Persistent Organic
Pollutants in Poland:
Study on Human Breast Milk
Waste Prevention Association "3R" Kraków, Apr02
Introduction
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Contents Prepared by Pawel Gluszynski thankful of
grants provided by: Small Grant
Programme of the GEF/SGP UNDP Regional
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe Global Alliance
for Incinerator Alternatives / Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance @ Copyright,
2002 |
On 23rd May of 2001, in Stockholm, Poland, together with 113 other countries, signed an international Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).1 In this way, our government has committed itself to elaborate and implement - in the shortest possible time - a national program for the identification and elimination of the sources of POPs. This commitment had also been made before in Poland's National Environmental Policy ("Polityka Ekologiczna Panstwa ,)2 and in the National Program of Preparation for Membership in the EU.
The actions taken so far by the government agencies towards protecting the society from the consequences of exposure to POPs need to be deemed inadequate. This concerns both access to information on the potential sources of pollutants and the financing of studies and investment projects aimed at controlling their release into the environment. The area those problems are the most conspicuous in is minimizing waste production and their safe disposal in the facilities that themselves are not another source of persistent organic pollutants.
The Waste Prevention Association (WPA) has demonstrated in its previous report that Poland is at the top of a shameful list of countries that are still struggling with their huge stocks of expired pesticides and equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).3 As for other sources of POPs, no reliable information is available - this concerns e.g. hexachlorobenzene.
It is practically impossible to obtain data on emissions from waste incineration plants, which are one of the main sources of persistent organic compounds.
In Poland, several studies were carried out of population's exposure to PCBs and pesticides [4, 6, 7]. Besides two measurements limited to one location, of which only one (performed in late 1980s) meets international standards, the content of dioxins in human breast milk was never analysed on a larger scale.
Therefore, WPA has undertaken to conduct one of the first studies in Poland to be carried out in several different regions of this country, while covering most of the compounds numbered among persistent organic pollutants. Our research can be used as material for further analyses, and first of all - for the taking of reference measurements in non-urbanized areas or where industrial plants with a different type of production are located.
Study on Human Breast Milk
Selection of towns
The studies have been conducted in three towns in which Poland's largest chemical works to use halogenated compounds for production purposes, as well as plants incinerating industrial and medical wastes, are located in the towns of Brzeg Dolny, Tarnów, and Wloclawek. Large chemical works complexes can be still found - or could be found until recently, like that in Tarnów - on the Polish official List of the 80 largest polluters on the national scale. In those towns, no analyses were carried out before of the level of population's exposure to compounds numbered among persistent organic pollutants.
It should be emphasised, however, that these are not the only towns in which elevated concentrations of organochlorine substances can potentially occur in the environment.
Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention: http://www.chem.unep.ch/sc Information in Polish, including a report on persistent organic pollutants in Poland, can be found on WPA web pages: http://www.otzo.most.org.pl/niebezpieczne
1
2 Chapter 1.4. Ekologizacja polityk sektorowych (Greening of sectoral policies), section 35, poprawa jakosci powietrza (air quality improvement). Warszawa, 2000.
3 "Persistent Organic Pollutants in Poland", WPA, Krakow 2001.
Brzeg Dolny
The chemical works "Rokita" in Brzeg Dolny (Zaklady Chemiczne "Rokita" S.A.) were built by Germans in late 1930s, for the sake of production of military gases - tabun and sarin. After WW II, the plant started to specialize in the production of pesticides and polyurethane. The several hundred products of "Rokita" include e.g.: chlorine liquid and chlorine gas, sodium hypochlorite, chlorobenzene, ortho- and paradichlorobenzene, monochloroacetic acid, trichloroethylene.
In 1980s, products of the Plant were analyzed for the presence of dioxin compounds. It was found out that a pentachlorophenol (PCP) - based wood preservative contained 1200 milligrams of dioxins per kilogram of the product, which is an extremely high concentration. Dioxins were also determined in some herbicides manufactured by "Rokita", but already at lower concentrations - in 2,4-D at the level of 14.7 mg/kg, and in 2,4-DP - 24.9 mg/kg. 5
An article published in 1992 contained information that over 20 000 tonnes of chlorinated wastes from pesticide production had been gathered on the premises of "Rokita". 6
In mid-1990s, a waste incineration plant was built at "Rokita" in which both wastes from the ongoing production as well as those amassed in previous years are disposed of. The incineration plant also receives PCB wastes from third-party deliverers.
In spite of repeatedly renewed written and telephone requests for information on the incineration plant and emission measurements, WPA has never received any reply from "Rokita's" management.
According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in Wroclaw, the prevailing winds in Brzeg are western ones - the chemical works are located in the eastern part of the town, but at a short distance from housing developments.
Tarnów
75 years ago, in the western part of Tarnów, one of Poland's larger chemical complexes came into being: Zaklady Azotowe ("Nitrogen Works"). From the very beginning, its basic products were nitrogen fertilizers and chlorine products. In 1967, production of polyvinyl chloride was launched. Starting from 1971, for five years the works produced PCB.
In 1989, the factory released into the atmosphere 826 tonnes of vinyl chloride and 174 tonnes of hydrogen chloride. By the year 2000, when a PVC production line was put out of use, emissions of vinyl chloride remained at the constant level of 17 tonnes per year, whereas emissions of hydrogen chloride varied from 300 to 500 tonnes a year.
Dioksyny - PCDDs. Grozne trucizny dla czlowieka i srodowiska przyrodniczego", Wydawnictwo AGH, Krakow 1989.
4
5 Tadeusz Górski, Tadeusz Syrowatka, Zanieczyszczenia polichlorowanymi dwubenzofuranami (PCDFs) chlorofenoli i niektórych herbicydów produkcji krajowej, Rocznik PZH", 1984, 35, No. 5.
6
Alphons A.C. Uijtewaal Amador, Buried Pesticides Waste Hazard to Poland, „Waste Management & Research", 10, 1992.The "Azoty" works burn considerable amounts of halogenated process wastes in the heat and power generating plant attached to the factory. Dioxin emissions accompanying the burning of chlorinated wastes amounted to 0.12 ng-TEQ/Nm3, and were relatively bigger in comparison with standard incineration plants, as the volume of flue gases amounted to 106 m3/h.
In the eastern part of the town, by the Provincial Hospital, a medical waste incineration plant was built in 1999 with a capacity of 976 tonnes/year. Recently, construction was started of an incineration plant for the sludge from the municipal sewage treatment plant.
Just like in other towns, western winds prevail.
Wloclawek
Since 1960s, Wloclawek has been home to Poland's largest plant producing granulated PVC and PVC panels: Zaklady Azotowe "Anwil" S.A. Annually, the plant produces 200 thou. tonnes of polyvinyl chloride, systematically striving to achieve the capacity of 300 thousand tonnes. Anwil's products include, among other things, chlorine liquid, ammonia, as well as hydrochloric and nitric acid.
In late 1980s, the plant released into the atmosphere 198 tonnes of vinyl chloride per year. In 1990s, the emissions were reduced threefold, and recently - by a further 50%.
In 1998, an incinerating plant for gaseous and solid chlorinated wastes was put into operation on Anwil's premises. In. 1999, 13800 tons of gaseous wastes were burnt, 5900 tonnes of liquid wastes, and 4 tonnes of solid wastes.
According to measurements taken, dioxin emissions are at the level of 0.04 ng-TEQ/Nm3.
At present, the incineration plant is used also by an Anwil's company - Chemeko - for the commercial burning of hazardous waste generated by other enterprises. On its web pages, Chemeko encourages potential deliverers to dispose of halogenated wastes at a dumping price: 390 PLN (approx. US$ 97) per tonne.
Attached to Wojewódzki Szpital Zeaspolony (Provincial Integrated Hospital) is a medical waste incineration plant with a capacity of 275 tonnes/year.
The above mentioned plants are located in the western and north-western part of the town, from the side from which winds blow the most often (~45%).
Research Procedure
The study has been conducted in line with recommendations of the World Health Organization.
Milk samples were taken in September 2001 by qualified medical staff from 31 anonymous donors: 10 in Tarnów and in Wloclawek each, and 11 in Brzeg Dolny. The donors had to meet the following criteria:
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had lived for at least 5 years in the town in which the study was being carried out, with a break of no longer than 6 months of continuous residence outside the town they lived in,
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their pregnancy period had had a normal progress,
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they were breastfeeding just one child,
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they were between 3rd and 7th week of lactation.
The material for investigation was taken on the whole territory of the identified towns, without limitation to the immediate neighborhood of the industrial plants.
Individual samples (50 ml) were mixed together (pooled), in order to obtain one for a given town. The human milk was subject to analysis in laboratories internationally certified for the testing of compounds numbered among persistent organic pollutants. The analysis of dioxins and furans was carried out in the Czech Republic by the company Axys Varilab, whereas polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides were determined at the National Reference Center for Dioxin and Related Compounds in Slovakia.
Survey
An interview was held with each of the women. It was based on a standard WHO questionnaire, supplemented by WPA with a question on the contact of those surveyed with toxic substances (pesticides, halogenated compounds or others) in the workplace. The surveys have been summarised the table below:
Brzeg
Dolny Tarnów Wloclawek
Average age of donors (years) 29 23 27
Average age of children (weeks) 5 3.7 4.5
Children's sex 5 girls 6 girls 8 girls
6 boys 4 boys 2 boys
Average weight of children(kg) 4.29 4.18 3.42
Medicines
taken in the period of
lactation none none none
Exposure of donors to toxic
substances in the workplace none none none
Number of women who smoke 2
(from 2 to 6 2
cigarettes/day) 0 (from 6 to 10
3 cigarettes/day)
quit smoking
The diet of the women surveyed did not differ from the national average and from the average for the period of breast feeding. Mothers consumed 500 ml of milk with the average fat content up to 2.9% and bigger quantities of cheese, mainly of the low-fat varieties. On the other hand, they ate fish less frequently than once a week, and beef - less frequently than twice a week. In Wloclawek, 60% of the surveyed excluded beef from their diet completely.
Results of Milk Analyses
The determined levels of POPs content in the women's milk have been collected in the table below. For the sake of simplicity, all values have been given in picograms per gram of fat (pg/g).
Congener/ TEQ WHO Brzeg Dolny Tarnów Włocławek
Substance pg/g fat pg/g fat pg/g fat
Dioxins and furans
2,3,7,8 TeCDD 1 1,8 1,6 1,8
1,2,3,7,8 PeCDD 1 2,7 3,1 3,9
1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDD 0,1 1,5 1,5 1,4
1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDD 0,1 8,3 7,0 9,7
1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDD 0,1 2,0 1,7 2,1
1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDD 0,01 10,1 17,5 9,1
OCDD 0,0001 40,2 62,9 59,3
2,3,7,8 TeCDF 0,1 1,3 0,9 1,3
1,2,3,7,8 PeCDF 0,05 0,6 0,5 0,5
2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF 0,5 10,7 10,3 9,9
1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDF 0,1 6,4 4,3 3,9
1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDF 0,1 3,3 2,9 2,3
1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDF 0,1 0 0 0
2,3,4,6,7,8 HxCDF 0,1 1,2 1,4 1,1
1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDF 0,01 3,4 2,4 3,2
1,2,3,4,7,8,9 HpCDF 0,01 0,3 0,2 0,2
OCDF 0,0001 1,5 0,8 1,0
pg WHO-TEQ/g fat - 12,42 12,05 12,98
Polychlorinated biphenyls
PCB-28 - 950 1100 1070
PCB-52 - <120 <120 <120
PCB-101 - 650 290 90
PCB-105 0,0001 890 1270 950
PCB-118 0,0001 4940 6330 4930
PCB-138 - 17800 16000 15600
PCB-153 - 26400 24300 22000
PCB-156 0,0005 3300 2540 2610
PCB-157 0,0005 400 180 300
PCB-170 - 6090 4790 4540
PCB-180 - 15300 17000 12700
PCB-189 0,0001 60 <50 <50
pg WHO-TEQ/g fat - 2,44 2,12 2,05
Sum of PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs
- 14,86 14,17 15,03
Pesticides
HCB - 34900 31500 22600
alfa-HCH - <80 <80 <80
beta-HCH - 14980 18400 16500
gama-HCH - 960 970 1120
p,p'-DDE - 13200 6860 7300
p,p'-DDT - 99800 50900 49900
Due to a shortage of funds, the following most toxic coplanar congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls have not been anal in the material collected: 77, 81, 126, and 169. Thus, the actual toxicity level for PCBs will be much higher, by at least 30%. In line with the WHO procedure, the total TEQ of dioxins, furans and PCBs should be increased accordingly.
The value of daily intake of dioxins and PCBs from mother's milk by children has been calculated based on the formula of the US EPA [2]:
| ADDinfant = |  |
where,
ADDinfant = Average daily dose to the infant (pg/kg-d)
Cmilk fat = Concentration in milk fat (pg/g)
IRmilk = Ingestion rate of breast milk (kg/d)
f3 = Fraction of fat in breast milk
f4 = Fraction of ingested contaminant that is
absorbed
ED = Exposure duration
BWinfant = Body weight of infant (kg)
AT = Averaging time (yr)
According to data from relevant publications [1, 2, 5] and the dietary history data obtained by way of an inquiry, the volume of daily consumption of milk by the children has been assumed to be 800 ml. Using this procedure, the following results have been obtained:
WHO Brzeg Substance Standard Dolny Tarnów Wloclawek PCDDs + PCDFs + PCBs pg WHO TEQ/kg of body 1-4 90,48 86,74 93,79 weight/day
Taking into account the lowest safe intake of dioxins and PCBs, specified by the WHO at the level of 1 pg-TEQ/kg of body weight per day7, the excesses are as high as over 90-fold.
Multiple excesses of the highest acceptable intake of toxic compounds have been found also in the case of DDT (calculated per product):
Brzeg Substance NDP8 Dolny Tarnów Wloclawek HCB (mg/kg) 0,04 0,0012 0,0011 0,0008HCH (mg/kg) 0,005 0,0005 0,0007 0,0006 DDT: sum of 0,01 0,052 0,027 0,029 p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT (mg/kg)
Without additional analyses, especially of the sources of origin of food, it is not possible to determine the reasons for differences between the content of DDT in Brzeg Dolny and in the other towns.
7In April 2001, the Joint Expert Committee of FAO/WHO on Food Additives and Contaminants suggested establishing a new Tolerable Monthly Intake (PTMI) of dioxins and PCBs at the level of 70 pg-TEQ per kg of body weight. In practice, that means that with permanent exposure, the daily intake of dioxins cannot exceed 2 pg-TEQ per kg of body weight.
8 The highest acceptable level of pesticides in baby products (up to the age of 12 months), and small children (up to the age of 36 months), Ordinance of Ministry of Health (Dz. U. 1997 nr 43, poz. 273).
Summing-up
The determined concentrations of persistent organic pollutants exceed the domestic and world standards of health safety by many times. True, they are close to those found in other industrialised countries in early 1990s, but they differ considerably from the current concentrations [1, 5, 8, 10].
Considering the production profile of industrial plants located in the towns in which our investigations were conducted, they have been a source of POPs for many decades. During that period, consecutive generations received elevated intakes of most dangerous toxins. One can only suppose that in the past the level of contamination was even higher than today.
The exposure of the population, and especially children, to long-term high intakes of POPs results in irreversible genetic and immunological changes - increased incidence of various infections, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. 9
Thus, it is necessary to take quick steps in order to precisely identify the sources of POPs and eliminate them.
Agencies that study the effects of dioxins on the human body assume in spite of all that breast feeding is more beneficial for the child's development. The negative effect of dioxins is caused first of all by the long-term exposure rather than by the elevated daily intake within a relatively short period of time.
9
Bibliography
1. Compilation of EU Dioxin Exposure and Health Data. Summary Report, European Commission DG Environment, 1999.
2. Exposure and Health Assessment for 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TODD) and Related Compounds. Part 1: Estimating Exposure to Dioxin-Like Compounds, US EPA, 2000.
3. Dioxin and Furan Inventories. National and Regional Emissions of PCDD/PCDF, United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva, 1999.
4. Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic Chemicals in Central and Eastern European Countries - State-of-the-art Report, TOCOEN Report No. 150a, Brno, 2000. http://recetox.chemi.muni.cz
5. Judy S. LaKind, Cheston M. Berlin, Daniel Q. Naiman, Infant Exposure to Chemicals in Breast Milk in the United States: What We Need to Learn From a Breast Milk Monitoring Program, Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 109, Number 1, 2001.
6. Renata Pietrzak-Fiecko, Stefan S. Smoczynski, Insektycydy chloroorganiczne w mleku kobiecym z Olsztyna w latach 1976, 1986, 1996, Rocznik PZH, 2001, 52 nr 1.
7. Pawel Strucinski, Jan K. Ludwicki, Katarzyna Góralczyk, Katarzyna Czaja, Agnieszka Hernik, Sxxxrodowiskowe nara2xxxenie na polichlorowane bifenyle - wybrane aspekty zdrowotne, Materialy konferencyjno-szkoleniowe programu PCB-STOP, Wroclaw, 2001.
8. Investigation of Organochlorine Contaminants in the Milk of New Zealand Women, Ministry of Health, April 2001.
9. Ocena wypelniania wymogów ochrony srodowiska przez zaklady z Listy 80", Panstwowa Inspekcja Ochrony Srodowiska, Warszawa, 1997.
10. Assessment of dietary intake of dioxins and related PCBs by the population of EU Member States, European Commission, 7 June 2000.
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