Technical Bulletin No. 0844: Evaluation of Sources of Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Compounds in Bleached Chemical Pulp Effluents and Treatment Plant Residuals

Recent changes in reporting requirements under SARA Section 313 require bleached chemical pulp and paper mills to report total mass amounts of the seventeen polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans chlorinated at the 2,3,7, and 8 molecular positions that are released in effluent discharges and land disposed residuals from wastewater treatment plants. Average emission factors provided by EPA for effluent discharges and wastewater sludges for bleached kraft mills indicate that one of these compounds, octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), accounts for about 90% of the 17 congeners’ total mass. It is known that OCDD is emitted from combustion processes and is widely distributed in the environment.