PCDD and PCDF in air, soil, vegetation and oily runoff from a tire fire

In early February 1990, vandals set fire to a used tire storage facility near Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. During the fire, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy (MOEE) monitored the site and surrounding impact zone for numerous organic contaminants. Samples of air, soil, vegetation, runoff water, and oily residue were collected and analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF). Air samples produced complex incineration patterns with a large number of isomers detected. Total toxicity equivalents (TEQ) at 1 km downwind of the fire were an order of magnitude higher than those at 3 km downwind. Soil samples collected during the fire did not show elevated PCDD or PCDF concentrations, however, low concentrations were detected in vegetation collected at 100 m and 200 m from the site. PCDD and PCDF concentrations in the foliage decreased with time but were still detectable for at least 200 days after the fire started. As the tires burned, water used to extinguish the fire caused runoff of oil and oily water. Unique patterns of PCDDs and PCDFs were detected in these samples.