The San Jacinto River Waste Pits are located on the Houston Ship Channel, Texas. They were utilized in 1960's-70's to dispose of pulp and paper waste. The site was placed on the US EPA National Priority List of Superfund sites in 2008. Prior to remediation dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs were measured in surface sediment collected at 15 locations in the waste pits. Aliquots of surficial sediment were used for characterization of percent moisture, total organic carbon (TOC), and percent black carbon (BC). Contaminants were extracted using an enhanced pressurized liquid extraction technique. Extracts were analyzed using high-resolution gas chromatography-electron capture negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry. The distribution and profile of individual contaminants were examined through multivariate statistical analysis. The total concentration of contaminants extended two orders of magnitude (~1,800 to ~488,000 pg g-1dw) and exhibit the following pattern: dl-PCBs > dioxins > furans.

San Jacinto River waste pits, Texas: Analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, furans, and biphenyls in surficial river sediment

245th National Meeting (2013)

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