Burlington - Environmental

KEY:

Life Sciences: Agriculture, Food and Feed Products, Edible Oils, and Blood Serum Testing
Air Toxics Services: Stack and Ambient Air Testing
PCDD/F = Polychlorinated dibenzo(p)dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans
PAH = Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons
PCB = Polychlorinated Biphenyls

• Dedicated Account Managers
• Pre-Printed CoC Forms
• Pre-Labelled sample containers
• Flexible report styles
• Customized EDD
• WebTrieve^TM online data retrieval service
• Dangerous goods air shipping packages
• Dependable & Professional Staff
• Service centres located in London, Mississauga, and Richmond Hill
• Delivery and pick-up services

Projects related to Dioxin and POP’s (Persistent Organic Pollutants) contamination are often complex and project managers are faced with numerous possibilities and challenges. At ALS we pride ourselves in providing high quality, convenient solutions and contribute to a successful outcome of any project we are involved in.

Having the option to choose from an extensive list of analytical methods for dioxin testing, international as well as specific in-house developed methods, combined with flexible reporting formats is something we believe adds value. Our experienced staff will ensure that we deliver a high quality product that meets the demands from both authorities and end clients, in a timely and professional manner.

For POP’s testing there is an extensive list of parameters to consider. Unlike dioxin testing where there is a clearly defined scope, POP’s testing and choice of parameters normally requires combining individual compounds into a testing suite. The comprehensive testing portfolio offered by ALS, includes all compounds added to the list of POP’s under the Stockholm convention. The variety to parameters available for testing enable tailor made solutions to meet the scope of the project, increasing the likelihood of meeting project dead-lines and budgets.

In order to provide testing to the highest standards, ALS have combined all testing for dioxins and POP’s in a dedicated ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. With more than 13 years of experience in the field and having participated in some of the largest projects in North America we are proud to say that we are operating a true centres of excellence. The testing facilities houses in total 6 high resolution GC-MS instruments testing in excess of 15 000 samples per year.

Dioxin testing in an accredited laboratory places stringent demands on the laboratory, both instruments and facilities, but most importantly on the laboratory staff.

To be able to build and maintain the sophistication required by a dioxin laboratory, ALS has chosen to separate the high-resolution laboratory from the other 14 laboratories in the group. At our laboratory in Burlington ALS employ some of the most skilled and experienced scientists in the field of dioxin testing.

Instrumental detection power and selectivity is crucial to fulfil the requirements stipulated by legislation and international standards. In order to meet and exceed these demands, our laboratories are equipped with the latest high-resolution instrumentation, allowing reporting down to ppt and even ppq levels routinely. However, for the instrumentation to perform to the best of its potential the environment in which the instrumentation is placed in needs to be strictly controlled. This includes air entering the laboratory being passed through filters to keep contamination from the outside to a minimum and instrumentation kept at constant temperature e.g.  20⁰ C +/- 1⁰ C.

The combination of experienced staff and state of the art facilities has given ALS laboratory for dioxin testing in Canada an enviable reputation for  its quality and service level. Not only is the laboratory attracting samples from North America, clients from other continents such as Asia and Latin America are submitting samples on a regular basis confirming the laboratory´s place at the pinnacle globally.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs or Dioxins) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs or Furans) are created as an unintended by-product from a number of human activities such as combustion, certain types of chemical manufacture, chlorine bleaching and other industrial processes.

The following are typical properties of dioxins and furans:

• High toxicity
• High (environmental) persistence
• Bioaccumulates
• Ubiquity (due to long range atmospheric transportation and deposition)

Toxicity of dioxins and furans

Among the 210 dioxins and furans congeners, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the dioxin congener with the highest acute toxicity in the group. It is considered the most toxic man-made substance and the fifth most toxic occurring compound known to man. All of the congeners are allocated a Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) relative to TCDD. The toxicity of the congeners are ranging between 1 for TCDD to 0.0003 for of the more chlorinated compounds like Octachlorodibenzodioxin or OCDD (WHO, 2005).

Visible adverse effect to dioxins acute exposure is chloracne. Acute exposure may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, hepatic damages and negative neurological effects. Chronic exposure to dioxins may cause liver disease, alterations of thyroid function, impaired immune function, cardiovascular disease, decreased performance in tests of learning and intelligence. TCDD is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as carcinogenic to humans.

Global mobility of dioxins and furans.

Dioxins and furans are being transported long-range due to their stability or persistence. As long range atmospheric transport and long range oceanic transport occur, dioxins can be found in organisms and environments far from any known source.

Dioxins grass hopping, or shorter range atmospheric or oceanic transport is a contributing factor to the pollution of locations closer to PCDD/F sources.

Bioaccumulation of dioxins and furans.

Dioxins and furans compounds are persistent in the environment, lipophilic and omnipresent, and will accumulate in biological tissues. A variety of studies conducted by different Institutions and research centres have shown their negative biochemical and biological effects on animals and humans.

Sources of dioxins and furans.

Primary sources of dioxins and furans are industrial and combustion processes, either stationary or diffuse sources. In the past processes in the chemical and the pulp and paper industries were the main dioxins sources. Today this has changed and thermal processes are now the main source for dioxins and furans emission. Secondary sources of PCDD/F include sewage sludge, bio sludge, compost, pentachlorophenol treated wood, PCBs from transformers, contaminated chemical products such as 2,4,5-T and contaminated areas. These are reservoirs with a potential to release dioxins and furans into the environment.

Fate of dioxins and furans in the environment.

 PCDD/F are resistant to degradation via all the “normal” processes; oxidation and hydrolysis, photo degradation and microbial transformations.

Dioxins and furans are rarely detected in non-turbid water due to their low solubility in this media. However they are commonly found in sediment or soil were they are adsorbed to organic carbon. From this matrix they will only mobilise during heavy rainfall or erosion or in the presence of a lipophilic solvent.  

Environmental distribution of dioxins are predominately related to dioxins bound to particles and moved by wind streams. The transport range is dependent upon particle size and as already mentioned, under the right conditions dioxins can be transported over large distances.

Dioxins and furans exposure pathways

 The main pathways for dioxin exposure used to be occupational exposure during production of e.g. chlorophenols, chlorphenoxy herbicides, metal production, recycling or industrial accidents. Today with increased focus on HSE, improved and cleaner processes and a decrease in production of chlorinated pesticides the main path for exposure has changed to consumption of food. Dioxins will bioaccumulate and biomagnify through the food chain presenting a risk to human health.

Toxic equivalency factors PCDD/F

Toxic equivalency factors PCB