Dioxins, effects

Vos, J.G. 1978. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin effects and mechanisms. Pages 165-176 in C. Ramel (ed.). Chlorinated Phenoxy Acids and Their Dioxins. Ecol. Bull. (Stockholm) 27. 

Keywords Dioxins Effects Furans Levels Sources Trends Abbreviations... 

Since 1979 the use of 24 5 T has been regu lated in the United States It is likely that the United States Environmental Protection Agency will classify some dioxins as known and others as probable human carcinogens and recommend further controls be placed on processes that produce them It appears from decreasing dioxin levels in some soils that exist mg regulations are having some effect ... 

For a detailed discussion of the sources and biological effects of doxins see the article Dioxins Not Doomsday in the December 1999 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education pp 1662-1666... 

The misconception that vinyl gives off dioxin when it is incinerated is misleading. A study conducted by ASME in 1995 (162) found that the presence, or absence, of chlorine-containing wastes in incinerators had no effect on the levels of dioxin produced. Rather, it was found that incinerator operating conditions (primarily temperature) were the key to controlling dioxin formation. More recentiy, German officials examined the issue of incinerating vinyl waste and decided there was no cause for concern (180). 

In a series of papers (175) comparing chlorination and o2oni2ation, reactive and acid dyes were readily destroyed, but direct and disperse dyes reacted more slowly o2one was more effective in some instances. Although chlorination is cheaper than o2oni2ation, the possible formation of chlorinated compounds such as dioxin and its environmental impact caimotbe overlooked (see Chlorocarbonsandchlorohydrocarbons, TOXIC AROMATICS). 

There are several useful syntheses which effectively commence with the cycloaddition of oxygen, a nitroso compound, an azo compound or a sulfinylamine to a 1,3-diene leading to the corresponding 1,2-dioxins, 1,2-oxazines, pyridazines or 1,2-thiazines. Examples of the transformation of these adducts into five-membered heterocycles are shown in Scheme 114 together with leading references. 

Optimized modern dry scrubbing systems for incinerator gas cleaning are much more effective (and expensive) than their counterparts used so far for utility boiler flue gas cleaning. Brinckman and Maresca [ASME Med. Waste Symp. (1992)] describe the use of dry hydrated lime or sodium bicarbonate injection followed by membrane filtration as preferred treatment technology for control of acid gas and particulate matter emissions from modular medical waste incinerators, which have especially high dioxin emissions. 

Not effective in capturing some contaminants that exist as vapors at high temperatures (e.g., heavy metals, dioxins)... 

Seveso, Italy, caused wide-spread pollution of the industrial site as well as its surroundings. Serious effects of dioxin were detected both in dontestic animals, such as cows and sheep, and in humans, the most serious early effects being a serious skin disease, chloracne, and alterations in the function of the immune system. Follow-up studies have demonstrated that this accident also increased the cancer risk in exposed individuals. ... 

The use of an unnecessarily hot heating medium led to the runaway reaction at Seveso, Italy, in 1976, which caused a fallout of dioxin over the sun ounding countryside, making it unfit for habitation. Although no one was killed, it became one of the best-known chemical accidents, exceeded only by Bhopal, and had far-reaching effects on the laws of many countries. 

Dioxins are prominent members of the class of polychlorinated hydrocarbons that also includes diben-zofuran, biphenyls and others. Dioxins are highly toxic environmental contaminants. Like others small planar xenobiotics, some dioxins bind with high affinity to the arylhydrocarbon (Ah) receptor. Dioxins activate the receptor over a long time period, but are themselves poor substrates for the enzymes which are induced via the Ah-receptor. These properties of the dioxins and related xenobiotics may be important for the toxicity of these compounds. Dioxins like 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin can cause persistent dermatosis, like chloracne and may have other neurotoxic, immunotoxic and carcinogenic effects. 

Mere destruction of the original hazardous material is not, however, an adequate measure of the performance of an incinerator. Products of incomplete combustion can be as toxic as, or even more toxic than, the materials from which they evolve. Indeed, highly mutagenic PAHs are readily generated along with soot in fuel-rich regions of most hydrocarbon flames. Formation of dioxins in the combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons has also been reported. We need to understand the entire sequence of reactions involved in incineration in order to assess the effectiveness and risks of hazardous waste incineration. 

Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) are estimated relative to 2,3,7,8-TCDD, which is assigned a value of 1. They are measures of the toxicity of individual compounds relative to that of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. A variety of toxic indices, measured in vivo or in vitro, have been used to estimate TEFs, including reproductive effects (e.g., embryo toxicity in birds), immunotoxicity, and effects on organ weights. The degree of induction of P450 lAl is another measure from which estimations of TEF values have been made. The usual approach is to compare a dose-response curve for a test compound with that of the reference compound, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and thereby establish the concentrations (or doses) that are required to elicit a standard response. The ratio of concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD to concentration of test chemical when both compounds produce the same degree of response is the TEF. Once determined, a TEF can be used to convert a concentration of a dioxin-like chemical found in an environmental sample to a toxic equivalent (TEQ). 

Thus, [C] X TEE = TEQ i , i , where [C] = environmental concentration of planar polychlorinated compound. The TEQ is an estimate of the concentration of TCDD that would produce the same effect as the given concentration of the dioxin-like chemical. 

PCDDs and PCDEs, together with coplanar PCBs, can express Ah-receptor-mediated toxicity. TCDD (dioxin) is used as a reference compound in the determination of TEFs, which can be used to estimate TEQs (toxic equivalents) for residues of PHAHs found in wildlife samples. Biomarker assays for Ah-receptor-mediated toxicity have been based on the induction of P450 lAl. TEQs measured in field samples have sometimes been related to toxic effects upon individuals and associated ecological effects (e.g., reproductive success). 

Coplanar PCBs, PCDDs, and PCDFs express Ah-receptor-mediated toxicity (Chapter 6, Section 6.2.4). Binding to the receptor leads to induction of cytochrome P4501 and a number of associated toxic effects. Again, toxic effects are related to the extent of binding to this receptor and appear to be additive, even with complex mixtures of planar polychlorinated compounds. Induction of P4501A1/2 has been widely used as the basis of a biomarker assay. Residue data can be used to estimate TEQs for dioxin (see Chapter 7, Section 7.2.4). 

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