dioxins & pcbs: environmental levels and human exposure in candidate countries anke joas 2/3 feb...

Dioxins & PCBs: Environmental Levels and Human Exposure in Candidate Countries

Anke Joas

2/3 Feb 2004

Bratislava

ELICC

Consortium: Environmental Levels in Candidate Countries

BiPROBeratungsgesellschaft für

integrierte Problemlösungen

chart chart 22 BiPRO

Background for Commission Activities

Community strategy for Dioxins, Furans and PCBs (COM(2001)593) which aims to reduce the presence of dioxins and PCBs in

• the environment and

• in food and feed

• to reduce the human exposure and body burden

Framework:

• European Dioxin Emission Inventory (stage I and II) (1997 and 2000)

• Preparatory Actions in the field of Dioxins and PCBs (2001)

• Dioxins and other POPs in by-products, recylates and wastes and their potential to enter the food chain (stage I and II) (2000 and 2002)

Recent projects:

For more information see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/dioxin/index.htm


Background for Commission Activities in Accession Countries

Council Conclusion of 12 December 2001 which supports the Community Strategy and which stresses the need to involve Accession Countries

Enlarged Framework:

• Dioxin Emissions in Candidate Countries(termination: end 2004)

• Dioxins and PCBs: Environmental Levels and Human Exposurein Candidate Countries (termination: March 2004)

Current projects:


Objectivies of the ongoing project

ExpertLaboratories

StoringDestruction

Overview on available data

Data /Knowledge Gaps

Knowledge exchange /Capacity building

Environmental contamination

Human exposure

MonitoringResearch

Legislation

Aggregation Analysis Comparison

IntegralAssessment


Methods for information collection

Internet research Scientific contacts Project homepage

Questionnaire

Ministries of Agriculture

Ministries of Health

Ministries of Environment


Homepage for Communication & knowledge exchange

• Information on the project background and its objectives

• Information on project results

• Information exchange platform

• Events

• Contact

• Links

Home Project results Discussion forum Events Contact Links

Environment levelsReporting Human exposure Legal aspects Monitoring Capacities Other aspects

Regularly up-dated with results (after approval by the Commission)

www.eu-pops.org


Structure: Bi-directional Approach

Detailed information on specific topics

• Contamination

• Monitoring

• Capacity

• Legislation

• Plannings

• Time trends

• Local specifities

• Congeners

• Other

Comparative overview for all countries


Monitoring/Research related to PCDD/Fs

PCDD/Fs : Air countrywide system in CZ;

sporadic measurements SK, PL

Water rare localised sporadic measurements in CZ, PL

Sediments only data from CZ and PL

Soils measurements in CZ, PL, HU, SK, (EST)

Vegetation data rom CZ, (SLO)

Wildlife measurements in CZ, EST, LV, RO, (SK)

Food monitoring in CZ, SK, M, (SLO)

Feed ?

Total diet CZ, (SK)

Human milk monitoring in BG, CZ, EST, HU, LT, RO, PL, SK

Adipose tissue CZ

Blood SK


Monitoring/Research related to PCBs

PCBs : Air monitoring in CZ, some data from SK, EST, LV, PL,

Water regular monitoring in at least 6 out of 13 countries

Sediments systematic monitoring in main water courses in at least 8 countries

Soils measurements started in most countries in the framework of GEF projects

Vegetation data rom CZ, (SLO)

Wildlife fish and wild game included in food monitoring programmes; fresh water fish in CZ, (SK, RO)

Food monitoring in almost all countries

Feed ?

Total diet CZ, SK, HU

Human milk monitoring in BG, CZ, EST, HU, LT, RO, PL, SK

Adipose tissue CZ, PL, SK, HU, TR

Blood SK, PL, CZ, LV, SLO, RO


Priorities of Monitoring & Research

soil

sedimentsfood

human milk

fish

water adip. tissue

blood airveg.

relative amount of information


Differences in Food Monitoring

MeatMeat

ProductGame Fish

Fish Product

Milk Milk

ProductOthers

DrinkingWater

Different approaches based on nationally identified needs

• Extensive / sophisticated monitoring

• Standard monitoring of main animal food groups

• Focussed monitoring of selected indicator foods

• Monitoring of imported food only

• Focussed monitoring of food from contaminated locations

Different grouping of food items (meat products/fish products)


Differences in Monitoring & Research Activities

Extended monitoring programmes in environmental compartments & related human exposure

Monitoring in specific compartments/ selected research projects

recent start of activities in the framework of GEF projects

e.g. CZ, SK

e.g. EST, LT, CY

e.g. TR, M, RO


Environmental Levels: Time trend for PCBs in Rivers – Poland

Mean annual concentrations of the sum of PCBs (g/l) in the Oder and Vistula rivers between 1992-2001 (data from the State Environmental Monitoring, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Poland)

Year Vistula Oder

Krakow Warszawa Kiezmark Chalupki Wroclaw

1992 0,0275 0,0078 0,0075 0,0018 0,0014

1993 0,0138 0,0103 0,0072 0,0037 0,0039

1994 0,0234 0,0125 - 0,0079 0,0080

1995 0,0129 0,0090 0,0011 0,0171 0,0097

1996 0,0134 0,0099 0,0184 - 0,0080

1997 0,0137 0,0110 0,0088 0,0040 0,0114

1998 0,0112 0,0138 0,0088 - 0,0096

1999 0,0127 0,0136 - - 0,0198

2000 0,0170 0,0141 - 0,0015 0,0158

2001 0,0078 0,0082 - 0,0098 0,0157

Mean 0,0153 0,0110 0,0086 0,0065 0,0103


Environmental Levels: dioxinlike PCBs in River Ecosystems – Poland


Contamination Sources / "hot spots"

• Industrial emissions

• uncontrolled burning at dumping sites

• domestic burning

• soil, sediment at historic production sites and former military camps

• transformer & capacitors

• contaminated oil stocks

Current knowledge:

emission estimates

stock inventories

future needs:

measurements at suspected sites / major rivers / representative food items / human indicator mediums


Legislation: Implementation of EU Directives

2000/76/EC (incineration of waste)

1996/59/EC (disposal of PCBs/PTCs)

1976/769/EEC (marketing and use)

1996/61/EC (pollution prevention IPPC)

2000/60/EC (water framework)

2001/1002/EC (animal nutrition)

2001/2375/EC (maximum levels in food)

emission limits transposed

partly problems with safe disposal and time limit for

complete depletion

transposed; refilling not always forbidden

partly problems in meeting time limits

transposed

no information

only in some countries already implemented

4


Variations in national limit values for PCBs – Food

Meat 200 – 3000 ng / g lipid

Milk 100 – 1500 ng / g lipid

Eggs 200 – 500 ng / g lipid

Fish 100 – 3000 ng / g lipid

Animal Fat 500 ng / g lipid


Laboratory and destruction capacity

0

0

0

0

(1)

1

1

1

3

5

1

0

0

Dioxin Labs

Destruction

Capacity

PCB

Labs

Country

00Malta

02Cyprus

00Turkey

0?Bulgaria

?(10)Romania

04Slovenia

8Hungary

planned?Slovakia

()~ 30Czech Republic

()~ 30Poland

02Lithuania

02Latvia

03Estonia


Analysis of available Contamination data (Impact factors)

Data - Pool

Age of sample species

Years

Type of sample

Number of samples

Location of samples

Analysis method laboratory standard (reference level)

Number/Type of congeners

poor highly inhomogeneous data

need for harmonisation and filling of gaps

limited possibilities for comparison


Major data and knowledge gaps

lack of data or severely restricted number of data in the majority of countries

special lack of dioxin data

small number of samples

different analytical methods and quality standards

different number of analysed congeners

different temporal (year) and spatial (location) characteristics of data

poor availability of data


Consequences for integral assessment

Best sources for comparison:

International studies with identical analysing laboratory

e.g.

WHO – Exposure study on the levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fsin human milk (2nd & 3rd round)

JRC – study on PCDD/Fs and PCBs in butter samples from the European Accession Countries

Studies comprising more than one country

Studies with analysis in reference laboratory meeting EU quality standards


WHO Human milk

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

WH

O-T

EQ

pg

/g f

at [

med

ian

]y

PCDDs/PCDFs

PCBs


Annual average atmospheric concentrations of PCBs (sum of seven) from four European sites 1996-2001

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Netherlands

Kosetice, CR

Rörvik, Sw e

Pallas, Fin

pg/m3Sum PCB

28,52,101,118,153,138,180


Baltic herring age group 2-3

3

1,11,4

2

2,5

4,6

1,6 1,5 1,6

3,6

2,4

1,31,6

1,7

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

5

BothnianBay (14)

BothnianBay (14)

BothnianSea (15)

BothnianSea (15)

W.Bornholm

(15)

W.Bornholm

(17)

W.Bornholm

(18)

W.Bornholm

(20)

W.Bornholm

(15)

Baltic Sea(2)

Gulf of Riga(2)

West. Gulfof Finland

(3)

Centr. Gulfof Finland

(3)

Gulf of Riga(3)

() number of samples

PCDD/F [pg TEQ/fresh weight)

Sweden

Latvia

Estonia


Knowledge exchange & Capacity building

Programmes in the framework of the European Union:

• PHARE/ Twinning, ISPA, LIFE

Programmes in the framework of WHO:

• GEF funded projects to meet teh obligations under the Stockholm Convention

• WHO human milk study

• GEMS-Food-EURO

Regional Co-operations, international Conventions and Databases:

• Baltic Environmental Forum (BEF), DANCEE

• HELCOM, BARCOM (Medpol)

• EIONET, EUROWATERNET, EMEP, etc.

Reports, Websites:

•Dioxins and PCBs: Environmental Levels and Human Exposure in Candidate Countries

•Dioxin Emissions in Candidate Countries


Conclusions I

Capacity building International conventionEuropean Databases

AchievementsNEAP, NIP, NEMP

Expert network

Legislative Framework


Conclusions II

Measurements to close data gaps

Deficites

Accessibility of data

Harmonisation of sampling & analysis standards

Emission reduction/ destruction/ remediation

Educational measures for awareness rising

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