Technical Bulletin No. 0590: USEPA- Paper Industry Cooperative Dioxin Study – The 104 Study Mill

In March of 1988, the U.S. EPA and the U.S. pulp and paper industry released the results of a five mill screening study that provided some of the first comprehensive results on the formation and discharge of chlorinated dibenzodioxins (CDDs) and dibenzofurans (CDFS) from bleached kraft mills. This early study confirmed that the bleaching process was primarily responsible for the formation of trace amounts of 2378-TCDD and 2378-TCDF. To provide EPA with more complete data on the environmental release of these compounds, a new screening study was initiated in April, 1988 to characterize the export from all 104 mills that practice chlorine bleaching of kraft and sulfite produced pulps.