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Toxic Contaminants in the Environment: Persistent Organochlorines

Technical Supplement: Canadian pulp mill discharge of dioxins and furans

DATA SOURCES
National Office of Pollution Prevention. In preparation. Status Report on Dioxin–Furan Effluent Control by the Pulp and Paper Industry. Ottawa: Environment Canada, Environmental Protection Service, National Office of Pollution Prevention.

PAPRICAN, as reported in National Office of Pollution Prevention (in preparation). PAPRICAN, the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, is a nonprofit research and educational organization with laboratories in Point Claire, Quebec, and Vancouver, B.C. The Institute's maintaining member companies represent 80% of the pulp and paper producers in Canada.

Pulp & Paper Canada. 1997. Pulp & Paper Canada Annual 1997 (1997 annual & directory). St. Laurent, Quebec: Pulp & Paper Canada, published by the Southam Magazine & Information Group, a Southam company.

DATA COLLECTED
a) Concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in effluent, in parts per quadrillion (ppq).

b) Total annual effluent flow.

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE
Canada.

In 1996, there were about 160 pulp mills in Canada (Pulp & Paper Canada 1997). Of these, 42 were regulated under the Pulp and Paper Mill Effluent Chlorinated Dioxins and Furans Regulations (National Office of Pollution Prevention, in preparation). These mills use some form of chlorine bleaching process, with varying degrees of substitution of elemental chlorine with chlorine dioxide in the bleaching process. Most mills are moving towards increased chlorine dioxide substitution; however, information on the extent of this is not available.

DATA COLLECTION PERIOD
1988 and 1989, and annually from 1993 to 1995.

SAMPLING METHODS
Representative samples of final effluent were collected during a 24-hour period when the chlorine bleach plant was operating and submitted to a qualified (e.g., having the required gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric facilities) independent contract laboratory for PCDD/PCDF analysis. For this particular study, samples were collected once per year; more frequent testing is done under the 1988 Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) regulations.

DATA PRESENTATION
The concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in the effluent samples were converted to 2,3,7,8-TCDD TEQs and then extrapolated to grams per year using the known value of total annual effluent flow.

RELIABILITY OF DATA
Because of the extremely low concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs, great care must be taken to avoid accidental contamination of the samples. For example, glass, not plastic, containers must be used. As well, to prevent degradation of the samples, containers must be kept at 4ºC during collection and shipping. A quality control check was done between independent laboratories, and, with the implementation of the CEPA regulations, an extensive quality assurance program is now in place.

Table 6. Estimates of national annual releases of all dioxins and furans, in toxic equivalents (TEQs), from all Canadian pulp mills using chemical bleaching processes

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