Re: [GreenYes] Plastic-Coated Cartons

["Paul Goettlich" <gottlich@infi.net>]

Regarding the comment about dioxin being destroyed by incineration;

There are industry scientists that profess that if dioxin is incinerated at
high enough temperatures that it will be destroyed. The paper most cited on
this subject is by Rigo, et al.

The following comment on Rigo et al is by Dr. Paul Connett of Cornell
University.
http://www.workonwaste.org/wastenots/wn305.htm

"The Columbus incinerator operator's own logs indicate quite clearly that
the waste was specially prepared for this test burn and thus not typical of
the way waste is handled on a day-to-day basis.  ...Dr. Rigo declined to
elaborate on any of his calculations or substantiate Mr. Diamant's claim
that our conclusions were based upon "selective, inaccurate, incomplete and
defective data." Meanwhile, as reported in the following issue of Waste Not,
the Columbus authorities have decided to close down their ill-fated trash
incinerator, after just 11 years of costly operation, instead of paying for
an expensive retrofit. We believe this sends a clear message to many other
communities in the U.S. saddled with incinerator dinosaurs: "it's cheaper to
shut them down."
______________________________

How reliable the Rigo paper is, again, depends upon ones particular
definition of science. But considering that the data are not made public,
the work is highly suspect and therefore not reliable.

Best regards,
Paul

Paul Goettlich
PO Box 517
Berkeley  CA  94701
www.mindfully.org
gottlich@infi.net

From: "Helen Spiegelman" <hspie@home.com>
To: <greenyes@grrn.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 9:49 AM
Subject: RE: [GreenYes] Plastic-Coated Cartons

> Second, if the alternative of burning the paper fibres from polycoats is
> under consideration, I would have concerns about the conditions under
which
> they were burned. Polycoat paper is bleached, often with chlorine. Dioxins
> are formed from combustion of chlorine-bleached paper; these compounds can
> be destroyed in turn through combustion I am told -- but this depends on
> maintaining sufficient temperatures (which may be not be achievable).


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