CONCORD – Gov. Jeanne Shaheen today announced that New Hampshire is adopting a first-in-the-nation strategy to substantially reduce harmful dioxin emissions in New Hampshire, which will cut dioxin emissions in half in the next two years. Dioxin is classified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a known human carcinogen.

"New research shows that dioxin poses a serious risk to the health of our citizens, our environment and our wildlife. I am committed to ensuring that New Hampshire works aggressively to protect the health of our people from the dangers of environmental pollution," Gov. Shaheen said. "In the next two years, this comprehensive strategy will cut in half the harmful dioxin emissions that jeopardize the health of people, our environment and wildlife in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services developed the New Hampshire Dioxin Reduction Strategy, a first-in-the-nation plan for reducing dioxin emissions. The strategy is modeled on New Hampshire’s successful Mercury Reduction Strategy, which in two years has reduced by more than 37 percent mercury emissions in New Hampshire.

The term "dioxin" refers to a family of highly toxic compounds that are produced both naturally by forest fires and volcanoes, and by human activities. The Dioxin Reduction Strategy identifies five major sources of dioxin emissions in New Hampshire: medical waste incinerators, wood-fired utilities, backyard trash burning, residential wood burning, and vehicles.

Although it is emitted into the environment in very small quantities, dioxin builds up in soil, plants, and animal and fish tissue, and is passed up the food chain to people. Scientific research links dioxin exposure to a variety of health problems, including types of cancer; learning disorders and behavioral problems; reproductive difficulties; diabetes; and problems of the immune, endocrine, nervous and gastrointestinal systems.

"We are attacking this problem head on, with a comprehensive inventory of dioxin emissions and their sources in New Hampshire, and more than 50 specific recommendations to reduce those emissions from over 20 sources," said Robert Varney, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Services. "The Strategy’s recommendations are extensive, focusing on cost effectively reducing dioxin emissions at facilities that generate significant amounts of dioxin."

The Strategy’s recommendations include working with hospitals to close medical waste incinerators in favor of environmentally safer methods of waste management, such as recycling and sterilization techniques; reducing the use of chlorine-treated products that emit dioxins when burned; measuring dioxin emissions from wood-burning utilities; and encouraging the replacement of older wood-burning stoves with new, more efficient models.

The Strategy also recommends banning the backyard burning of household waste, which is responsible for an estimated 15 percent of New Hampshire’s dioxin emissions. Burn barrels, usually located close to the ground, tend to localize the dispersion of dioxin emissions, putting people who live or work in the area, or eat locally produced food, at greater risk for dioxin exposure. Working with DES, a bipartisan group of legislators have introduced legislation banning backyard trash burning. The legislation, House Bill 274, is sponsored by Representatives Jeb Bradley, Teri Norelli, Donald White, Naida Kaen, Harold Lynde and Senators Clifton Below, Carl Johnson, Burt Cohen, Tom Eaton, Sylvia Larsen.

Addressing the incineration of medical waste and backyard trash burning would reduce dioxin emissions by nearly 50 percent.

In addition to Commissioner Varney, Gov. Shaheen was joined today by Victoria Jas, the environmental health and safety director at Dartmouth Hospital, who spoke about Dartmouth’s efforts to reduce dioxin emissions by replacing their medical waste incinerator; and Dr. Anne Kubina, Director of the Bureau of Health Risk Assessment in the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke about the health risks associated with dioxin.

"With this Strategy, New Hampshire will be the first state in the nation to act comprehensively to reduce dioxin emissions. But pollution does not respect state borders. We hope that the federal government and states that are upwind of us will follow our example as soon as possible. Comprehensive national action is essential to fully protect the health of New Hampshire residents and the environment," Gov. Shaheen said.

Supporting Graphics (PDF file)
Executive Summary
The New Hampshire Dioxin Reduction Strategy (PDF file)
Dioxin Questions and Answers
DES Fact Sheet: Open Burning of Trash
Brochure: State Law Prohibits Residential Trash Burning
  - What Every Homeowner Should Know (PDF file)