Concentrations of PCDD/PCDFs in plasma of subjects living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator: Follow-up and modeling validation Martí Nadal a , Gemma Perelló a , Marta Schuhmacher a,b , Joan Cid c , José L. Domingo a, * a Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, ‘‘Rovira i Virgili” University, San Lorenzo 21, 43201 Reus, Catalonia, Spain b Environmental Engineering Laboratory, ETSEQ, ‘‘Rovira i Virgili” University, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain c Blood and Tissue Bank, Vall d’Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain article info Article history: Received 21 February 2008 Accepted 6 July 2008 Available online 19 August 2008 Keywords: Hazardous waste incinerator Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain) Dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDFs) Non-occupationally exposed subjects Plasma abstract In 2007, the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) were determined in plasma of non-occupationally exposed subjects living near the only hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) in Spain (Constantí, Tarragona County, Catalonia). These data were compared with the levels found in two previous surveys performed in 1998 (baseline) and 2002. The current mean PCDD/PCDF concentration in plasma was 9.36 pg I-TEQ g 1 of lipid (range: 1.76–23.44 pg I-TEQ g 1 of lipid). It means a significant reduction of the mean PCDD/PCDFs levels in plasma in comparison to the concentrations found in 1998 and 2002 (27.01 and 15.70 pg I-TEQ g 1 of lipid, respectively). This impor- tant decrease agrees well with the notable reduction in the dietary intake of PCDD/PCDFs recently noted for the population of the same area (210.1 pg I-TEQ d 1 , 63.8 pg WHO-TEQ d 1 , and 27.8 pg WHO- TEQ d 1 , in 1998, 2002 and 2007, respectively). The current data were also used to predict theoretical PCDD/PCDF concentrations in plasma by executing a single-compartment empirically-based pharmaco- kinetic model on the basis of the daily intake of these pollutants by the local population. Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In recent years, incineration has become one of the most widely used alternatives for waste management, being considered as a serious option for the disposal of not only municipal solid waste, but also hazardous and medical wastes. In comparison with other waste treatments, incineration presents advantages such as vol- ume reduction, energy recovery and elimination of pathogen agents. However, a notable concern has usually surrounded the building and running of incineration facilities (Shibamoto et al., 2007; Viel et al., in press), having significant implications in cur- rent regulatory practices (Lonati et al., 2007). Until a few years ago, incinerators were catalogued as important sources of toxic emissions, particularly polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dib- enzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) and heavy metals (Hu et al., 2004). How- ever, the installation of modern cleaning technologies to comply with the maximum emission level, established by the European Directive in 0.1 ng I-TEQ Nm 3 has substantially minimized, in relation to those and other pollutants, the environmental impact of incinerators (Glorennec et al., 2005). Notwithstanding, the po- tential health risks derived from stack emissions generate still a considerable concern among the population (Schuhmacher and Domingo, 2006). Although incinerators have traditionally been pointed out as important air emitters of PCDD/PCDFs (Kim et al., 2008), there are many other industrial (cement kilns and power plants) and dif- fuse (vehicle emissions, domestic coal/wood combustion and nat- ural fires) known sources of these pollutants. Because of the well established toxic properties of PCDD/PCDFs, as well as their persis- tence and bioaccumulation capacity, in the 2001 Stockholm Con- vention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, PCDD/PCDFs were listed as one of the ‘‘dirty dozen” pollutants whose levels must be reduced. In humans, most PCDD/PCDF body burden comes from the ingestion of these pollutants (Fierens et al., 2003). Some physiolog- ically based pharmacokinetic models have been applied to predict the PCDD/PCDF levels in human tissues (including blood) on the basis of the ingestion of PCDD/PCDFs through food and human milk (Maruyama et al., 2003). These models are useful not only to investigate past, present, and future trends, but also to help in human health risk assessment due to PCDD/PCDF intake. Using one of these models, Aylward and Hays (2002) reported that ab- sorbed intake levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD had decreased from 1972 to 2002 by more than 95%. In 1999, the first, and up to now only, hazardous waste inciner- ator (HWI) in Spain began to operate in Constantí (Tarragona County, Catalonia). The facility is placed in an area with a heavy industrial activity, including the most important chemical/petro- chemical industrial complex in Southern Europe Moreover, the 0045-6535/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.07.021 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 977 759 380; fax: +34 977 759 322. E-mail address: joseluis.domingo@urv.cat (J.L. Domingo). Chemosphere 73 (2008) 901–906 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Chemosphere journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere