Dear Source:

We have read with interest your news story of Sept. 9. 2000 in which you published the following statements: In describing a gasification process you stated, "Gasification operates at temperatures almost twice as high as incineration. Because of the high temperatures, all organic compounds are destroyed. Gases produced in the process are then quickly cooled to prevent compounds such as dioxins from re-forming."
The last word in your concluding statement destroys the premise upon which you based your technical statements about gasification. The word is "reforming." In order for the deadly toxic chemical compound dioxin to "reform," the process you describe as "gasification" must have created this toxic chemical in the first place. The killer chemical you are dealing with is DIOXIN, more familiarly known as the Vietnam-era chemical called Agent Orange.
The process you described must utilize some a form of incineration or burning. True gasification does not make DIOXINS in the process. Dioxin is a chemical compound that is created when lignin is burned with chlorine. There are 75 polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD's) and 22 tetra chlorinated dibenzodioxins (TCDD's) plus the polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF's ) All of these deadly toxic chemical compounds are created by incinerating garbage.
In true gasification, dioxins and furans are never created. In fact, when dibenzofurans and dibenzodioxins are subjected to true gasification these deadly compounds are destroyed and never created. This makes gasification safer than incineration. It is that simple.
According to the US EPA, all trash incinerators ever tested have been found to produce "dioxins and furans". Therefore it is logical to conclude that in the process you are describing, some incineration must occur if dioxin is to have the ability to reform. The process you are describing must first create dioxin for it to "reform."
This is the reason why the people in the USVI should be alarmed by what your publication may believe to be a trivial word: "reformation" of dioxin. Dioxin is not "reformed" in gasification. It is formed in incineration.
Dioxin is the most deadly substance known to man. Take a box the size of a football field, 500-feet high and fill it with ping-pong balls, then add just one ping-pong ball of DIOXIN. The resulting toxicity can cause miscarriages and malformed fetuses in pregnant women. This has been proven in tests carried out with monkeys. (National Geographic Magazine)
In the Aug. 10, 2000 edition of Caribbean Business, there was a front page story that describes, "Squeaky Clean Thermoselect." We ask: Is thermoselect the technical source for your article? If so, please refer to page 26 of that publication and the chart showing the amount of Dioxin being emitted into the atmosphere by their technology. They are producing dioxin!
There must be a zero tolerance of dioxin emissions in the USVI. Fallout of this deadly toxic chemical will contaminate our roofs. We drink water from our roofs. It gets to the roofs through the air we breathe! The USVI needs a solid waste technology that does not produce toxic airborne chemicals.
Sincerely,
Athniel "Addie" C. Ottley
President, Ottley Communications Corp.