Dioxin compounds are not produced commercially except for research study. Dioxins originate primarily as unwanted byproducts of industrial manufacturing and the incomplete combustion of materials containing carbon and chlorine. Consequently, they are regulated as a waste byproduct by various federal and state programs.

2,3,7,8-TCDD is one of 188 hazardous air pollutants named in the Clean Air Act (CAA). Companies whose operations have the potential to emit dioxins into the air must implement engineering measures to control these emissions. Some industrial processes, such as the Kraft paper bleaching process, produce wastewaters and sludges containing dioxins. Discharge of the wastewater is regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permitting Program. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires wastes in waste codes F020 to F023 and F026 to F032 to be treated for dioxins before they can be disposed of in a secure landfill. EPA has set a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 0.00000003 mg/L for dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) lists 2,3,7,8-TCDD as a hazardous substance with a one-pound reportable quantity, but does not cover other dioxin congeners directly. The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan requires that applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements of other statutes and regulations be taken into consideration during a response action. Therefore, it is likely that a Superfund response action will need to conform to CAA, CWA, and RCRA applicable provisions relating to the response's potential release of dioxins to the air, surface water, and land.

A sampling of states that provide Web pages and/or fact sheets addressing dioxin contamination appears at the end of this section.

Federal

Air

40 CFR Part 62: Federal Plan Requirements for Small Municipal Waste Combustion Units Constructed on or Before August 30, 1999; Final Rule
U.S. EPA. Federal Register, Vol 68 No 21, p 5144-5187, January 31, 2003.

Technical Support Document: Control of Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Fuels
U.S. EPA, Office of Transportation and Air Quality. EPA 420-R-00-023, 195 pp, 2000.

Soil

Approach for Addressing Dioxin in Soil at CERCLA and RCRA Sites
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
OSWER Directive 9200.4-26, 6 pp, 1998.

Recommends preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) or starting points for setting cleanup levels for dioxin in soil at CERCLA and RCRA corrective action sites pending the release of EPA's comprehensive dioxin reassessment report and subsequent cross-program impact assessment.

Guidance on Non-NPL Removal Actions Involving Nationally Significant or Precedent-Setting Issues
OSWER Directive 9360.0-19, 9 pp, 1989.

Outlines the defining criteria to determine if a non-NPL removal action requires EPA Headquarters concurrence, including dioxin removals.

Headquarters Consultation for Dioxin Sites
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
EPA 540-F-97-014, OSWER Directive 9200.4-19, 2 pp, 1996.

Requests that Regions consult with EPA Headquarters on sites where remediation goals are to be developed for dioxin in soil.

Land Disposal Restrictions Summary, Volume I: Solvents and Dioxins
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste. EPA 530-SW-87-019A, 54 pp, 1987.

Questions and Answers on Land Disposal Restrictions for Solvents and Dioxins
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste. EPA 530-SW-87-020, 42 pp, 1987.

Statistical Support Document for the Development of Round 2 Biosolids Use or Disposal Regulations
U.S. EPA, Office of Science and Technology, EPA -822/R-02/034, 149 pp, April 2002

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Plan for Developing Interim Preliminary Remediation Goals for Dioxin in Soil
U.S. EPA, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, 4 pp, October 2009

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a plan to develop interim preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) for dioxin in soil at Superfund sites. The plan includes a review of current dioxin cleanup guidance that has been established by the EPA, states and other countries, including the latest fully peer-reviewed dioxin toxicity assessments. EPA will release the draft interim PRGs for public comment in December 2009, and anticipates issuing the final interim PRGs in June 2010. EPA is currently undertaking a reassessment of dioxin, the results of which are expected to be released by the end of 2010.

Water

Consumer Factsheet on Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD)
U.S. EPA, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.

Fact Sheet: Addition of Dioxins/Dibenzofurans and Co-Planar PCB's to the List of Pollutants Covered by the Sewage Sludge Regulation
U.S. EPA, Office of Science and Technology. EPA 822-F-95-004, 2 pp, 1995.

Permit Guidance Document Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing Point Source Category (40 CFR §430)
U.S. EPA, Office of Water. EPA 821-B-00-003, 219 pp, 2000.

State

State Web Pages on Dioxin

California
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Wisconsin

Background Document for the Proposed Amendments to the Model Toxics Control Act Cleanup
Regulation Chapter 173-340 WAC
Washington State, Department of Ecology, 68 pp, April 2007

This document is a discussion for setting cleanup levels in soil for dioxin.

The New Hampshire Dioxin Reduction Strategy
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 70 pp, 2001.

http://clu-in.org/contaminantfocus/default.focus/sec/dioxins/cat/policy_and_guidance/
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