Following the construction of Bionerga Waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerator in Beringen, residents’ group Leefbaar Tervant (LT) asked for the air quality to be researched in time on toxic substances, to be started in 2019. In response, the city of Beringen commissioned ToxicoWatch (TW) to monitor air quality on dioxins in Beringen region by a multi-year biomonitoring research for three years.
TW analysed backyard chicken eggs from private chicken coop owners in the region of Beringen to detect dioxins, which accumulate in the egg yolk. These first biomonitoring sampling took place before the waste incinerator started into production (2019), by a so called “baseline/zero-measurement”. The following biomonitoring studies with analysis of backyard chicken eggs on dioxins were conducted in 2021 and 2022. The analyse values presenting an increase of dioxin results in the follow-up years.
The local group Leefbaar Tervant (LT) commissioned ToxicoWatch an additional PFAS analysis on backyard chicken eggs in Beringen in 2022, published in 2023.
Key findings Biomonitoring Beringen region, 2019-2023
- Already with the baseline/zero-measurements in the industrialised region of Beringen, dioxins were detected in the backyard chicken eggs.
- Chicken egg locations showed elevated dioxins (PCDD/F/dl-PCB) in 2021-2022 with both bioassay analysis DR CALUX and chemical analysis (GC-MS) compared to baseline in 2019.
- The DR CALUX shows dioxin values of 20 pg BEQ/g fat and even more, at 50% of the locations (2022).
- None of the chicken eggs does meet the EU dioxin standard with the DR CALUX analysis in 2022.
- Chemical analysis GC-MS for the sum of dioxins (PCDD/F/dl-PCB) verifies 5 out of 6 egg locations above the EU standard of 5 pg TEQ/g fat.
- Congener-specific patterns of incomplete combustion are found at egg locations nearby the waste incinerator.
- One location, (BE-1) shows in 2022 a strong increase of 756% Heptachlorodibenzofuran (HpCDF1) compared to analysis results in 2019.
- PFAS concentrations were detected in backyard chicken eggs at the same locations of where the highest dioxins results in 2022 were measured.
To know in which quantities persistent organic pollutants (POPs), like dioxins, PAH, PFAS and heavy metals are emitted by the waste incinerator Bionerga in Beringen, regular independent research of the raw unaveraged semi-continuous flue gas data is of importance.
