Steps towards a European dioxin emission inventory

The results of a project aiming at collection and evaluation of information regarding the industrial and non-industrial emission sources for dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDF) in 17 European Countries (EU 15, CH, N) are presented. An overview about national documents covering dioxin emission inventories for the period 1990–1995 is given. Some data on emissions associated with residual materials, waste and waste water are presented additionally. Based on the air emission data contained in these documents the most important emission sources were determined which are assumed to cover about 90% of the overall emissions. For the selected sources and for all 17 countries new estimates of the atmospheric PCDD/PCDF emissions were derived from average emission factors and statistical activity rates for the year 1994. As a result, on the European scale the largest annual PCDD/PCDF emission is assessed to be released from municipal waste incineration, quite closely followed by emissions from iron ore sintering. Considerable releases of dioxins and furans – based, however, on highly uncertain data – are further assessed for domestic burning, accidental fires and (former) use of contaminated wood preservatives (pentachlorophenol). A lower but still significant emission is further assigned to the sector of non-ferrous metal production; particular processes used in this branch proved to generate very high PCDD/PCDF flue gas concentrations.