Measure dioxins with GSA Gravikon PM4-2
If dioxin contamination is suspected, a dioxin measurement should be carried out promptly. Our PM4-2 measuring devices are suitable for measuring dioxins, PCDDs and other dioxin-like compounds. With these measures, dangerous occurrences of dioxin contamination can be tested very accurately in order to precisely verify possible suspected cases.
To develop the optimum measurement concept, please contact us, our measurement engineers will be happy to advise you.
What are dioxins?
Dioxins is the collective term for a group of halogenated aromatic compounds with a tricyclic structure. Aromatic compounds are characterized by the benzene ring (ring-shaped chain of six carbon atoms), which have different properties depending on their arrangement. If the outer hydrogen atoms are substituted by halogens (bromine, chlorine, fluorine), dioxins are formed.
The group of substances known as dioxins includes 75 compounds of dibenzodioxins and 135 similarly structured dibenzofurans. Their basic structure consists of two benzene rings connected by one or two oxygen atoms. The surrounding hydrogen atoms of the aromatic rings are substituted by various halogens, primarily chlorine. For example, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) is considered the most dangerous dioxin. It has two benzene rings and a total of four chlorine atoms.
This compound is also known as “Seveso poison”, as the largest chemical accident to date occurred in July 1976 in a chemical factory near Seveso. Due to a damaged boiler, up to three kilograms of the poison were released. The contaminated area is 1×6 km in size and densely populated. The behavior of the company involved caused the real scandal. It was not until eight days after the accident that it officially announced the leakage of dioxin. Shortly after the accident, around 200 people showed the typical symptoms of chloracne. However, it is difficult to determine the exact number of victims, as the long-term damage must also be taken into account.
Occurrence of dioxins
There is basically no natural occurrence of dioxins and they are not produced on a technical scale. In rare cases, they can be produced during thunderstorms or forest fires. The group of dioxin compounds also includes dibenzofurans (PCDF), whose benzene rings are connected by only one oxygen atom. Here too, the hydrogen atoms on the outside are replaced by halogens.
Dioxins are formed as an unintentional by-product of thermal and chemical processes (e.g. combustion reactions) with halogen compounds. Very high temperatures of around 300 degrees Celsius are required for their formation, and decomposition takes place at around 900 degrees. They are often found as a waste product or by-product in waste incineration, metal recycling or in halogen chemistry (e.g. production of insecticides).
The entry into the environment through natural formation is minimal, as these are quite rare occurrences. Thanks to strict limit values and technically sophisticated filter systems, it has been possible to drastically reduce industrial dioxin emissions.
Dioxin-like compounds
In addition to the actual dioxins and furans, there are also dioxin-like compounds. These are aromatized chlorine compounds, in particular PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
These aromatic compounds have a variable number of chlorine substituents and were used as coolants and insulating agents. Due to their high resistance and toxic properties, such aromatics have been banned in Germany since 1989 and must be disposed of as hazardous waste , subject to strict regulations.
What are the dangers of dioxins?
Dioxins are lipophilic (“fat-loving”) and accumulate in human fatty tissue. They are very persistent compounds and can enter the body through food. Absorption through the air is rather unlikely (apart from extreme exposure, such as the chemical accident mentioned above). However, the effects of contact are serious. It can lead to so-called “chloracne”. This is a reaction of the skin with an acne-like appearance. Other acute symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, muscle pain and/or headaches and sleep disorders. In terms of chronic effects, toxic and carcinogenic effects can be observed.
Dioxins in food?
A few years ago, everyone was talking about the “dioxin scandal”. It was about increased dioxin contamination in food. The use of contaminated animal feed led to an accumulation of dioxins in eggs, for example. The European limit value for eggs of 3 pg/g fat (picograms per gram of fat) was sometimes exceeded by a factor of two.
Acute poisoning is relatively unlikely even in the event of such an excess, but excessive consumption should nevertheless be avoided by certain groups of people (pregnant women, children, etc.). Many supermarkets and discount stores (temporarily) removed the contaminated products from their range. This led to a considerable loss of customer confidence in the products and to financial losses on the part of producers and suppliers.
The search for the cause revealed that a contaminated fatty acid as a component of the compound feed triggered the contamination. This fatty acid should not have been used in the production of animal feed and it was therefore necessary to examine whether there had been incorrect labeling or whether the fatty acid had been used intentionally. Ultimately, the BGH ruled that strict liability does not apply to the mere suspicion of contamination (judgment of 22.10.2014, case no. VIII ZR 195/13). Although the feed distributor reimbursed the damage that farm operators had suffered as a result of their products being banned from sale, the operator did not want to pay for any further loss of sales.
Sources:
[1]: http://www.gesamtverband-schadstoff.de/schadstoffe/dioxine-furane/dioxine-furane.html
[2]: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/chemikalien/dioxine#textpart-1
[3]: https://www.bfr.bund.de/de/a-z_index/dioxin-4554.html
[4]: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/44793/Dioxin-Vergiftung-Eine-tickende-Zeitbombe
[5]: https://www.lanuv.nrw.de/umwelt/gefahrstoffe/faq-dioxine-furane-und-pcb/
[6]: https://www.chemie.de/lexikon/Sevesoungl%C3%BCck.html
[7]: https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/service/dioxin-skandal-hersteller-lieferte-3000-tonnen-verseuchtes-futterfett-aus-a-737869.html
[8]: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/dioxin-skandal-das-allgegenwaertige-supergift-1.1042478-2
[9]: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/landwirtschaft-die-sieben-mythen-im-dioxinskandal-1572514.html
[10]: https://www.lto.de/themen/recht/d/dioxinskandal/
[11]: http://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&Art=en&nr=69486