Dioxin like compounds from municipal waste incinerator emissions: Assessment of the presence of polychlorinated naphthalenes

Polychloronaphthalenes (PCN) were identified and quantified in emission sam ples Collected from five different municipal waste incinerators (MWI). Poly chlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorodibenzofulans (PCDF) were also determined to find a possible relationship between these classes of organo chlorinated compounds. The analyses of PCDD/PCDF and PCN were carried out b y high resolution gas chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spec trometry using a positive electron ionization source and operating in the s elected ion monitoring analyzer mode (HRGC-HRMS/EI(+)-SIM). The total level s of PCN varied from 1.08 up to 21.36 ng/Nm(3) (mono- to octachlorinated) a nd 0.33 to 5.72 ng/Nm(3) (tetra- to octachlorinated), whereas the levels of PCDD/PCDF ranged between 1.14 and 276.26 ng/Nm(3) (0.01 and 5 ng I-TEQ/Nm( 3)), depending on the type of the MWI. These findings do not corroborate a PCN and PCDD/PCDF correlation. (C)1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.