Calculate the concentration of PCDDs and PCDFs in waste
Work out the toxic equivalency factors of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) to calculate their concentration.
Applies to England
You are responsible under your duty of care to know if your waste material contains persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are POPs.
You will need to compare the concentration of PCDDs and PCDFs in your waste to the concentration limits given in the guidance identify and classify waste containing persistent organic pollutants. To do this, multiply the concentration of the specific PCDD or PCDF in your waste by its toxic equivalency factor (TEF).
This guidance lists the TEFs of each PCDD and PCDF so that you can calculate the concentration.
Or you can email chemicalrestrictions@environment-agency.gov.uk if your material contains PCDDs or PCDFs and you want to discuss how to calculate concentrations.
TEFs of PCDDs
This table lists the TEF for each type of PCDD.
| PCDD | TEF |
|---|---|
| 2,3,7,8-TeCDD | 1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD | 1 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD | 0.01 |
| OCDD | 0.0003 |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF | 0.01 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF | 0.01 |
| OCDF | 0.0003 |
TEFs of PCDFs
This table gives the TEF for each type of PCDF.
| PCDF | TEF |
|---|---|
| 2,3,7,8-TeCDF | 0.1 |
| 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF | 0.03 |
| 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF | 0.3 |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF | 0.1 |
Mixtures of multiple PCDDs or PCDFs
If your waste contains a mixture of several different PCDDs and PCDFs, you need to multiply each PCDD or PCDF by its TEF, and then add the concentrations together.
Example calculation
If your waste contains 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD at a concentration of 14μg (micrograms) per kg and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD at a concentration of 30μg per kg, you would calculate the concentration of PCDDs and PCDFs as follows.
14μg per kg × 1 (TEF of 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD) + 30μg per kg × 0.1 (TEF of 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD)
= 14μg per kg + 3μg per kg
= 17μg per kg
In this case the concentration of PCDDs and PCDFs in your waste would be above the threshold in the concentrations table (15μg per kg). Therefore, you would have to follow the guidance manage waste containing POPs when you dispose of it.