ISBN 0 642 54997 4

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................... IV

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................VII

GLOSSARY/ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................. IX

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................1

1.1 BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................................11.2 OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................................41.3 SCOPE ...............................................................................................................................................4

2. PROJECT DESIGN ................................................................................................................................6

2.1 SELECTION OF SAMPLING LOCATIONS ...............................................................................................62.2 SAMPLE COLLECTION........................................................................................................................8

2.2.1 Sampling personnel .....................................................................................................................82.2.2 Sampling strategy........................................................................................................................82.2.3 Sampling location information ..................................................................................................102.2.4 Historic samples ........................................................................................................................10

2.3 ANALYSIS, STATISTICS AND DATA QUALITY ...................................................................................102.3.1 Analysis.....................................................................................................................................102.3.2 Database and statistical analysis................................................................................................112.3.3 Data quality ...............................................................................................................................12

3. DIOXIN CONCENTRATIONS IN AUSTRALIAN SOILS..............................................................15

3.1 CONCENTRATION OF DIOXIN-LIKE CHEMICALS IN AUSTRALIA........................................................153.1.1 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in different regions .....................................................153.1.2 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in each state ................................................................173.1.3 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in soils representing different land-use types .............193.1.4 Variation within land-uses.........................................................................................................203.1.5 Contamination of coastal versus inland environments ..............................................................223.1.6 Geographical distribution ..........................................................................................................233.1.7 Dioxin-like chemicals in historical soil samples .......................................................................28

3.2 CHARACTERISTIC PATTERNS FOR DIOXIN-LIKE CHEMICALS IN AUSTRALIAN SOILS.........................293.2.1 Homologue and congener profiles.............................................................................................29

3.3 COMPARISON OF AUSTRALIAN LEVELS OF DIOXIN-LIKE CHEMICALS WITH GUIDELINES..................333.4 COMPARISON OF DATA FROM THIS STUDY WITH OTHER STUDIES IN AUSTRALIA AND OVERSEAS. ...34

3.4.1 Remote and agricultural soils ....................................................................................................353.4.2 Industrial and urban soils ..........................................................................................................39

4. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS.................................................................................................................42

5. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................44

6. APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................49

APPENDIX A – SAMPLING PROGRAM.............................................................................................................49APPENDIX B – ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGY................................................................................................60APPENDIX C – QUALITY CONTROL................................................................................................................66APPENDIX D – CONCENTRATIONS OF PCDD/PCDF AND PCB IN AUSTRALIAN SOILS..................................71APPENDIX E – RESULTS OF THE INTERLABORATORY CALIBRATION STUDY...................................................90APPENDIX F – LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................93

Figure 1.1 The structures of polychlorinated (A) dibenzo-p-dioxins and (B) dibenzofurans. ........................ 2Figure 1.2 The structures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). ..................................................................... 2Figure 2.1 Conceptual representation of the geographical distribution of sampling locations. ...................... 8Figure 2.2 Sampling strategy for a given sampling location. ......................................................................... 9Figure 2.3 The triangular sub-sampling configuration consisting of six cores. ............................................ 10Figure 2.4 Results for replicate analysis of soil samples Sydney U3A & U3B............................................ 14Figure 3.1 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in the North, South-East and South-West regions........ 17Figure 3.2 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in soil samples from all States/Territories in Australia. 18Figure 3.3 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in soil samples from different land-use categories. ...... 19Figure 3.4 Toxic equivalents (TEQDF+PCB) of dioxin-like chemicals for specific types of agriculture. .......... 21Figure 3.5 Comparison of the concentration of dioxin-like chemicals from coastal and inland areas. ........ 23Figure 3.6 Dioxin-like chemicals in samples from industrial locations........................................................ 24Figure 3.7 Dioxin-like chemicals in samples from urban locations.............................................................. 25Figure 3.8 Dioxin-like chemicals in samples from agricultural locations. ................................................... 26Figure 3.9 Dioxin-like chemicals in samples from remote locations............................................................ 27Figure 3.10 Concentration of dioxin-like chemicals in archived soil samples. .............................................. 28Figure 3.11 Concentration of PCDD/PCDF in archived soil samples. ........................................................ 29Figure 3.12 Concentration of PCB in archived soil samples. ...................................................................... 29Figure 3.13 PCDD/PCDF homologue profile of soils for selected industrial locations. ................................ 31Figure 3.14 PCDD/PCDF congener profile of soils for selected industrial locations..................................... 32Figure 3.15 PCDD/PCDF homologue profile for soils covering selected remote locations........................... 32Figure 3.16 PCB congener profile in soils from industrial locations.............................................................. 33Figure 3.17 Australian versus international data for remote and agricultural land-uses................................. 39Figure 3.18 Australian versus international data for industrial and urban sampling locations. ...................... 41

Table 1.1 Dioxin, furans and PCB toxic equivalent factors (both I-TEF or NATO and WHO98 TEF)............. 3Table 2.1 Priority land-uses identified for selection of sampling locations...................................................... 7Table 2.2 Summary of the sampling strategy and number of samples analysed for the study.......................... 7Table 3.1 Summary of the PCDD/PCDF and PCB concentrations................................................................. 16Table 3.2 Summary of the two-way ANOVA of mean soil dioxin TEQs. ..................................................... 20Table 3.3 Results of Tukey multiple comparison of dioxin TEQs.................................................................. 20Table 3.4 Reference values and recommended action for land-use and remediation of contaminated soil in

Germany. ........................................................................................................................................ 34Table 3.5 New Zealand soil acceptance criteria. ............................................................................................ 34Table A1 National sampling locations. .......................................................................................................... 50Table A2 Year and profile depth of the analysed historical soil samples. ...................................................... 51Table B1 The MID windows for PCDD/PCDF and list of analytes............................................................... 63Table B2 Theoretical Ion abundance ratios and QC limits............................................................................. 64Table B3 The MID windows for non-ortho and mono-ortho PCB and list of analytes.................................. 64Table B4 Theoretical Ion abundance ratios and QC limits............................................................................. 65Table C1 Reporting basis for contaminant concentrations in soils ................................................................ 68Table C2 Reporting basis for quality control samples.................................................................................... 68Table C3 Comparison of results for 18 soil samples where both ‘A’ & ‘B’ samples were analysed. ............ 69Table C4 Summary of analytical reproducibility for replicate analysis of six soil samples........................... 70Table C5 Summary of the interlaboratory evaluation of analytical results for eight soil samples. ................ 70Table F1 Summary of concentrations of dioxin-like chemicals from Australian & international studies. .... 94

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Figure 1.1 The structures of polychlorinated (A) dibenzo-p-dioxins and (B) dibenzofurans.

Figure 1.2 The structures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).

Table 1.1 Dioxin, furans and PCB toxic equivalent factors (both I-TEF or NATO and WHO98 TEF).

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Table 2.1 Priority land-uses identified for selection of sampling locations.

Table 2.2 Summary of the sampling strategy and number of samples analysed for the study.

Figure 2.1 Conceptual representation of the geographical distribution of sampling locations.

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Figure 2.2 Sampling strategy for a given sampling location.

Figure 2.3 The triangular sub-sampling configuration consisting of six cores.

Figure 2.4 Results for replicate analysis of soil samples Sydney U3A & U3B.