Soil contamination at abandoned sawmill areas

Contamination of soil by technical chlorophenol formulation at wood preserving sites was studied. The examined soils contained 50 to 1000 mg of polychlorinated phenols (CPs), 1 to 50 mg of polychlorinated phenoxyphenols (“pre-dioxins”, PCPPs) and 0.1 to 5 mg of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) per kg of dry soil. CPs were found to be mobile, leaching deep into the soil, while PCPPs and PCDFs accumulated in the top soil. All three classes of contaminants were stable in soil.