Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology - GAIA

source of dioxins in the environment. European Union (EU) data indicate that most dioxin from
incinerators is released to land, rather than to the air. 36 One study found that only 1.7 percent of
an incinerator’s dioxin releases went out the stack, with the vast majority released in ash and
slag. 37
Other Halogenated Organic Compounds
In addition to dioxins, incinerators are sources of other halogenated organic compounds. 39
These include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated benzenes, polychlorinated
naphthalenes (PCN), halogenated phenols, brominated and mixed halogenated dioxins,
iodinated dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzothiophenes and many aza-heterocyclic
compounds. 40 In general, these substances have been much less studied than dioxins, and less
is known about their releases and their health effects. Some of these substances, namely
hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and PCBs, are listed as
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm
Convention; many are known or suspected carcinogens,
and several are thought to have dioxin-like toxicity.
Mercury
Like dioxins, mercury is a persistent,
bioaccumulative toxin that can be transported far from
where it is emitted into the environment. Since it is an
element, mercury cannot be broken down. It is a potent
neurotoxin, which means it attacks the body’s central
nervous system, resulting in disturbances in sensation
(tingling and numbness), impaired vision, speech, and
motor control, spasms, loss of memory, and even death.
Mercury also attacks the heart, kidney and lungs. It is particularly hazardous to developing
fetuses, infants and young children, with effects including delayed development of motor
functions (walking, talking and speaking), mental retardation, seizure disorders, cerebral palsy,
blindness and deafness. Mercury transfers from women to fetuses across the placenta and to
infants through breastfeeding, resulting in exposure at critical stages of development. 42
Incinerators, and medical waste incinerators in particular, are major sources of mercury
pollution. In the United States, approximately 39 percent of airborne mercury emissions are
from waste incinerators; the global average is approximately 29 percent. 43 Once released into
the environment, mercury is readily transformed into methylmercury, which easily enters the
food chain and bioaccumulates.
Mercury contamination is widespread. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control
estimate that 375,000 children — about one-tenth of all births — are born each year with an
elevated risk of neurological impacts because of low-level mercury exposures during the
pregnancy. 44
“The emissions from incinerator processes are extremely toxic. Some of the
emissions are carcinogenic. We know, scientifically, that there is no safe threshold
below which we can allow such emissions. We must use every reasonable instrument
to eliminate altogether.”
— U.K. Environment Minister Michael Meacher to a House of Lords
Inquiry, 1999. 45
16 Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology
“POPs have been linked
to numerous adverse effects
in humans and animals.
Those include cancer,
central nervous system
damage, reproductive
disorders and immune
system disruptions. They
are, in fact, lethal.”
— USEPA Administrator
Christie Whitman, 2001. 41