Dioxin contamination after an accidental fire in the municipal landfill of Tagarades, Thessaloniki, Greece

We report here a case study of dioxin contamination after a fire in the public landfill of Tagarades, which is situated southeast of Thessaloniki, Greece. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in food samples of meat, eggs, dairy products and vegetables, collected near the affected area, and to compare them with the usual levels found in Greek food. Soil samples were also gathered from various sites at a distance up to 5 km from the landfill. Some food samples were found above the limits specified by the EU, while all food samples were above the usual levels of Greek food. The contaminated products were appropriately destroyed. The results of the soil and olive samples indicate a reverse correlation between dioxin contamination and distance from the contamination source. It should be noted that PCB levels were normal in all analyzed samples.