Use of RAPIDS to assess and improve existing point source inventories of dioxin and furan air emissions in the state of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, Madison, WI (United States)
Dioxins and furans are known to be highly toxic at extremely low concentrations. These emissions are of special concern in the Great Lakes region, where deposition and bioaccumulation within the food chain leads to widespread fish-consumption advisories. Previous attempts to inventory dioxin and furan emissions at the state and/or national level have been conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and by the Center for Biology and Natural Sciences (CBNS), but have been limited by data accessibility and the substantial effort required to compile and process all available data. The Regional Air Pollutant Inventory Development System (RAPIDS), developed for the Great Lakes Regional Air Toxics Emissions Inventory, now makes it possible to assess and improve the existing inventories by developing new dioxin/furan emission estimates more quickly and with less effort than ever before. To test this assertion, an inventory of Wisconsin point source emissions was developed using available emission factors and control efficiency data. Potential source categories were identified using USEPA documents and the CBNS study. Annual reports submitted by Wisconsin facilities were used to develop process activity data. RAPIDS was then used for automated quality assurance and emission estimating. The resulting RAPIDS-generated emission estimates are presented. RAPIDS results are compared to results self-reported by Wisconsin sources, and results of the CBNS and USEPA studies. Implications for science and policy, especially for the Great Lakes region, are discussed, along with limitations of this effort and directions for future research.
- OSTI ID:
- 351205
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970677--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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