Question:

When you can smell the distant odor of something burning, be it trash, leaves, etc.. are you inhaling dioxins?

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Dioxins are a highly persistent, bioaccumulative class of chemicals that stack up in the human body, wherein they remain for a total of around ten to twenty years. They're known mutagens and suspected carcinogens, and are highly, highly toxic. They can be created by incinerating trash, burning things in a backyard burn barrel, or by composting leaves.

A couple of times a week I smell something burning, and it usually lasts for one-two hours. It couldn't possibly be anyone in my immediate area causing it, since I live in a high class, preppy, suburban white neighborhood. I have however witnessed people in the surrounding areas burning leaves when I've driven by - they're typical southern hick scum, so I presume they probably incinerate their trash as well. If this is the case, what's it take to have dioxin exposure? Would I need to be in proximity of the actual smoke, or are the chemicals present and abound even in the odor smelled at the distance I'm at (at least half a mile away)?

Should I have any cause for concern?

1. Would there even be any dioxins in the air I'm breathing at all? And if so, would it be equal or less to those found on a highway and such, since they're also present in auto and diesel exhaust..?

2. If there are in fact dioxins, would they even be capable of pregnating into my body through the small amounts probably inhaled, or would it take much more significant concentrations to enable them to penetrate my lungs and subsequently embed themselves in my body?

For me, having even the tiniest little measurement of dioxins get in my body from this is unacceptable, so I'd like to know.

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3 ANSWERS


  1. I concur with Plutonium. The offensive, eye-watering smell of products of combustion is usually sulfer.


  2. Type Dioxin sources into google & you will see a link to Dioxin Homepage it's a good source of info for you to decide upon. Oh, and if you really must worry and fret about the issue what about airplanes dropping all their exhaust upon us and they are not urban!  You may want to readjust your view of people, they may not be as you suggest at all, without you really knowing any of them.

  3. No! If I smell a burning leaves or trash, it might be I'm smelling sulfur.

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