Does modern pollution control eliminate harmful toxins like dioxins, furans and lead?

No. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, but it can combine in various ways to form harmful toxins that can move from one place to another. Materials that are not diverted from the waste stream would be burned in an incinerator, if built. High temperatures cause chemical reactions that produce dangerous particles and toxins not present in the trash to begin with. For example, nanoparticles escape pollution controls and are emitted in to the air. Once inhaled, they can become lodged deep in the lungs, travel into the bloodstream, and pass through the blood/brain barrier.

The more effective pollution controls are in reducing harmful emissions, the more toxic the ash. Toxins produced during the burning process simply move from one place (the stack) to another (the ash). Concentrations of lead, dioxins, furans, cadmium and other toxins also end up in the ash,which must then be landfilled carefully to avoid air, soil and groundwater contamination. However, discussion in this county has focused on using the ash as daily landfill cover. Since all landfills eventually leak, the potential for creating a Superfund toxic waste dump is very real. Is this a legacy we want to leave for our children and future generations?

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