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CALIFORNIADEPARTMENTOF HEALTH SERVICESENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INVESTIGATIONS BRANCH

QUESTIONSAND ANSWERS

INFORMATIONABOUT DIOXINSMay 2003

Q. What are dioxins?

A. Dioxins are a group of highly toxic chemicals. They are cre-ated when garbage, plastics, metals, wood, and other ma-terials are burned. They are also found in some chemicals.

There are several types of chemicals that are called di-oxin-like because they look and behave in similar ways.Dioxin-like chemicals include furans, and some typesof PCBs (polychlorinatedbiphenyls). While some aremore toxic than others, they all have similar effects onthe body.

Q. Where do dioxins come from?A. There are many types of activities that produce dioxins.

Today, most dioxins come from the burning of garbageand medical waste and from wood treated with achemical called PCP (pentachlorophenol). PCP containsdioxins and stays in the wood for many years. Dioxinsare also produced during metal smelting or refining,and coal and wood burning. Dioxins are found in cer-tain pesticides that are used in both commercial agri-culture and in the home. They are also produced dur-ing forest fires and other natural events.

Burning trash on your property can produce largeamounts of dioxins, too. A few people burning trash intheir backyard can produce as much dioxin in a day asa large incinerator burning medical waste. Smalleramounts of dioxins are also produced in vehicle ex-haust, wood burning, and paper production.

Q. How can I be exposed to dioxins?

A. For most people, almost all exposure to dioxins comesfrom food. When dioxins are released into the air, theyusually fall on the ground, onto plants and into thewater, where they may stay for many years. Animals getdioxins into their bodies when they eat plants and peckat the ground. Dioxins are stored in the animals fatWhen people eat these animals, dioxins get into theibodies as well.

Q. Why are people concerned about dioxins?

A. Studies show that exposure to dioxins can cause can-cer in humans. Other studies have also linked dioxinsto health problems such as birth defects, liver damageand skin diseases such as rashes or discoloration. Diox-ins remain in the body for many years. Because theyare found everywhere, we all have some level of diox-ins in our bodies. Whether these chemicals will harm apersons health depends on many things, includinghow much dioxin a person was exposed to, when theexposure happened, and a persons genes.

Between the 1930s and the 1970s, human activities

released large amounts of dioxins into the environ-ment. Beginning in the 1970s, new laws have re-duced the amount of dioxins being produced. Evenso, the World Health Organization ( WHO) has foundthat current exposure to dioxins may be at levelsthat harm peoples health.

CaliforniaDepartment ofHealthServices

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Q. What can I do to reduce my exposure to dioxins?

A. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to get rid of diox-ins that may be in our bodies. There are, however, manyways to reduce your exposure to dioxins. Eating foodsthat are low in animal fat is not only good for yourhealth, but also reduces your exposure to dioxins.

Choose meat, poultry, dairy products, and fish that arelow in fat. Fruits, vegetables, and grain products are verylow in fat, and contain almost no dioxins. The UnitedStates Department of Agricultures dietary guidelines area good example of a diet low in animal fat.

Preparing foods in ways that lower the amount of fatwill also lower your exposure to dioxins. You can lowerthe amount of fat in foods by:

Removing the skin and fat from meat and fish

Using less butter or lard when preparing food

Using vegetable oil instead of animal fats

Cooking foods on a rack so that the fat can drip offand be thrown away

Eating only the meat of fish and throwing away theliver and other organs

Washing fruits and vegetables before eating them

Cigarettes also contain a small amount of dioxin. Stop-ping or reducing smoking is another way to reduceyour exposure to dioxins and other harmful chemicals.

Q. What if I fish or raise my own chickens?

A. Some areas of California have health warnings for fish-

ing and raising chickens. There are fish advisories forPCBs and other chemicals for the following areas:

The Port of Stockton Richmond Inner Harbor San Francisco Bay and Delta Region Areas along the coast of Los Angeles and San Diego

Each area has its own fish advisory. More information onthe fish advisories can be found at:

http://www.oehha.ca.gov

Chickens that forage on the ground may also be ex-posed to dioxins by pecking and eating contaminated

soil. At this time, there are advisories for home-growneggs in the Oroville and Stockton areas, and the areasouth of Mojave. Information on these advisories can befound at the California Department of Health Services(CDHS) website:

www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/deodc/ehib

While several areas of California have special advisoriesfor chickens, it is important to remember that dioxinsare in soil everywhere. For this reason, CDHS recom-

mends that people who raise their own chickens keepthem in coops above the ground.

Q. What about wood treated with dioxins?

A. Some outdoor wood products, mostly telephone polesthat have direct contact with the ground, may be

treated with PCP (pentachlorophenol). Wood treatedwith PCP should never be used for indoor projects likefurniture, floors, cutting boards, or for outdoor projectswhere it will come into contact with people, animals, odrinking water.

Wood treated with PCP should be disposed of at a land-fill. It should never be burned in fireplaces, open fires, orwood stoves. Some landfills will not take wood treatedwith PCP. Contact your local landfill to be sure they ac-cept this type of wood.

Q. Should I be tested for dioxins?

A. Testing for dioxins is very expensive and can only bedone in special laboratories. Because dioxins are everywhere in the environment, scientists believe that every-one has some amount of dioxin in their body. Unfortu-nately, scientists know very little about what level of dioxins in your body causes health problems. For thesereasons, CDHS does not recommend that people betested for dioxins.

Q.Whats being done in California about dioxins?

A. Lowering the amount of dioxins being produced by hu-

man activity is the best way to keep people from be-ing exposed to dioxins. California leads the nation inlowering emissions of dioxins into the air. In 1990, theCalifornia Air Resources Board (CARB) passed laws tolower by 99 percent the amount of dioxins from incin-erators that burn medical waste. Because of these newlaws, the number of medical waste incinerators in Cali-fornia dropped from 150 to less than 10. California lawrequires other industrial facilities to report to the CARBhow much dioxin they are releasing into the air. At thistime, the CARB is testing the air for dioxins and otherchemicals at 12 locations in California.

For More Information

More information on dioxins can be found by contacting:

The California Department of Health Services

Environmental Health Investigations Branch1515 Clay St., Suite 1700Oakland, CA 96412

(510) 622-4500