Polychlorierte Dibenzo-p-dioxine und Dibenzofurane (PCDD/F)

Distillation residues of dry cleaning machines contain small quantities of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), independent of the type of solvent employed. PCDD/F were not only detectable in distillation residues using perchloroethylene as dry cleaning solvent, but also similar quantities and congeneric patterns of PCDD/F were found in residues from machines operated with stoddart solvent or CFC 113. Current results suggest that PCDD/F occurrence is linked to the dirt adhering to the textiles. Dirty textiles were a prerequisite for finding PCDD/F in the distillation residues. The congeneric patterns of the identified PCDD/F in the distillation residues were found to be similar as those from household dust, sewage sludge, as well as those from soil, sediments, and street dust. The investigations clearly show that perchloroethylene is not linked to PCDD/F formation. The freshly produced, commercial perchloroethylene as well as laboratory-distilled perchloroethylene did not contain any detectable quantities of PCDD/F. Also, the possibility of PCDD/F formation through decomposition reactions of the solvents during the dry cleaning process can be excluded on the basis of existing data.