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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Bill Truesdell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 4 Nov 2002 07:43:31 -0500
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Burning of polystyrene has been addressed as a way to get rid of it.

I took a plastics course years and years ago and one of the many ways to
id plastics is how they burn.
 From the internet- a site that does not like PS-

Quote- When polystyrene was burned at temperatures of 800-900 Celsius
(the typical range of a modern incinerator), the products of combustion
consisted of "a complex mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) from alkyl benzenes to benzo[ghi]perylene. Over 90 different
compounds were identified in combustion effluents from polystyrene."[1]
<http://www.ejnet.org/plastics/polystyrene/disposal.html#1c>

With the addition of chlorine donors as simple as table salt, it is
inevitable that combustion of polystyrene in municipal solid waste
incinerators will contribute to the formation of highly chlorinated
polycyclic compounds like dioxins <http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/>,
furans, hexachlorobenzene, and chlorophenols. It is this family of
compounds that are some of the most biologically active toxins known to
humans.[2] <http://www.ejnet.org/plastics/polystyrene/disposal.html#2c>

Another problem with incineration is that much of the foam will have
been tinted, and some types of ink release the heavy metals cadmium and
lead, both of which are toxic.
 Unquote

The industry says it is OK. But they do recognize the impact on
landfills and are more toward recycling or incineration, since landfills
cover the plastics and prevent decomposition (which is why you paint the
hive body).

Truth is, there is not that much PS involved in  hive bodies world wide.
Their combined impact on the environment is almost unmeasurable compared
to one days output from fast food outlets in New York City.

It would be better to try and recycle PS hive bodies rather than use
either a landfill or incineration.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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