BURNING rubbish in open dustbins could be a major source of dioxins, according to researchers with the US Environmental Protection Agency. The dioxin emissions measured by the researchers were so high that rubbish burnt by fewer than 40 households produced as much dioxins as a purpose-built incinerator serving tens of thousands of people.
Dioxins are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and can accumulate to dangerous levels in the food chain. The practice of burning household rubbish was common until the 1960s, although it is now banned by most towns and cities in both the US and Britain. However,…
