Dioxin
Shelby Brookshire
Category:
Dioxin is an organic chemical water pollutant.
Sources/Location:
Dioxin enters drinking water through discharge from chemical factories, waste incineration, and some combustion. The highest level of dioxins are found in soil, sediments, and food products. The lowest levels of dioxin are found in plants, water, and air.
The Sydney Harbour in Australia is the site for a large scale dioxin contamination resulting from a bad industrial site.
Problems:
Long term exposure to dioxin in drinking water could cause possible health effects like an increased risk of getting cancer and reproductive difficulties. Dioxins work there way up the food chain from the plants and water to aquatic and terrestrial animals. The high levels in animals can cause issues for these animals and eventually for humans.
How To Treat This Problem:
Dioxin has been removed from drinking water in the United States through the Safe Drinking Water Act passed in 1974. As for the environment dioxin can be prevented by proper incineration of contaminated material at high temperatures. Humans should monitor their food consumption and governments should put in testing regulation for their food products.