Indoor air contamination with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans

Pentachlorophenol (PCP), used extensively for wood preservative purposes, contains trace amounts of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and-dibenzofurans (PCDFs) as contaminants. Residues of these compounds are present on the surface and sub-surface of the treated wood. These contaminants have the potential to wear (or migrate) away or volatilize from the wood surface and become entrained in ambient air or dust particles, and thus becoming available for human contact. During the early sixties several day nursery facilities were built with PCP-treated wood in the northern part of West Germany. In this paper we describe the indoor air monitoring data in these kindergarten buildings and the associated possible long-term health risk. The indoor ambient air was found to be contaminated with highly toxic PCDDs/PCDFs at pg/m3 levels. HxCDDs, HpCFs and OCDDs/OCDFs congeners were the major contaminants.