???? The True Toxic Toll of Incineration: Unveiling the Reality ????

As a passionate advocate for the environment and someone deeply invested in exploring waste incinerator alternatives, I find myself continually receiving SOS emails regarding new incineration projects cropping up worldwide. It's a clear indication that the urgency to address the impact of incineration on our planet is greater than ever before.

Today, I received an urgent email from a local group in Canada seeking for our advice to address a concerning claim made by the local authority regarding their Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility. According to the authority, the facility releases steam that is "99.9% pure into the air".

While the claim may sound promising at first glance, we must exercise caution and investigate the methodology and real-world implications behind such a statement. The True Toxic Toll research project, in which I am actively involved, has continuously emphasized the complexities and challenges associated with waste incineration.

Incineration businesses have long tried to present themselves as sources of "nearly" clean air, but we cannot ignore the evidence that points to dioxin emissions and other toxic substances still being present in the environment. The removal efficiency of certain pollutants may indeed reach 99.9% in artificial laboratory conditions, but real combustion processes are far more intricate and unpredictable. Evidence e.g. among others a recent study by a regional health authority in France shows that dioxin levels in the immediate surroundings of incinerators are on the rise, and toxicity concerns persist.

While laboratory conditions may indicate that 99.9% of certain dioxin and furan congeners can be removed from flue gases, real-world combustion processes do not mirror these controlled settings. The complexity of waste streams, comprising thousands of substances, presents a formidable challenge in filtering out all toxic pollutants. Unregulated toxic substances, such as mixed halogenated dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs, PAHs, and PFAS, further complicate the matter. Even the removal of heavy metals from exhaust gases remains a daunting task, with most metals falling short of the 99.9% benchmark.

One of the most significant hurdles in the pursuit of cleaner emissions lies in the compatibility of Air Pollution Control Devices (APCD). Efforts to gauge incinerator efficiency become meaningless if APCDs are turned off during critical moments like shutdowns or startups. These instances, outside normal operating conditions, represent pivotal time frames during which toxic pollutants, including dioxins, can form.

It's crucial to move beyond the simplified comparison of full-scale incinerator operation with laboratory-derived removal efficiency. The reality of waste incineration, especially under the guise of "Waste-to-Energy/WtE" with a green label, is far more intricate and demands a holistic approach to address toxic substances in flue gases.

For further insight, I encourage you to explore the Biomonitoring of incineration emissions - The True Toxic Toll website. Additionally, the latest ToxicoWatch report on Beringen, Belgium, published on June 2023 www.toxicowatch.org.

#EnvironmentalAwareness #SustainabilityMatters #CleanAir ??????