Re: another question

["Jon Campbell" <jon@cqs.com>]

   Alex,
  
          I cannot quote a source right now, as my
  reading about this was years ago before I was
  involved in public forums. I believe is it is widely
  known and accepted that VC monomer is
  a typical contaminant in ordinary MSW landfills,
  and VC monomer is not exactly what you'd call
  an ordinary household product.
  
        In the Plainville, MA landfill, the state's
  largest MSW landfill, there is enough VC monomer
  in the landfill gas and dissolved in the
  groundwater that the site has gotten priority
  DEP status (the plume of VC is drifting toward
  town water wells and has polluted a lake).
  
        Where did it come from???
  It is well known that PVC emits
  VC monomer during its lifetime, especially
  when it is new (check out the aroma of a new
  car, vinyl shades, or PVC floatation device.)
  
      When you burn PVC or VC monomer, you get
  dioxins/furans. (Consider the Hamilton
  Plastimet fire).
  
        I never claimed that this was, overall, a
  huge source of PCDD/PCDFs. But for an
  individual town or city that is burning off
  its landfill gas, it is a very serious concern.
  
  Regards
  Jon
  
  
  From: asagady@sojourn.com <asagady@sojourn.com>
  To: Multiple recipients of list <dioxin-l@essential.org>
  Date: Saturday, November 08, 1997 12:36 AM
  Subject: Re: another question
  
  
  
  >At 10:00 PM 11/7/97 -0500, Jon Campbell wrote:
  >> Hi, folks,
  >>
  >>      Landfill gas is a source of dioxin, if burned,
  >>because of the presence of vinyl chloride
  >>monomer, which comes from deteriorating
  >>PVC. Typical flaring is very low temperature,
  >>and incomplete combustion, giving rise to
  >>particulates of elemental carbon and PAH,
  >>and polychlorinated phenols.
  >>
  >>Jon
  >
  >Gee Jon....there's a lot of assumptions here.   But
  >do you have any data?   If you read carefully some
  >of what Pat Costner posted, the most quantitative
  >information there was based on assumptions and
  >not actual test data.   I know because I found the
  >same hit that Pat did and read the parts that weren't
  >posted in Pat's message.   The author of that material
  >was also making the argument that recycling MSW
  >causes worse contamination problems than waste
  >incineration.   I don't believe that and I don't think
  >Greenpeace would either.
  >
  >But here are the assumptions you are making....
  >
  >The proposition that PVC degrades to vinyl chloride in landfills
  >in the absence of both heat and UV and that this
  >would be the principle source of the chlorinated
  >content of landfill gas....  I really find that
  >hard to accept as being significant at all as
  >a source.   But if you have research showing
  >that is the case rather than shear supposition,
  >please tell us where it can be found.
  >
  >If chlorinated compounds are
  >present in landfill gas I find it much more likely
  >that the sources will be PCB materials disposed
  >in landfills that evaporate, chlorinated solvents
  >contained in consumer products (i.e. freon,
  >methylene chloride, paint related solvents, etc.),
  >small quantity industrial waste disposal or
  >older surrepticious industrial waste solvent
  >disposal.
  >
  >Finally, there are a whole range of combustion
  >devices that are used to deal with landfill gas.  There
  >are the old style torches, there are dedicated
  >gas combustors with burners, there are internal
  >combustion engines use for electricity generation.
  >
  >If you are quite certain that all three catagories of
  >these combustion devices are significant sources
  >of PCDD/PCDF emissions, please tell us the
  >source of your information and the amount of
  >PCDD/PCDF generated, and why anyone would
  >want to be concerned on a priority basis about
  >landfill combustors as a source as opposed to
  >all of the other clearly characterized sources
  >of PCDD/PCDF out there?
  >
  >
  >---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  >Alex J. Sagady & Associates        Email:  asagady@sojourn.com
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