PCDD/Fs in the soils in the province of Trento: 10 years of monitoring

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2015, Vol.187 (1), p.4114-4114, Article 4114
• Main Authors: Rada, E. C, Ragazzi, M, Marconi, M, Chistè, A, Schiavon, M, Fedrizzi, S, Tava, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzofurans - analysis; children; conservation areas; Dioxins; Dioxins - analysis; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental engineering; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental protection; Furans; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Incineration; Incinerators; Industrial plant emissions; Industrial plants; Ingestion; Italy; Laboratories; monitoring; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Municipal solid waste; Parks & recreation areas; Pesticides; Plant introductions; Pollutants; Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Polymers - analysis; Protected areas; soil; Soil - chemistry; soil ingestion; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Solid Waste; steel; Steel industry; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-4114-x

This paper presents a 10-year overview of the dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) content in soils in the province of Trento (Italy). The aim was to compare the results found in the Valsugana valley where there is a steel-making plant with other locations within the province. During 2002 and from 2005 to 2010, campaigns were carried out in order to obtain a background reference in terms of micropollutants, in view of the possible construction of a municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator in Trento. In 2009, a campaign was performed for the environmental characterization of the Valsugana valley, the town of Trento and its surroundings, in order to help assess the impact of the steel-making plant. In 2012, another campaign was carried out by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Trento, in order to monitor the soils in the area around the steel mill. All the campaigns showed relatively low concentrations of PCDD/Fs, both in protected areas and in the areas close to the industrial plants. No critical situations were identified, as also confirmed by an estimation of the potential daily PCDD/F intake by children subject to accidental ingestion of soil.