Open waste burning leads to cancer

By Donald L. Hassig, Cancer Action NY
Open waste burning is one of the significant sources of cancer-causing air pollution. Carcinogens emitted by open burning of solid waste include dioxins, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, cadmium, chromium, arsenic and lead. People are most exposed to dioxins, furans and PAHs due to food supply contamination. These chemicals deposit out of the air and settle upon forage crops and pasture. The pollutants are consumed by food animals and accumulate in their bodies. Human consumption of dairy products, meats and eggs results in intake of the dioxins, furans and PAHs that are stored in the fat tissue of the food animals.

There are no burning barrels or refuse heap fires in urban areas. Many city dwellers believe that open burning has no impact on them since they are not breathing the emissions of nearby fires. However, when one takes into account food supply contamination it becomes clear that an impact does indeed exist. Those who live far from where trash is burned are exposed to dioxins, furans and PAHs when they eat animal fat foods. People living in areas where frequent trash burning takes place are exposed to all the pollutant carcinogens listed above when they breathe the smoke and fumes. However, their respiratory exposure to dioxins, furans and PAHs is far less than the exposure they receive by way of food supply contamination.

Dioxins are a group of chemical compounds sharing the basic structure of two benzene molecules linked by two oxygen atoms. Dioxins are created in combustion processes. Poor combustion conditions increase dioxin production. The U S Environmental Protection Agency’s dioxin inventory lists open waste burning as the largest source of dioxin releases to the environment. Another significant source of dioxin creation is the high temperature processing of metals.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is listed by the National Toxicology Program as “Known to Be a Human Carcinogen” (NTP, 2005). It is suspected that all dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, including furans and certain PCBs, are human carcinogens. People are exposed to a mixture of these chemicals. Total dioxin and dioxin-like compound exposure is expressed as a Toxicological Equivalent Quantity (TEQ) of dioxin, thus stating the exposure amount as a quantity of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. This quantity is determined using Toxicological Equivalent Factors (TEF), which adjust for variations in toxicity between the various dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. Toxicity data for dioxins and dioxin-like compounds other than 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is relatively limited; therefore, some degree of uncertainty exists in using this method of dealing with exposure to a mixture of chemicals. Dioxins cause cancer by acting as promoters of the process whereby malignant tumors are formed. Promotion involves the accelerated development of cells that have lost the ability to control cell division.

The EPA has been working on a reassessment of dioxin exposure and adverse health effects since the early 1990s (EPA, 2003). Dietary surveys conducted by the United States Food and Drug Administration provide an estimate of American consumption of animal fat. Limited testing of animal fat foods has generated data for estimating dioxin levels in these foods. The dioxin reassessment reports an average dioxin intake rate of 1 pg dioxin TEQ per kg body weight per day. More than 95 percent of dioxin exposure is a result of consumption of animal fat.

Dioxin-exposure cancer risk has been quantified in numerous epidemiological studies focused upon cancer cases recorded among pesticide factory workers and veterans of the Vietnam War involved in the aerial spraying of defoliants contaminated with dioxins. EPA sets forth a dioxin cancer risk factor of 1.0 X 10 E-3 in its reassessment. Using this cancer risk factor and the rate of intake stated above, the cancer risk of dioxin exposure for the average American is 1 in 1,000.

Reducing consumption of animal fat foods decreases dioxin exposure. All of these foods contain animal fat that is contaminated with dioxins: milk, cheese, ice cream, beef, pork, chicken, eggs and fish. Two-percent milk contains half as much dioxin as whole milk. The dioxins are present in the animal fat part of the food. The most desirable way to decrease dioxin exposure is reducing releases to the environment. This means bringing open waste burning to an end.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has made know to the public its intention of enacting a regulation that would prohibit open waste burning statewide. It is highly likely that enforcement of the new regulation will be complaint driven. If citizens are hesitant to make complaints against violators, the progress toward elimination of open burning will be very slow. A more vigorous enforcement strategy would utilize patrolling environmental conservation officers giving warnings and subsequently issuing tickets. Only strong public support for the ban will bring about such enforcement efforts. Public education on the adverse health effects of open burning can build the large numbers of ban supporters necessary to obtain aggressive enforcement activity.

Cancer Action NY is working to create a grassroots environmental health education campaign in one of New York state’s largest milk production areas. We are creating additional campaigns in urban areas to educate consumers. Grassroots environmental health education is based upon the tenet that communities can educate themselves when various parts of the community, including students, local artists, civic organizations, environmental groups and the news media work together to provide information to the public in unique and inspiring ways. Our message is this: Dioxins cause cancer, dioxins are air pollution contaminants of animal fat foods, open waste burning is the largest source of dioxin releases to the environment, and bringing an end to open burning is a matter of cancer risk reduction. We need powerful artwork to use for making posters. We need performing artists who will use music, dance and poetry to focus public attention on these posters.



Donald L. Hassig lives in Colton and is director of Cancer Action NY.