This biomonitoring research on POP emissions in relation to waste (WtE) incineration is conducted by ToxicoWatch, with participation of Action Spain Network. The project was running simultaneously for 2021 and 2022 in three countries: Lithuania, Spain, and the Czech Republic, coordinated by Zero Waste Europe.
In Spain, in the southwest region of Madrid, the Valdemingómez waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerator belongs to Madrid City Council; commissioned in 1996, as one of the oldest and largest waste incinerators in Europe. Since 2018 Valdemingómez is incinerating more than 300,000 t / year. The waste incinerator has three lines to operate simultaneously, with two fluidized bed incinerators, where RDF (Refused Derived Fuel) is combusted. The chimney is 45 metres high. This waste incinerator has been encountering opposition from concerned resident living nearby, about the risks of toxic emissions.
The biomonitoring research in this area is focused on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), dioxins, PAH and PFAS. The biomarker samples ToxicoWatch have used are eggs of backyard chicken, pine needles (Pines halepensis), evergreen tree foliage leaves (Cupressus arizonica), and mosses (bryophytes) for analysis with bioassays and chemical analysis in 2021 and 2022.
