The Influence of a Fire at an Illegal Landfill in Southern Poland on the Formation of Toxic Compounds and Their Impact on the Natural Environment

Abstract

Landfill fires pose a real threat to the environment as they cause the migration of pollutants to the atmosphere and water sources. A greater risk is observed in the case of wild landfills, which do not have adequate isolation from the ground. The aim of this article is to present the results of studies on the toxicity of waste from a fire in a landfill in Trzebinia (southern Poland). Both soil and waste samples were investigated. The samples were analyzed using the GC-MS method and the leachates using ICP-OES. A total of 32 samples of incinerated waste and soil were collected. The organic compounds included naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo (c) phenanthrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo (ghi) fluoranthene, benzo (b + k) fluoranthene, benzo (a) fluoranthene, benzo (c) fluoranthene, benzo (a) pyrene, benzo (e) pyrene, perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd] pyrene, benzo (ghi) perylene, and dibenzo (a + h) anthracene. Among the inorganic parameters, sulfates, chlorides, arsenic, boron, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc were taken into account. Phenanthrene reached values exceeding 33 mg/L. Fluoranthene dominated in most of the samples. Sulfates and chlorides were present in the samples in concentrations exceeding 400 and 50 mg/L, respectively. Compounds contained in burnt waste may have a negative impact on soil and water health safety. Therefore, it is important to conduct research and counteract the negative effects of waste fires.

Impact of Fires at Illegal Waste Storage Sites on Soil Contamination—A Study of Five Cases from Poland

“…Filipponi et al (2003) also identified Zn as one of the main trace elements in incineration ashes from municipal waste incinerators, a finding confirmed by the present study [36]. Similarly, Rykała et al (2022), while analyzing ashes from an illegal waste storage sites fire, observed that Zn constituted the largest share of metals, although at significantly higher levels compared to this study, averaging 18.47 mg/kg [21].…”

“…According to Tomaškinová et al (2014), the chloride content in waste at the largest illegal landfill in the Ko ńska Diera chasm in Slovakia was below 40 mg/kg [38]. Rykała et al (2022) reported an average chloride content of 51.9 mg/kg, with maximum values reaching 320 mg/kg [21]. In the present study, only at site 2 were these values below 40 mg/kg (25 mg/kg), while at the other sites, they were significantly higher and ranged from 187 mg/kg (site 5) to 4907 mg/kg (site 1), which may result in a higher level of risk to the environment and people.…”

“…Far fewer studies [21,22] have explored the potential impact of illegal waste storage site fires, which may be attributed to limited access to data. Almost all the studies conducted have focused on fires at illegal tire storage sites, as tires represent one of the most hazardous waste materials found in wild dumps [21].…”

“…Far fewer studies [21,22] have explored the potential impact of illegal waste storage site fires, which may be attributed to limited access to data. Almost all the studies conducted have focused on fires at illegal tire storage sites, as tires represent one of the most hazardous waste materials found in wild dumps [21]. So far, the effects of illegal tire storage site fires on air and soil quality and human health have been investigated [22], soil samples from uncontrolled tire storage site fires have been analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatography [23], polluted soils with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals after a fire at a tire recycling facility have been studied [15], and toxic substances produced during a fire at an illegal waste storage site have been analyzed [21].…”

Effects of thermal treatment of food using barbecue fuels on ambient air and beach sands within recreation facilities

“…For PM10, the instruments showed the highest concentration at an average level of 14 µg/m 3 , and for CO, the concentration was recorded at an average level of 22.8 ppm 27 . Reference levels of pollutants in the air for the protection of human health were taken into consideration based on the impact of CO, RI, HCHO, NH 3 , H 2 S, SO 2 , NO 2 , and Cl 2 for a 30-min inhalation and the average value measured over 24 h for PM10 28 – 30 . These were compared with the highest recorded values during the measurement for the components mentioned (Table 2 ).…”