Re: dioxin fingerprints

["Rebecca Leighton Katers" <cwac@execpc.com>]

  Dioxin could end up in POTWs from many sources.
  
  One of the more obvious could be toilet paper and 
  tampons --- either recycled paper or virgin, and bleached with 
  chlorine or chlorine compounds.   Dioxin has been 
  detected in significant quantities in personal 
  hygiene paper products.
  
  Our POTWs also take all the leachate from area 
  landfills, which also take huge quantities of 
  paper mill sludges (chlorine bleached).   I 
  wouldn't be surprised if Dioxins are found in 
  most municipal landfills though, given all the 
  contamination in food, paper,  cleaning products, wood 
  treatments, coatings, pesticides and other products.  
  
  The landfill leachate could carry a host of toxic contaminants 
  into POTWs like ours which are not designed 
  with final stage toxics treatment.   Essentially, 
  they're using municipal wastes to dilute the 
  leachate, to discharge to the river.   Pretty crazy.
  
  Our POTW also uses a Zimpro press to dewater 
  their sludge.    This is a big, rotating, 
  super-heated drum and the sludge is pressed 
  against it for one or more revolutions to dry it 
  enough so it can be incinerated.   Of course, 
  we're concerned about the air emissions, but the 
  press itself turns the final wastewater a dark 
  chocolate color and they've confirmed it contains
  hundreds of chlorinated organics.   Don't know about 
  Dioxins but the heat treatment could be 
  creating some.
  
  Too many idiots still pour hundreds of waste chemicals
  down the drain, some of which could be 
  contaminated with Dioxin.    Very hard to trace, 
  especially if their idiocy is only intermittent.
  
  
  Rebecca Leighton Katers
  Clean Water Action Council of N.E. Wisconsin
  2220 Deckner Avenue
  Green Bay, WI 54302
  Phone:  414-468-4243
  Fax:  414-468-1234
  E-mail:  cwac@execpc.com