What's in the Smoke?
Did you know every time garbage is burned in an uncontrolled
fire, it creates air pollution and the left over ash contains
toxic residue! Here are some of
the air pollutants that would be in the smoke from a burn
barrel:
• Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (dioxins)
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) such as:
- C6H6 (benzene)
- C6H5CH3 (toluene) |
• Chlorinated fluorocarbons photo
of a burn barrel|
- C0 (carbon monoxide)
- CO2 (carbon dioxide)
- SO2 (sulfur dioxide) |
|
• CH3 CCl3 (methyl chloroform)
- Ash or particulate matter
- Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (furans)
• Halogenated hydrocarbons like:
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Trichloroethylene
- Methylene chloride
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
- Carbon tetrachloride |
• Heavy metals such as:
- Pb (lead)
- Ba (barium)
- Cr (chromium)
- Cd (cadmium)
- As (arsenic)
- Hg (mercury) |
Burn barrel temperatures rarely exceed 500 degrees Fahrenheit,
so combustion is incomplete. Permitted incinerators operate
at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to insure complete combustion
and they use efficient filters to reduce harmful emissions.
Pound for pound - garbage burned in a burn barrel gives off
twice as many furans, 17 times as much dioxin, and 40 times
as much ash as a permitted incinerator. A 1997 EPA study shows
that if two-to-forty (depends on how much plastic and paper
they are burning) households burn garbage, they produce as
much dioxin as a 200 ton/day municipal incinerator.
Past generations burned their garbage, but that practice should
be a thing of the past. Garbage back then didn't contain plastics,
foils, batteries, paper (which is bleached with chlorine)
and other materials. Even burning paper today can release
dixions into the air. Burning household trash, whether in
an open pit, burn barrel or a wood stove is unhealthy, unneighborly
and unnecessary. It is time to let the burn barrels become
obsolete!
Alternatives to Burn Barrels
Instead of Burning in a Burn Barrel, You Should...
Reduce -- buy in bulk or larger quantities and demand
less packaging on the products you buy.
Reuse -- find someone else
who can use it, have a yard sale, or donate it to a resale
or non-profit organization.
Recycle –- newspaper,
office paper, corrugated cardboard, magazines, aluminum, metal,
acceptable plastics and any other material your community
recycles.
Compost -- leaves, plant
clippings and food waste.
Chip -- brush and clean
wood to make mulch or decorative chips, or use it as heating
fuel in wood stoves or boilers.
Dispose -- of allowable
waste materials at a permitted landfill or waste-to-energy
facility.
What
You Should Never Burn
in a Burn Barrel
• Asphalt
• Batteries
• Cardboard
• Construction and Demolition Debris
• Garbage
• Household Hazardous Waste
• Junk Mail
• Leaves
• Paint
• Paper
• Pesticide Containers
• Plastic
• Petroleum Products
• Tires
• Treated Wood
• Waste
reduction, reuse and recycling tips |
When These Materials
Are Burned in a Burn Barrel
They Give off Toxins Like*:
Asphalt - PAH's
Batteries - heavy metals
like cadmium, lead, mercury
Plastics - dioxins,
VOC's and halogenated hydrocarbons
Treated Wood - Arsenic,
plus the ash is very toxic. (This lumber contains Chromated
Copper Arsenate)
Paper - dioxins
Pesticide Containers
- pesticide residuals, dioxins, VOC's, halogenated hydrocarbons
Leaves - carbon monoxide
and benzo(a)pyrene
Petroleum Products -
dioxins, VOC's and halogenated hydrocarbons
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• This is not a comprehensive list of toxins emitted from
a burn barrel, it is just a partial listing
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