Evaluating Monitoring Technologies for Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds

Performance verification of innovative field analytical technologies is an integral part of the regulatory and research mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Established by EPA to help meet this mission, the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program evaluates technologies designed for characterization and remediation of contaminated Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act sites. The Program demonstrates and evaluates innovative technologies designed to help assess the degree of contamination at a site, provide data that can be used to determine the risk to human health or the environment, and monitor the effectiveness of a remediation process.

Conventional analytical methods for determining dioxin and dioxin-like compounds are highly accurate and sensitive, but time consuming and costly. The use of simple, rapid, and cost-effective screening methods enable field personnel to quickly assess the extent of dioxin contamination at a site. Screening data also provide immediate feedback on potential health risks associated with a site and permit the development of a more focused and cost-effective sampling strategy.

Battelle is assisting EPA in a performance evaluation of five innovative technologies that measure dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in soil and sediment. In cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Region 5, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a field demonstration was conducted at a site within a National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, Michigan. As part of the demonstration, each developer analyzed more than 200 dioxin-contaminated samples, including soil and sediment, with a variety of distinguishing compositions such as high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Environmental samples were collected from 10 dioxin-contaminated sites and standard reference materials were obtained from commercial providers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has established a decision framework for sites that are contaminated with dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. If samples are determined to have dioxin toxicity equivalents (TEQ) between 50 and 1,000 picograms per gram (pg/g), the site should be further evaluated; action is recommended for levels above 1,000 pg/g TEQ. EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response has similar guidance that is consistent with the ATSDR recommendations. By incorporating samples that bracket these guidance levels, performance data will be generated during this demonstration that will allow users to determine if a technology can accurately and precisely perform at concentrations that are of regulatory significance.

Battelle is preparing performance evaluation reports for each technology. The reports will be published on the SITE Program’s Web site (http://www.epa.gov/ORD/SITE) in January 2005. For more information regarding this dioxin demonstration, contact Ms. Amy Dindal at (561) 422-0113, dindala@battelle.org.