Dioxin formation from waste incineration

Abstract

Adverse effects of dioxins - polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - on human health have been known for many years. In particular, PCDDs and PCDFs have received much attention recently, not only from environmental scientists but also by the public because they are formed during the incineration of industrial wastes (Coulston and Pocchiari 1983). Consequently, there is a pressing need to find the formation mechanisms or reaction pathways of these chlorinated chemicals to reduce their environmental contamination. However, the formation mechanisms of these chlorinated chemicals are not yet completely understood because their reaction mechanisms are extremely complex (Huang and Buekens 1995; Fängmark et al. 1994). © 2007 Springer.