It's actually a little scary how bad it is. On the What's
in Your Trash page, we talk about how burning trash forms
nasty toxic chemical compounds like Dioxin and Hexachlorobenzene.
Sure, they SOUND bad, but are they really? Yup, and here's
why: The compounds formed by burning trash go into the air,
where everyone breathes them. That means the person burning
the trash, that person's family, that person's neighbors...
Scientific research has shown that breathing these compounds
can increase your risk of many health problems, like heart
disease, asthma, emphysema, headaches and even cancer.
But if I don't breathe it, it's
ok, right?
Actually, no. The chemicals that are created
by trash burning settle out of the air into the ground
and into crops and grass, where they enter the food chain.
So really, even if you aren't around the burn barrel when
trash is burning, it's still not healthy.
YIKES! How do I stay safe from
this?
Ah. This is the easy part. Don't burn trash, take
it to the dump or transfer station instead. Tell people
about the hazards of burning trash and encourage your friends
and family to reduce, reuse and recycle. |
