I don’t live near Ohio, but, like many, I’ve been following the aftermath of the East Palestine train derailment disaster as if I did. I’m picturing the families. I’m imagining what it would feel like to live there. I’m eager to learn about cleanup efforts. There was a brief moment when people in charge were trying to claim it wasn’t that bad, that dioxins weren’t literally everywhere. They were awaiting test results. Remember that?
I didn’t believe it. The plumes of smoke reminded me of one thing: September 11th. I did live near there, all through that disaster. Beyond the lives lost that day, I was all too aware of the health impact of all of the toxic chemicals that burned and spewed far and wide as the fires burned, including their short- and long-term health impacts.
Dioxins are a group of highly toxic industrial pollutants. They are mostly produced during processes that involve petrochemicals, like the manufacturing of pesticides and plastics. They’re also produced when paper gets bleached with chlorine for everyday items like toilet paper and tampons. But dioxins can also be created when chlorine is burned, like during waste incineration involving plastics. Burning plastic is just never going to amount to any good.
Dioxins make the news when there are contamination incidents, including East Palestine, Ohio; many of the train cars contained vinyl chloride, which burned in uncontrolled conditions for days, creating dioxins and of course releasing them into the communities surrounding the disaster site. The fires at the World Trade Center burned insulation, plastics, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in electrical cables burned, which also released dioxins.
There are a bunch of kinds of dioxins, some more toxic than others. Their toxicity is well established and no amount of exposure is good for us, but dioxins are so pervasive that everyone has at least some level of exposure. They accumulate in fatty tissue, and break down very slowly. Most human exposure is via food, especially fatty foods, though dioxins can be inhaled from the air or absorbed through the skin. They settle in soil and water, harming aquatic life, and make their way into the food chain.
Levels of dioxins have been found in the general US population at or near levels associated with adverse health effects. Dioxins can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and damage to the immune system. They can also interfere with hormones.
Rapidly developing babies and children are particularly vulnerable to dioxin exposure, which can stunt growth, result in cognitive impairment, and cause reproductive and developmental problems. Not everyone has the same exposure to dioxins. Communities closest to and people who work at petrochemical or paper industry facilities and related industrial sources are exposed to higher levels of dioxins. Communities of color are more likely to live near these polluting facilities.
Mitigating exposure to dioxins on an individual level is difficult, though there are some dietary hacks. We can all call on our elected officials and regulatory agencies to crack down on the plastics and petrochemical industries, which are polluting our air with dioxins and other toxic chemicals.