DIOXINS, FURANS AND HEXACHLOROBENZENE – REPORT ON TASK

FORCE ACTIVITIESBeatriz Cardenas, National Institute of Ecology, Mexico

Lorraine Seed, Safe Environment Directorate, Health Canada

Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America Fourth Workshop on Sources and Measurements of Dioxins, Furans

and Hexachlorobenzene

October 28, 2010

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

North American Air Monitoring Network• Mexican air monitoring program includes 7 background sites and 2

urban reference sites; first phase 2008-2010 of data collection nearly complete; second phase 2011-2015; third phase 2016-2018; regional assessment/analysis ongoing priority for Mexico.

• First three years of operation of Mexican monitoring program to discussed at this workshop.

• Assessment and tri-country comparison of air monitoring data to be undertaken following completion of first phase of Mexican data collection -> 2011; integration of the North American Network -> 2014-2015.

• Parties participate in the Global Emissions Inventory

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Freshwater Sediment Cores• Data from sediment cores collected from Miramar Lagoon in Mexico

to be presented at this workshop. • Identification of other potential sampling sites for sediment cores to

be undertaken in 2011, followed by monitoring in 2012/2013.• U. S. and Canada collected significant data on lake sediments,

especially those in the Great Lakes Basin

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Human Biomonitoring• Tri-country compilation and comparison of human exposure data

including metals and POPs in draft and under review.• Canada-wide maternal and infant study underway for monitoring

exposure to dioxins and other chemicals; analysis of pooled plasma samples representative of Canadian exposures undertaken for organochlorines including dioxins and furans -> results available in 2011.

• Compilation of U.S. NHANES data on exposure to various chemicals including dioxins being augmented.

• Updated data for human milk monitoring to be presented at this workshop.

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Human Biomonitoring cont:

• Recent study of POPs and metals in children living near Mexican brick kilns showed elevated levels of hexachlorobenzene and other toxic substances in sampled tissues.

• Human milk program to be established 2012-2015• Updated information on food pathways to be presented at this

workshop.

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Food Pathways Analysis• Sampling and analysis of eggs in Mexican brick kiln areas

undertaken.• Analytical capacity in Mexico for foods established; protocols,

standard methodologies, and food monitoring exercise in Mexico planned for 2012-2015, to be discussed at this workshop.

• U.S. and Canada have on-going programs to analyze foods and determine food consumption patterns, to be discussed at this workshop.

• U.S. and Canada undertake regular sampling of animal feeds and animal food products to determine dioxin contamination and conduct trace-backs to identify origin of contamination; corrective action undertaken to eliminate sources of contamination.

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Fate and Transport Modelling• Technical workshops held in Mexico in 2009, and to be held in

2010, on short and long range atmospheric modelling, toward development of regional modelling capacity in Mexico; planned to continue from 2011-2015 using actual data.

• Trinational integrated modelling planned for 2013-2015.

Sampling Techniques and Analytical Protocols• Workshops held in Mexico in 2007, 2008, 2009, and currently, on

sampling and analytical protocols and source control featuring U.S. and Canadian approaches and expertise; sectors covered include steel manufacturing, base metals smelting, cement manufacturing, brick manufacturing, waste incineration, and others.

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Sampling Techniques and Analytical Protocols cont:

• Technical training sessions provided to Mexico by Canada in 2006 on quality assurance/control for air sampling and analysis, foods analysis; additional training conducted in Mexico in 2008.

• Human health and environmental risk assessment workshop series provided to Mexico by Canada.

• Standard methods and adaptation of QAP undertaken in 2008 for the Air Monitoring Network and from 2008-2010 for soil and emissions as part of the Stockholm Expert Group.

• Sampling techniques for soils and other matrices to be discussed at this workshop.

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT cont.

Sampling Techniques and Analytical Protocols cont.

• Technical training sessions provided to Mexico by Canada for air sampling and foods analysis.

LABORATORY TESTING

Needs Analysis• Ongoing discussions regarding feasible options for meeting

Mexico’s analytical needs.

Analytical Protocols• Workshops held in Mexico in 2007, 2008, 2009, and currently, on

sampling and analytical protocols featuring U.S. and Canadian approaches and expertise.

INVENTORIES

Improvement in Inventories• Empirical verification of emission factors for Mexican industry on-

going facilitated by source testing in U.S. and Canada; revisions ongoing for domestic emission inventories; goal to improve comparability of North American inventory data.

• Special focus on emission factors for open fire, wood burning and brick kilns as part of the UNEP and Stockholm C Expert Group activities.

• Ongoing identification of potential sources of these substances, with a particular emphasis on Mexico, for inclusion in national inventories; 2010 update of Mexican emission inventory using experimentally-derived emission factors.

INVENTORIES cont.

Improvement in Inventories cont:

• Focus on estimating size and flux of releases from aquatic and terrestrial reservoir sources.

• Workshops held in 2007, 2009 and 2010 on improvement of methodologies for conducting inventories.

Public Access to Inventory Data• U.S. and Canadian emission inventories are publicly available.• Investigate opportunities with the CEC’s Pollutant Release and

Transfer Register Working Group to improve public access to information about releases of these substances.

POLLUTION PREVENTION

Industrial and Other Sources• Canada completed Stockholm Convention National Action Plan on

POPs promoting BAT/BEP; U.S. applies MACT standards and effluent guidelines toward release control.

Small-Scale Waste Disposal• Canada and the U.S have reviewed and inventoried the formation of

dioxins from small-scale incineration and prepared educational material regarding residential burning practices.

• Workshop held in 2009 in Mexico on wood stoves, open burning and brick kilns.

POLLUTION CONTROL

• Workshops held in Mexico in 2007, 2008, 2009, and currently, on sampling and analytical protocols and source control featuring U.S., Canadian and Mexican approaches and expertise; sectors covered include steel manufacturing, base metals smelting, cement manufacturing, brick manufacturing, waste incineration, and others.

Production Processes• Preparation begun for release of report identifying feasible options

for release reductions in production processes.

POLLUTION CONTROL cont.

Pesticides• Regulatory efforts ongoing in Canada and U.S. to minimize dioxins

and HCB as microcontaminants in pesticides.

Small-scale Combustion Sources• Study completed by Canada on small incinerator (Eco-waste) with

no pollution control equipment.

POLLUTION CONTROL cont.

Potential Co-benefits• Canada completed comparison of available stack test results for

dioxins, furans, and hexachlorobenzene, from various sources, to determine whether pollution controls on sources result in effective reductions for all three.

• Mexican study on replacement of indoor fires with out-side vented stoves , indicated significant improvement in respiratory health of resident women, and would also include reduction in exposure to dioxins -> on-going government program.

PUBLIC INFORMATION MATERIALS

• Canada publishes Clean Air website containing information on POPs, and other websites providing information on regulatory activities, policies and health issues related to dioxins, furans and hexachlorobenzene.

• Canada is assisting Mexico in the development of a public education summary and Q’s and A’s on these substances to be completed in 2010; to be included in CEC website with public information materials on these substances which is under development

• U.S. publishes updates on its dioxin reassessment activities which provides comprehensive information on dioxin toxicology and environmental behaviour.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR STRATEGY

• Mexico is working through PRONAME highlighting POPs priorities, emission factor work, and potential brick kiln projects, to leverage funding from potential partners such as the Stockholm Convention Secretariat and UNEP.