Many incinerators that burn industrial and medical waste in Vietnam
are discharging dangerous amounts of dioxin, some at 5,000 times the
safe limit, according to a new research.
Le Ke Son, the lead researcher and a former official at the
environment ministry, said the report is the first time “Vietnam admits
that there’s dioxin discharged from industrial activities besides from
dioxin left from the war.”
The research was conducted by
Steering Committee 33, a national committee set up to mitigate the
effects of toxic chemicals used by the US during the Vietnam War, and
the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Dioxin, one of the most toxic and persistent compounds which can
leave impacts including cancer through generations, can be inhaled or
digested.
Environmental group Greenpeace has said it is the most toxic
manmade chemical ever identified. Researchers said dioxin in sewage
sludge can easily be absorbed into food through soil and water.
Incinerators are responsible for
most of the dioxin discharged in Vietnam, the research has
revealed, based on the amount of dioxin and dioxin-related compounds
(DRCs) measured in their emissions and sewage sludge.
Vietnam has not developed technologies to recycle and treat waste properly and mostly burns all of its garbage together.
The research team took 18
emission samples from medical, urban and industrial incinerators and all
of them contained dioxin or DRCs, with seven exceeding the safe limit.
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