior Lake: The Effect of Environmental Controls on Pulp Mill Emissions. Robie W. Macdonald, Michael G. Ikonomou, and David W. Paton. Environ. Sci. Technol., 32 (3), 331 -337, 1998.

Concentrations of the dioxins and furans showed a rapid increase following construction of Weyerhauser pulp and paper mill in 1965. For most dioxins, concentrations began a rapid decline in the late 1980s, coinciding with the conversion from 30% to 10% chlorine dioxide. In the latest sediment samples, 1993-4, the levels of all of the dioxins are higher than those of the late 1800s. For example, in the most recently deposited sediment, 2378-TCDD is 9 times higher and 2378-TCDF is 246 times higher than in the earliest sediment, although some of the penta- and hexa-, 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and furans are only two to six times higher.

Besides the pulp mill's estimated contribution of 5-9 grams per year of 2378-TCDF, the authors suggest that resuspension of older river and lake sediments also account for a substantial portion of this chemical in recently-deposited sediment. In the mid- to late 1980s, the mill may have been releasing as much as 600 g/yr of 2378-TCDF. Three of the PCBs -- CB13, CB15 and CB 37 -- followed the same pattern as the dioxins and furans, suggesting that these compounds are produced during bleaching of pulp with chlorine. This is apparently the first report of such findings.

Bioaccumulation of dioxins, coplanar PCBs, PCDEs, HxCNs, R-PCNs, R-PCPHs and R-PCBBs in fish from a pulp-mill recipient watercourse. Koistinen, J.; Paasivirta, J.; Lahtipera, M. (Univ. Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla 40500, Finland). Chemosphere, 27(1-3), 149-56 (English) 1993. CODEN: CMSHAF. ISSN: 0045-6535. DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal

Pike, perch, and lake bream from the River Kymijoki were analyzed by gas chromatog./mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and -dibenzofurans (PCDFs), hexachlorinated naphthalenes (HxCNs), non-ortho substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (coplanar PCBs) and alkylchloroaroms. of pulp mill origin. In most fish, the only congener of PCDD/PCDFs found was 2,3,7,8-TeCDF (<2-12 pg/g in fresh wt. [fw]).

Reference 12 [peer reviewed] - Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran levels and patterns in polyvinylchloride and chloralkali industry workers. Hansson, M., Barregard, L., Sallsten, G., Svensson, B.-G., Rappe, C. 1997. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 70:51-56.

Abstract: The production of chlorine and vinyl chloride (VCM) is associated with the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The objective of the present study was to determine whether the levels and congener patterns of PCDDs and PCDFs in the blood of workers involved in the production of such substances could be related to their occupational environment. PCDD and PCDF levels in blood plasma from VCM and chloralkali workers and in referents were determined by means of high- resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) techniques and the results were evaluated through principal component analysis (PCA). The overall levels of PCDDs and PCDFs were low, but the relative congener distribution detected in the workers differed from that found in the referents. 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, 1,2,3,4,7,8- and 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDFs are congeners related to work in VCM and chloralkali industries. Exposure to PCDDs and PCDFs in these industrial environments changes the congener-distribution pattern in the blood of workers as compared with referents. A combination of isomer- specific analysis of PCDDs and PCDFs in blood plasma and PCA is suitable for the differentiation between nonoccupational and occupational exposure and provides a means of assessing workersą exposure situation in different occupational settings.

Reference 13 [peer reviewed] - Is Combustion the Major Source of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins to the Environment? A Mass Balance Investigation. Baker, John, and Hites, Ronald, Indiana Univesity, Bloomington, Indiana 47405 - July 15, 2000

Abstract: We have summarized some of the significant work characterizing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) sources and sinks to and from the atmosphere. Much of this effort has focused on estimating emissions from combustion sources and comparing those estimates to atmospheric deposition measurements. Despite significant growth in the available data for emissions and for deposition, it still appears that total PCDD/F deposition exceeds emissions by well over a factor of 2. We have further investigated this phenomenon by first developing a method to estimate PCDD/F emissions for countries where these data are lacking. Second, we have investigated the global mass balance of PCDD/F on a homologue-specific basis, taking into account degradation by reactions with the OH radical. We have found that most of the mass balance discrepancy is due to the octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) congener. We suggest that the photochemical synthesis of OCDD from pentachlorophenol (PCP) in atmospheric condensed water is the most significant source of OCDD to the environment. Further research directions in this area are suggested.

Reference 14 [peer reviewed] - Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran concentrations in serum samples of workers at intermittently burning municipal waste incinerators in Japan S Kumagai, S Koda, T Miyakita, M Ueno, Occup Environ Med 2002;59:362­368

Objectives: To find whether or not incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning municipal incineration plants are exposed to high concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs).

Methods: 20 Workers employed at three municipal waste incineration plants (incinerator workers) and 20 controls were studied. The previous job, dietary, smoking, and body weight and height were obtained from a questionnaire survey. Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in serum samples of the workers and the deposited dust of the plants. The influence of occupational exposure on concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in serum samples was examined by multiple regression analysis.

Results: Dust analysis showed that dominant constituents were octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) among the PCDDs, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF) and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) among the PCDFs. The toxicity equivalents (TEQs) of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the deposited dust were 0.91, 33, and 11 ng TEQ/g, respectively, for plants I, II, and III. The means of TEQ in serum samples of summed PCDDs and PCDFs in the incinerator workers and controls were 22.8 and 16.4 pg TEQ/g lipid for area I, 29.4 and 19.3 pg TEQ/g lipid for area II, and 22.8 and 24.9 pg TEQ/g lipid for area III, which were almost the same as for the general population of Japan. No significant differences in the TEQ of PCDDs and TEQ of PCDDs and PCDDs were found between the incinerator workers and the controls. However, the TEQ of PCDFs was significantly higher among the incinerator workers in areas I and II, and the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF concentration was also significantly higher for all three areas. When the occupational exposure index for each constituent of PCDDs and PCDFs was defined as the product of the duration of employment at the incineration plant and the concentration of the constituent in the deposited dust, multiple regression analysis showed that the concentrations of HxCDF, HpCDF, and TEQ of PCDFs in serum samples increased with the occupational exposure index. The multiple regression analysis also suggested that significant factors affecting the concentrations in serum samples were area for HxCDD, age for TCDD, PeCDD, PeCDF, TEQ of PCDDs, TEQ of PCDFs, and TEQ of summed PCDDs and PCDFs, and BMI for HxCDD, HpCDD, and OCDD. Conclusion: This study showed that incinerator workers employed at intermittently burning incineration plants were not necessarily exposed to high concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs. However, the increases in the concentrations in serum of HxCDF, HpCDF and TEQ of PCDFs with the occupational exposure index suggest that the incinerator workers had inhaled dust containing PCDDs and PCDFs during their work. See end of article for authorsą affiliations ....................... Correspondence to: Dr S Kumagai, Department of Occupational Health, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 1­3­69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537­0025, Japan Accepted 8 November 2001 .......................

Envirolink Dioxin Home Page An excellent dioxin primer
ChemCenter Everything about Chemistry and Chemicals
CCHW American People's Dioxin report
Envirolink Library Everything about the Environment and Environmentalists
Medline - National Library of Medicine Everything about Medicine and Disease
Chlorine Chemistry Council An Industry trade group and information center
Greenpeace USA Toxics Page and a Dioxin Technical Report by Pat Costner.
CCHW Citizen's Clearinghouse Dioxin Campaign
Michigan Agent Orange Commission
Environment Canada - dioxin sources and data
Laura Filo - Calcasieu [Louisiana] League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN)
FTP Index - USEPA 1994 Dioxin Reassessment, Mercury-related Report to Congress and more recent EPA health/exposure assessment of PCB mixtures.