I am very concerned about the effects of the Crab Orchard dioxin producing incinerator scheduled to be built at the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge in southern Illinois. The U.S. EPA wants to burn the soil from the Superfund waste site at Crab Orchard Lake. This would be dangerous, and counterproductive. There are safer alternatives.

The danger is in causing cancer, birth defects, hormone imbalance, and immune system diseases in humans. These effects have been well documented for the dioxins, furans, and heavy metals that would be emitted by the incinerator. These toxic pollutants would also harm wildlife at the refuge and surrounding areas. Having a toxic incinerator in Southern Illinois would probably keep many hunters, fishermen, and vacationers from coming to southern Illinois, thus taking a huge bite out of the tourist trade here. After all, who wants to eat fish or deer that are contaminated with dioxins and heavy metals? The dioxins and furans also have been proven to cause serious reproductive failure and birth defects in birds, mammals and reptiles. We may end up with a wildlife refuge with decreasing, sickly populations of ducks, geese, deer and other wildlife.

Burning the hazardous wastes is also counter-productive. These wastes are presently contained by the soil in and around Crab Orchard Lake. Dredging up this soil will release these toxins into the air and water. Samples of the water taken by scientists at SIU has shown that Crab Orchard Lake has already cleansed itself and contamination of water is now at a low level. Dredging would cause recontamination of the lake.

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When stack emissions on actual wastes were tested at the Jacksonville, Ark., incinerator, it was releasing 400 times as much dioxins as EPA regulations allow. The test burn that will be done after the incinerator is built at Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge will be conducted under artificial, ideal conditions, and will not produce the same emissions as routine daily emissions.

U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510

State Capital, Room 207