![]() ![]() Eating food contaminated by smoke and ash.How Can Burning Trash Get Chemicals Into Your Body? Some of these chemicals can remain in the environment for a long time and can remain on your property (for example, soil outside and dust inside your home). Although substances such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde can cause immediate health effects with enough exposure, some chemicals such as dioxin can build up in foods and in your body. Some of these chemicals are found in smoke from any fire. Information from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation study showed that smoke from burning trash in a barrel contains particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, arsenic, lead, chromium, benzo(a)pyrene, dioxins, furans and PCBs. Also, unattended burn barrels or backyard burning can cause accidental fires. Repeated exposures to pollutants in burn barrel smoke may occur when people burn trash on a regular basis, and this may increase the risk of chronic health problems. People with heart and lung conditions are at greater risk for health effects. Some people find the odors produced by burn barrels disagreeable, and they may experience discomfort, headaches, and nausea. People exposed to smoke could experience burning eyes and nose, coughing, nausea, headaches, or dizziness. Some people may be more or less sensitive than others to chemicals in smoke. The chances of developing health effects from contact (exposure) with smoke from burn barrel fires depends on how much smoke a person contacts, how a person is exposed ( e.g., breathing the smoke or eating vegetables affected by the smoke) and how long and often the person is exposed. Young children may be at greater risk than adults because of their playing behaviors, their small size and their developing bodies. ![]() People can be exposed to those chemicals by eating fruits and vegetables grown near the trash-fire or in garden soil tilled with the ashes. The smoke from the fire can deposit chemicals on garden vegetables and garden soil. The smoke from backyard burning is released close to the ground where people can easily breathe it. Smoke from any fire can affect your health, your family's health and your neighbor's health. ![]() Other Sources including: residential and industrial wood burning, utilities, smelting/sintering, cement kilns, sewage sludge incineration, municipal/medical/hazardous waste incineration, paper industry, vehicles, cigarette smoke and others As shown below, emissions of dioxins and furans from backyard burning alone are estimated to be greater than for all other sources combined for the years 2002-2004. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated the emissions of dioxins and furans from a variety of sources. For some of those chemicals, burning about 10 pounds a day of trash in a household burn barrel may produce as much air pollution as a modern, well-controlled incinerator burning 400,000 pounds a day of trash! For example, when CCA pressure-treated wood (which contains arsenic) is burned, arsenic can be released in the smoke or remain in the ash.Ī study by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation measured the types and amounts of many chemicals in the smoke from burn barrels. Trash containing plastics, polystyrene (such as foam cups), CCA pressure-treated wood and bleached or colored papers can produce harmful chemicals when burned. Harmful chemicals can also be present in the ash. Trash fires in burn barrels can smolder and as a result produce greater amounts of harmful chemicals in the smoke. The content of the smoke depends on the trash that went into the fire, the temperature of the fire and the available oxygen.
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