Burning Human Waste - Another Toxic Tale

by George Claxton

I have been reading the articles on cancer from burn pits in the Gulf Wars. Also, I have been wondering about why there has been no investigation on the burning of human waste with fuel oil in Vietnam and probably in the Gulf Wars.

Everyone in Vietnam knows that the burning of human waste with fuel oil was a daily occurance in Vietnam. The combustion of fuel oil creates dioxins and difurans. This was documented by the study titled "Dioxins in Diesel Exhaust" which was written by C. Clunies-Ross and published in the journal Nature; volume 381, page 379, on May 30, 1996.

There is no question that human waste burners were exposed to massive amounts of smoke from the burning. Also, the burn pits in the Gulf almost certainly created dioxin's because of the plastic material that was burned. I have many studies on both of these issues. I have submitted my comments to Senator Carl Levin in Michigan and I'm sure he will get back to me. I just hope it will not be too late.