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 the emission of thousands of toxic pollutants at the ground level and hence is a serious concern for the public health. It is reported elsewhere that the open burning of MSW is a major source of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (U-POPs) such as dioxins, furans and PCBs. Dioxins, furans and PCBs (commonly called as dioxins) are highly persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals with carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity and developmental toxicity effects. These are classified as Group-1 carcinogens by the IARC, and as low as the 70 pg (10-12 g) TEQ/kg of the body weight is the provisional tolerable monthly intake recommended by the WHO. In 2004, the Stockholm Convention on POPs was coordinated by the UNEP to discuss the phasing out of POPs from the earth’s surface. India ratified the convention in 2006 and was obliged to prepare a national implementation plan (NIP), which would serve the long- term goal of inventorization,
reduction and elimination of
POPs in India. India’s NIP was
evaluated by independent
experts, and the lack of emission
data of unintentional POPs
from the open burning of MSW
was pointed out as the major
drawback. The lack of authentic
scientific data on these harmful
emissions is a stumbling
block ahead of governmental
regulatory agencies to
implement strict rules against
open dumping and burning
of MSW. CSIR – the National
Institute for Interdisciplinary
Science and Technology
(NIIST), a participant institute
to India’s NIP preparation, took
the initiative to ‘develop the
emission factors of dioxins and
dioxin-like compounds from open burning of
Mr. Ajay S. V. || 399
MSW’ with the grant-in-aid by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. This study was chosen as my PhD research topic.
By the time the match ended, I got a call from my guide. He was also of the opinion that we should take this opportunity to demonstrate the importance of our study, and we should do an investigation on dioxin emission levels at the fire hazard zone. I drove my way to the lab and started preparations for the field visit. We had a brief discussion with the director of NIIST about the importance of the study. Considering the societal relevance, the director immediately approved the field trip on a holiday and sanctioned the release of an office vehicle as well. The site was almost stranded with public utilities such as transportation, drinking and electricity. We got prepared for the worst and made a work-plan to be implemented at the site.
We were quite satisfied and proud of the teamwork over the past 2 years, which had developed the expertise and confidence in us to conduct such a study at short notice. A short flashback revealed the hard-earned
capability at our institute.
An open dump/burn yard sampling is associated with many anomalies in the waste quantity, compositions, combustion condition and also sample dilution. Undiluted samples and knowledge on the waste composition and combustion conditions are a requisite for developing the emission factor. This led to the thought of a simulated waste combustion approach. A simulated combustion chamber a burning hut with provisions for temperature monitoring systems, weight loss
   About 960 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) is getting generated in India every year, and its management and disposal are one of the greatest environmental problems faced by our nation today. Centralized MSW treatment plants are missing in many municipalities across the nation, and with no successful models in place, the citizens are forced to find their own ways of waste disposal such as dumping it in open spaces and burning it.
  




































































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