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Backyard Dioxin Factories
Household Burn Barrels are Major Toxic Polluters
By Jeremy Jackson, The Sierra Club

Is that the smell of dioxin on the morning breeze? Don't be too quick to blame the neighborhood chemical factory, coal-fired power plant, or garbage incinerator, because it may well be coming from your own backyard. According to the EPA, the burning of household trash (commonly done in a "burn barrel") accounts for 32 percent of all U.S. releases of carcinogenic dioxin. By comparison, coal plants account for 4.5 percent and municipal incinerators 5 percent.

Surveys by the EPA and others estimate that between a quarter and a half of rural Americans burn some or all of their trash. Hauling trash to the nearest transfer station often requires driving long distances, plus paying for disposal. Even where trash pickup is available, many folks don't want to pay for it. In addition, burning trash is something of a tradition, part of the rural culture of self-sufficiency and pragmatism.

Most of the dioxin from burning trash comes from petroleum-based plastic and polystyrene, which also releases benzene, lead, arsenic, and PCBs into the air. But even seemingly harmless trash like paper and cardboard emit dioxins when burned. Exposure to such smoke can irritate lungs, alter the immune system, and cause birth defects. When dioxin lands on plants that are later consumed by livestock, it bioaccumulates and is passed on to those who eat meat, eggs, and dairy products. And the ashes created by burning trash are a toxic soup of their own, contaminating soil and leaching into drinking-water sources.

Some states have outlawed open trash burning; New York may be next.

Too often, though, regulation is left to local authorities--who often burn trash themselves.

Thieves Targeting Homes in Hope Township - UPDATE (10/26/09)

10/26/09: Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf tells LLCA that there have been arrests related to these break-ins. The sheriff tells us it's his belief these arrests "should solve close to 100% of [these recent] burglary cases."

Sheriff Leaf asked that we personally thank you for your efforts in keeping an eye out for these suspects. We need to stay vigilant, however. If you see anything suspicious, be sure to call 911 first and then please pass the word on to us at info@longlk.org

News 8 Ran this story about the break-ins on October 14, 2009

Thieves hitting Barry homes for jewels

In one case, a woman's underwear were taken, too

Updated: Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 11:19 AM EDT
WOOD TV-8

HASTINGS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Bryan Tobias was on his day off a week ago Monday when he returned from running some errands. He found the steel-entry door to the back of his house busted open.

The burglar left a rather obvious calling card -- a rather large footprint.

"It's at least a 12 or better 'cause you can see residue from their sole here," he said. "And their heel is way down here."

Tobias checked with neighbors and found in about a 1-mile radius of his Castleton Township home, east of Hastings, two others had been broken into that week.

"The three of us in this square-mile block, the patterns are identical," he said. "They're going in straight to the master bedroom. It's the only place they're going. It didn't appear they went anywhere else in the house."

State police are investigating 22 similar cases since September. The Barry County Sheriff's Department is looking into 13.

And they're still counting.

It's the same method of operation. The suspects show up in the middle of the day, probably knocking on the door to make sure no one is home.

If not, they break down the back door.

From there, they go right to the bedroom, ransacking the areas where people normally keep their jewelry: the top of the dresser and the top row of drawers.

"The wife's original wedding bands are gone," Tobias said. "Pearls. Opals. Diamonds. Who knows. Gold?"

Many of the incidents occurred in three townships: Hastings, Hope and Castleton -- all bordering Hastings.

The only suspect details released so far are the sightings of his or her vehicle. Barry County deputies say it's a white Ford Escort.

State police say one way to avoid getting ripped off is to put belongings and valuables where suspects would not expect to find them.

But for some people, the advice comes a little too late.

"They're on a mission," Tobias said of the suspects. "And they have a plan."

24 Hour News 8 received several e-mails on something else taken: women's underwear.

In one of the cases, the suspect took six pairs of underwear.

But police say it simply got thrown from the dresser drawer into the pile and wasn't something the suspect was specifically trying to take.

People with any information are encouraged to call the Barry County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police at the Hastings Post or Silent Observer.