Releases Of Dioxins

Abstract

For years, chemical manufacturers have been the main industrial source of highly toxic chlorinated dioxins and furans released in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data. Now, because of changes in how EPA analyzes these data, a different pattern is emerging: When both the quantity and toxicity of releases are considered, the primary metals industry emerges as the main source of dioxin toxicity. In TRI terms, “release” has a broad definition: It could mean disposing of dioxin-contaminated waste in a hazardous landfill; emitting it to air; or discharging it in a flow of wastewater to a river, lake, or stream. And the category of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds consists of the most toxic congener—2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)—as well as six other chlorinated dioxins and 10 chlorinated furans. “These related chemicals act via the same toxicity pathway and produce similar health effects: increasing the risk of cancer, ...