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| Dioxins |
Dioxins are highly poisonous chemicals that are everywhere in the environment. Burning processes, such as commercial or municipal waste incineration, backyard burning, and the use of fuels, such as wood, coal, or oil, produce dioxins. The compounds then collect in high concentrations in soils and sediments. Plants, water, and air all contain low levels of dioxins. When dioxins enter the food chain, they are stored in animal fats. Over 90 percentTrusted Source of human exposure to dioxins comes through food, mainly animal products, such as dairy, meat, fish, and shellfish. Once
consumed, dioxins can stay in the body for a long
time. They are stable chemicals, which means they
do not break down. Once in the body, it may take
between 7 and 11 yearsTrusted Source for a dioxin’s
radioactivity to fall to half its original level.
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