by Mr. Ernest Voncina

In Environmental Protection Institute in Maribor we investigate many organochloric compounds, which are main persistent organic pollutants. In our laboratory we have developed the analytical methods under the rigorous criteria of Quality assurance QA and Quality control QC.

We analyse the whole series of volatile compounds like trihalometanes and many other chlorinated organic solvents. We have also developed the analytical procedures for hardly decomposed organic compounds like aldrine, chlordane, DDT, endrine, heptachlorepoxide, mirex, hexachloro benzene and others. The analyses of these and related compounds became routine in our laboratory (Figure 1, 2).

Determination of chlorinated bornanes (toxaphene) and chlolronaphtalenes have not been developed yet in our lab, because there is an opinion that they are rarely occurred in Slovenia.

Now we are developing new analytical methods for the determination of polychlorinated paraffiines, which are usually accompanying substances of PCBs in waste mineral oils. The analytical procedures for some tris-chloroalkilphosphates, which are often occurred in our environment, are also developed by our lab recently.

From the year 1991 we attempt to analyse isomers of PCDD/PCDF. The combination of instruments, which have been used for that purpose is HRGC/LRMS, which is not enough applicable for such low concentration levels. For the same reason the assessment of QA and QC have not been fulfilled completely. In spite of that insufficient, low resolution mass spectrometric equipment (HP - GC/MSD and Finnigan MAT -GCQ with MS/MS option) we are available to analyse emission samples like flue gas and fly and bottom ash from incineration plants, or everywhere where higher concentrations of PCDD/PCDF are expected. Because of the lack of high resolution mass spectrometric equipment and corresponding laboratory with the appropriate training staff we are not available to analyse these very toxic compounds in samples like food, air, water and sediment where low concentrations are expected, for the present.

In spite of this we have considered some critical points where these toxic substances appear.

There are a couple of incinerators for specific industrial hazardous waste (waste pesticides package, pharmaceutical waste and old drugs) where we regularly monitor the emission of PCDD/F into the air. Very specific emission of PCDD/F into the air from coincineration of car tyres and petrol coke in cement kiln are also regularly controlled in our institute. Emissions of PCDD/F from these sources are under limit levels.

In Slovenia there are also few small incinerators for hospital waste, which do not correspond to the technology best available. The emission concentrations of PCDD/F measured by our institute permanently exceed emission limits.

It is well known that metal recycling plants are sources of PCDD/F. We can find many of them in Slovenia. Legal emission limits for these substances do not exist in Slovenia or in Europe. This is the reason why the emission monitoring is not performed. Some our experiments indicate that emission of PCDD/F and some related chlorine compounds (i.e.hexachloro benzene, chlorinated phenols) occur in higher concentrations at processes of remitting and degassing with hexachloroethane or chlorine. From our experiments it is also pointed out that it should be necessary to monitor the presence of PCDD/F in soil in the vicinity of these plants.

In Slovenia the large pulp mill exits where bleaching of cellulose with chlorine is performed. Wastewater from that factory should be the great origin of many kinds of chlorinated organic pollutants, with also unknown substances (Figure 3).

It is planed that two municipal waste incinerators will be built in future in Slovenia. For that reason it will be necessary to organise well equipped laboratory for PCDD/F which will be able to perform the analyses according to European Standard EN 1948 under the rigorous criteria of Quality assurance and Quality control (QA /QC).