Environmental monitoring of metals, PCDD/Fs and PCBs as a complementary tool of biological surveillance to assess human health risks

The results of an environmental program around the municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) of Mataró (Catalonia, Spain), which was designed to assess the potential impact of the facility on the close environment and the health of the population living in the vicinity, are here reported. Metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed in soil and air samples collected in/around the facility. In soils, Mn and Zn showed the highest metal concentrations (ranges: 136–648 mg kg−1 and 29.6–97.8 mg kg−1, respectively), while total concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were 0.14–0.46 ng WHO-TEQ kg−1 and 167–3340 ng kg−1, respectively. In air, the highest metal levels corresponded to Cu (range: 26.9–52.9 ng m−3) and Mn (range: 6.92–19.3 ng m−3), while those of PCDD/Fs and PCBs ranged 0.008–0.015 pg WHO-TEQ m−3 and 9.20–42.1 pg m−3, respectively. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks derived of exposure to metals, PCDD/Fs and PCBs did not exceed the threshold values. Complementarily analyzed with the results obtained in the concurrent biomonitoring study and the stack emissions, data indicate that the MSWI of Mataró does not mean significant human health risks derived of emissions of metals, PCDD/Fs and PCBs.