Background Dioxins in House Dusts

Abstract
The levels of dioxins in house dusts are frequently associated with household exposures to emissions from incinerators, industrial stacks, and other sources. Although the U.S. EPA has studied air, soil, and water dioxin concentrations in locations considered as “unpolluted” background, comparable information for house dusts has been limited to studies outside the United States. The present study reports house dust dioxin concentrations for selected homes in Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi, an area believed to be suitable for “unpolluted” dust background data. Results indicate an average TEQ for 14 samples of 20.3 ppt, range: 1.30–53.7ppt based on WHO 1998 TEF values; or 25.2 ppt, range 2.30–63.6 ppt based on the older 1989 I-TEF values.