Environmental Effects of Burning Garbage

What is given off when garbage burns?

Pollutants vary depending on the type of garbage burned, but typically emissions include dioxins, ash, furans, halogenated hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, lead, barium, chromium, cadmium, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, arsenic or mercury.

What are the effects of ash from burn barrels?

Ash (particulates) can irritate the eyes and throat and can restrict visibility. Ash can damage the lungs, cause bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer, and can seriously affect people with asthma or certain allergies. Ash also contains heavy metals that may seep into the ground water.

Backyard burning vs. municipal incinerators

Burn barrel temperatures rarely exceed 500 degrees F so combustion is incomplete. Municipal incinerators operate at 2,200 degrees F to insure complete combustion and they use efficient filters to reduce harmful emissions.

Pound for pound-garbage burned in a burn barrel, gives off twice as many furans, 17 times as much dioxin, and 40 times as much ash as a municipal incinerator. A 1997 EPA study shows that two to forty households burning garbage produce as much dioxin as a 200 ton/day municipal incinerator.

How can exposure affect me and my family?

In a municipal incinerator, stacks that emit smoke are designed for maximum dilution and are high above activity, therefore resulting in a low dose. Burn barrels are less efficient at combustion, and are concentrated close to the ground, therefore resulting in direct exposure to harmful pollutants.