In 1989 in The Netherlands elevated dioxin concentrations were found in cow's milk originating from areas a.o. located near Municipal Solid Waste Combustion (MSWC) facilities. This induced the Dutch government to set up an extensive programme for making an inventory of all possible dioxin sources in The Netherlands, by studies and measurements. This research programme was carried out in the period 1990 - 1992, jointly by The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM). The mentioned inventory resulted in figures for the total dioxin emission in The Netherlands in 1991 and an estimate for the year 2000. In this paper the results of the above mentioned inventory are summarised, as far as dioxin emis-sions into the air are concerned. Relevant and public information about results of more recent measurements in The Netherlands is included.
