Historical trends of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in sediments buried in a reservoir in Northern Taiwan

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were analyzed at 1–2 cm intervals in a sediment core collected from a reservoir in Northern Taiwan to evaluate the organic pollution history. The highest PCDD/F (14.4 ng TEQ/kg d.w.) and PCB (0.261 ng TEQWHO/kg d.w.) concentrations were determined at 13–15 cm (estimated year: 1992). The ages of the levels of sediment core were estimated from the sedimentation rate. Analysis results demonstrate that the PCDD/F concentration of the sediment core measured in the reservoir reached their peak when the municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) in the area started to operate. Furthermore, the decrease in sediment core PCDD/F concentration is related to the time of enforcement of the PCDD/F emission limit set by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in Taiwan. Significant distribution of OCDD in homologue profiles was noted in archived soil samples in Taiwan in which the major input of PCDD/Fs was thought to be atmospheric. Major PCB congeners found in the sediment core were the major components of the commercial PCB products. Input fluxes of PCDD/Fs (5.75–158 ng-I-TEQ/m2-yr) and PCBs (0.248–3.71 ng TEQWHO/m2 yr) into the reservoir of interest are also calculated from the concentration and sedimentation rate of the sediment. The results reveal that considerable amounts of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were carried into the reservoir of interest in the flood stage but not during normal stage.