Re: dioxin fingerprints

["Kathy E. Gill" <kegill@halcyon.com>]

  Dioxins (the family) are everywhere folks (coming out of long lurk mode).
  Not just from the chlorine used for treatment (although I personally prefer
  that to ozone for its 'shelf life' contribution to water purity). Add air
  sources (autos, fires, etc).
  
  But even if there were residual dioxin in tampons and TP -- get real!
  Tampons Are Not Supposed to be FLUSHED! And TP is not anywhere near the
  volume that would affect quality. At those levels, the pathogens are a hell
  of a lot more dangerous to public health, anyway.
  
  And why would landfill leachate be going directly into a publicly owned
  waterwater treatment plant? Why would it not be subject to pre-treatment
  requirements like any other "Industrial" source (even if the landfield were
  publicly owned) if it were that "hazardous"?
  
  Most large-scale pulp mills have their own treatment (WW and Sludge) .. and
  besides, sludge (pulp mill or otherwise) shouldn't be going into a Muncipal
  Landfill!
  
  Kathy
  
  
  >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
  
  
  ===============================
  Kathy E. Gill, publisher, eNetDigest - http://www.enetdigest.com/
  Member, HTML Writers Guild Governing Board, http://www.hwg.org/
  WWW design • writing • training - http://www.dotparagon.com/
  
  You must be the change you wish to see in the world. - Gandhi