Fire Emissions of Organics into the Atmosphere

The mass of dioxins, PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and VOC (volatile organic compounds) emitted from fires to the atmosphere in Sweden per year has been estimated. The estimate is based on the number of fires in buildings, vehicles, waste and forest fires in Sweden in 1999. It is estimated that the total emission of dioxins from fires is in the range 0.5–1.4 g TEQ. The total emissions of PAH and VOC are in the ranges 2–12 ton and 13–200 ton, respectively. The estimated emission of dioxins from fires approximately corresponds to the total emission from traffic or half the emissions from municipal waste combustion (Swedish data from 1993). The fire statistics show that the mass of material combusted in building fires during a year is approximately 7500 ton, while that from forest fires is 2600 ton. Additionally, 2000–3000 tons are combusted in vehicle fires, fires in containers, etc. In addition to the more common types of fires during a year, individual large incidents may contribute significantly to the total emission. Such incidents include fires in municipal landfills or specific waste storage facilities (such as those for used tyres). An assessment of the consequences of such incidents has been made. This assessment implies that a large contribution to the emission of dioxins could be expected from fires in landfills and from fires in waste plastics (PVC) and tyres. Fires in deposits of wood chips and tyres are also significant potential sources of PAH and VOC.