Book Description
This assessment documents the current status of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in Canada's aquatic environment, based largely on scientific supporting documents to the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines & with updated information & data wherever available. Chapters cover the following topics: physico-chemicals properties of PCDD/Fs and their mode of toxic action; sources (natural & anthropogenic) & releases of PCDD/Fs to the Canadian environment; fate & behaviour of PCDD/Fs in aquatic systems & biota; Canadian environmental levels of PCDD/Fs in air, water, sediment, & aquatic organisms; toxic effects of PCDD/Fs observed in aquatic & semi-aquatic organisms (including water-, sediment-, & dietary-based toxicity), and the initiatives under way to manage PCDD/Fs in the Canadian environment as well as best management practices. The final section discusses emerging issues such as recent advances in waste incineration, PCDD/F treatment in the pulp & paper industry, and use of biological screening in toxicity determination.