Pollution from Polychlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxins and Furans: the Case of Several Foundry Plants in the Lombardy Region

In 1991 a co‐operation between Public Health Office (U.S.S.L.) n° 18 of Brescia and the Chemical Section Laboratories of U.S.S.L. n° 38 of Milan concerning the possible environmental impact of foundry industrial activities performing metallic scraps recovering, has been undertaken. Soil and surfaces have been classified in conformity with the National Toxicological Consultative Commission (C.C.T.N.) recommendation dated 12/02/1988'; owing to the characteristics of the processed material, besides heavy metals, polychlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) have been looked for. The particulate matter collected from the filters positioned over the arc furnaces in 14 foundry plants has been characterized and classified, according both to C.C.T.N.1 and to the Interministerial Board regulation dated 27/07/1985 for the first application of the Republic President Decree Law (D.P.R.) n° 915/1982, concerning wastes classification, based, in this case, on these toxic chlorinated compounds concentrations. From the very beginning, high levels of PCDDs and PCDFs have been detected, corroborating the very few literature data from foundry plants2. The results obtained on 14 different foundries allow us to draw already some information, acceptable from the point of view of the statistical validity, about the pollution produced by this industry.