Emissions of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans from the Open Burning of Household Waste in Barrels

Paul M. Lemieux*

National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711

Judith A. Abbott

Bureau of Toxic Substance Assessment, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12203

Kenneth M. Aldous

Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12203

A family of four burning trash in a barrel in their backyard--still a common practice in many rural areas--can potentially put as much dioxin and furan into the air as a well-controlled municipal waste incinerator serving tens of thousands of households, according to a new study. Under intense scrutiny in recent years because of their varying degrees of toxicity, these polychlorinated compounds can be formed simply by burning common household trash at low temperatures.

The study could help resolve a long-standing discrepancy as a result of a 1994 EPA assessment that identified a "significant gap" between estimates of dioxin emissions and actual deposition measurements, according to the journal article. Emissions of dioxins and furans from burn barrels "may be an important missing link to help close the gap between measured deposition rates and the emissions inventories," the article points out.

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