Dioxins

Dioxins refer to a group of toxic chemical compounds that share certain chemical structures and biological characteristics.^[1] Dioxins are persistent organic compounds that are by-products of natural and industrial processes and are not deliberately made by humans, they are often discharged in industrial processes, especially in steel mills, asphalt mixers, cement kilns, etc. Incineration of waste, fire, smoking, and natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and forest fires also emits dioxins. Dioxin can get into drinking water from: 1. emissions from waste incineration and other combustion that get deposited into bodies of water; 2. discharges into water from chemical factories. Once dioxins enter the body, they last a long time because of their chemical stability and their ability to be absorbed by fat tissue, where they are then stored in the body. Their half-life in the body is estimated to be 7 to 11 years. In the environment, dioxins tend to accumulate in the food chain. The higher an animal is in the food chain, the higher the concentration of dioxins. Short-term exposure of humans to high levels of dioxins may result in skin lesions, such as chloracne and patchy darkening of the skin, and altered liver function. Long-term exposure is linked to impairment of the immune system, the developing nervous system, the endocrine system and reproductive functions.^[2]

As a global leading water testing company, Alfa Chemistry provides incredible services and credible results. Alfa Chemistry is your one-stop-shop laboratory to test dioxins in water according to EPA standard.

Dioxin testing and methods:

• EPA method 1613: REVISION B Tetra- through Octa-chlorinated Dioxins and Furans by Isotope Dilution (HRGC/HRMS)

• EPA method 1668: Revision A: Chlorinated Biphenyl Congeners in Water, Soil, Sediment, and Tissue by HRGC/HRMS

Our advantages:

References

• Learn about Dioxin. EPA.

• Dioxins and their effects on human health. WHO.