Dioxins not detected in effluents from coal/refuse combustion

No 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin was detected in effluents from a power plant burning coal supplemented with processed municipal wastes. These negative findings, in contrast with the many reports of the presence of dioxins from waste incineration, are proposed to be due to the high temperature of 1200°C for the combustion of small pieces of refuse with adequate oxygen for times sufficient to insure complete oxidation.