Super Eco

Dioxin is a name for an extremely toxic class of chemicals that are a byproduct of manufacture or disposal of chemicals and plastics that contain chlorine. Dioxins collect in soil and sediment and are taken up by plants; so humans are typically exposed through eating food that contains dioxins, or animal products who fed on such food. Dioxins are typically admitted during incineration of of waste, backyard trash burning, forest fires and in paper pulp bleaching and herbicide manufacturing.

Effects on humans

Dioxins are considered somewhat carcinogenic; manufacturing workers who have been exposed to dioxins on a long-term basis have a higher likelihood of developing cancer. High short-term exposure can lead to skin lesions called "chloracne," patchy darkening of the skin, and liver damage. Famously, Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned using a high concentration of dioxins in his food. Dioxins accumulate and increase as they progress up the food chain, with highest concentration in humans and other large omnivorous mammals. While everyone is exposed to some level of dioxins, cancer risk is negligible for many humans because their exposure is low.

Poisonous animal feed

In many cases, high dioxin contamination has been found in animal food, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the U.S.A. The culprit is typically low-cost ingredients that are  manufacturing byproducts, including citrus pulp and bentonite clay.