Document RaROv0jv54r10nMVoQD33YvG8

sv.ufLGH A1TA1US ifo'nation Service January, 1972 ' For free publication or background use. 1^*' *j l . BmiWNVffiNTAI* PIANSINO D* SWEDEN - No. 26 -- by Lars finmolin - KmrmoNVjyTAL contamination dy pcb- The PCB:s - polychlorinated biphenyl* - a group of substances with widosprend industrial use wore found to bo present in most biological systems by the Swedish chemist Sores Jensen in 1966, Tho discover}' was quite accidental. A number of unknown L-ubstnnoes interfered with analysis of DDT in biological sturplos. Dr Jensen vao able to identify those as PCBis and discovered a con* tauii nation that may be moro harmful than that caused by DOT. . This issue of Environmental Planning is devoted to a review of the 1*03 problem in Sweden and to a presentation of the firct practical method of disposal of wastes containing PCB:s, This was presented recently by the chemical company SUPRA, What is PCH? As indicated by tho nano, polychlorinated biphenyls PCD is a whole croup of substances. In the biphenyl molocul* (fig l) tho hydrogen (n).can be replaced with chlorine (Cl). Figure 2 gives an example of a molecule in which 6 atoma of chlorine have reploced hydrogen. Theo retically there are some 210 different polychlorinated biphenyls. Those found ao environmental contaminants usually have lt to 8 atoms of ohlovinc. Of the 10** theoretically possible with this number of chlorine atoms 26 have so far been found in nature. PCD'is perhaps the most stable group of organic substances that exiats. Stability increases witli an increasing number of atoms of chlorine. Tho stability in the main reason for the industrial use of 1MB. ICD can be boiled with strongly alkaline solutions or with sulphuric acid or nit ric acid without breaking dovn. If the molecule contains more than h atoms of chlorine it will not bum or oxidize at ordinary temporaturco. Ueo of PCD* MONS 062962 In 1929 the electrical industry introduced PCD in condensem and hi."h because PCD is non-flammable, PCI] is now used in a number of diffe rent paints to dmbe them non-f Inmniablo and resistant to chemicals nnd oxidation. ^ t is used in ship bottom paints os an anti-fouling npent, Approximately 80 - 85 of all pleasure craft and 50 - 60 ^ of the larger ships use paints containing PCII. Table 1 gives the approximate use of PCI) in Sweden per year. Discovery of PCU as an Environmental Contaminant As mentioned above, PCD in the environment was discovered acciden tally by Dr Sdren Jensen. A number of unidentifiable substances ap peared during analysis of biological material for DDT. Several dif ferent explanations wore thought of nnd tested. It was argued that Jensen had found metabolites (break-down products) of DDT. Analysis of material from museums showed that the unknown substances were pre sent iu feathers of white tailed eagles from 1942, DDT was introduced in livcdcn in 1945 and first appears in museum material from 1947. A white tailed eagle found dead provided the solution. The unknown substances wore present in sufficient quantities for analysis by mass spectrometry. This showed the substances to be PCD:8. Later analysis of various species of animals has showi} PCD to be pre sent in most ecosystems, particularly those of the marine environ ment. Tabic 2 p.ives some figures for the 1*00 content of animals from the llal tic and the west coast of Sweden. In table j comparison bet ween the concentration of I'd! in seals and herring from the southern and the northern Paltic is made, (in both tables the figures for DDT are given in brackets. The concentrations are in milligrams pci kilo- (rnm of tissue -J>i>b)- . ------------ --------------------- (I ' --f ~ /, / J.n ... ,, ( 11 ,fl *";h Table 2 also gives a rough indication of the concentration of PCD in the food chains in the Ilaltic. Figure shows the relation between the species in table 2 and the pathways that PCD is transmitted by, The accumulation in food chains is caused both by the extremely high stability of PCD nnd its high solubility in fat. Lffucta iji PCD The ocutc toxicity of PCD is not extremely high. There is a relation ship between toxicity and chlorine content which has led to different maximum permissible concentrations in air for different degrees of chlorination. For the ICihs with a higher number of chlorine atoms the maximum level in air is 1 milligram per cubic meter of nir, and for the PCI'.ts with lower chlorine content it is 0.5 mg/cu in. There is no maximum level for PCD contamination of food ns yet. Typical symptoms of J'CD poisoning are fatty degeneration of the liver. One case of mass death of salmon fry .in a hatchery showed this typi cal picture and the I'd) source could be traced to anti-foul4"* paint uped in the hatchery. Effects on workers handling I'CD:s have been reported arid include voijuus unjiiuge to tin* <in apart- from the jiver Megen*rntjon pu'tiujoni'd above. It is estimated that the average Swede lias a concentration of *CMS 06^963  lv- ,-yc rr-"rClJ vhieh varies between the_limits_4jn._t? 0,5 g l>or kg bodyveight. Damage to chicken embryos and inhibition of J`"itching occurs when 0,01 ml of PCD ia injected into eggs. These, experiments have not boon fol lowed up In order to test the lowest level at which these effects oc cur. . rcihs (and DDT) are now loiovn to activate the metabolic enzymes of the liver. The consequence of this is an incrcnscd breakdown of certain re productive hormones, which could result in changes of the reproductive rate in animals and man. Sources of PCD Contamination Moat of the PCD which reaches the environment come* from waste products from industries using PCJ3. Until recently no methods for disposal have existed. Large but unknown amounts seem to come from incineration plants through which PCD, as mentioned earlier, passes completely unchanged in to the atmosphere. . Small but significant amounts of PCD'ore probably used in oil furnaces as I'd) often looks like ordinary mineral oil. New Method for Disposal of PCD Decently the Swedish industrial group SUl'UA presented a method for TCD diaposol which shows great promise. PCD disposal ia a by-product of au arrangement for re-use of w&oto oil which SUPRA put into operation at the ammonia production plant in Kvom- torp in central Sweden, . . ' The ammonia production uses large amounts of heavy mineral oil which is converted mainly to carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This i,s done at ex tremely hi/th temperature (l 400 decrees centigrade). The gas mixture undergoes various forms of treatment. Among these is washing out of soot particles. These are then extracted from the wator and enters tho pro cess oucc a?uin. The result is that very small amounts of wo9to arc pro duced finally. Tho extremely high temperature used in converting oil into process gno results in breakdown of many of the contaminants of waste oil. The Na tional Jjnvironrnent Protection board Research Laboratory has made care ful analyses of the waste products and of process gas at various stops. They discovered that J*CB was one of the substances that had been brok.cn down. Recycling and Disposal in One Package HONS 062964 In co-operation with a firm of consulting engineers, Terra Bona, an in ventory of waste oil in central Sweden was carried out. The results pho**zi that large .v.'.r.vj'.ir, *..wuld !? uvujiubjc if n sintanie organisation for collecting the oil could be organized. This has now been done. Tho Krwirorunontal planning 26/197 ..4 orcftnizotion, lleci deliver oil to SUPRA under contract, Waste oil in collected from industries, garages, municipalities etc, A system vliieh permits collection of quite small amounts from each individual subcontractor has been organized. Oils and wasto products containing ore collected and added to the process. The method seems to show great promise as ft model for solving several serious environmental problems in an economically attractive way. References! . liil.jogifter (Environmental Poisons), Sfcvcral authors, KXtur ooh Kultur, Stockholm 1971, (in Swedish), Information (in Swedish) from SUPRA, <3rebro, Nov, 10, 1971. r HONS 062965 ff&JL Diphenyl rooloculc rig, 2 PCD molecule with 6 atoms of chlorine Table i '. . * Consumption of PCD in Sweden, metric tons per year Transformers and condensers PVC-paint and other paints Ship bottom paints (anti-fouling) Jointing compound* 450 - 500 55 15 35 Table 2 PCD (and DDT) In some animals, milligrams per kilogram of body fat (ppb). West const PCD DDT Mussel (Mytllus edulis ) Herring (Clupea harengus) Salmon (Snlmo s&lar) Guillemot (Uria algc) eggs White tailed eagle (iTalinetus albicilla) 2 0.7 (1) (2.1) Baltic (southern) PCD DDT 4 7 2.9 250 (6) (17) (31) 14 000- (23 000) Tnblr 3 1 MOftS 062966 Comparison of PCD content of seals and herring from southern and northern Baltic in Milligrams per kilogram of body fat (ppb). DDT is gi ven in brackets. Grey Soul (iTulichocrua ftrvnii.) Southern Dal tic 30 (130) Northern Baltic (lJothnin.ii Moa) 13 (i?v) Fig. 3 Environmental planning 26/1972 . , . # 6 .' ! 1 Pood veb relation between certain Baltic species (see table 2 and 3). broken i lines indicate transmission of environmental poisons such as DDT and PCD to I the white tailed eaglo through carrion of the oilier species* i MCNS 062967