A controversial pyre to dispose of thousands of carcasses in Devon is blazing, despite local health concerns. ITN answers your questions about the cancer-causing dioxins, which could be released into the atmosphere by the huge animal fires.
Dioxins are a groups of highly toxic chemicals, which are known to cause cancer.
They do occur naturally in the environment. However, they are often formed as an unintentional by-product of industrial processes involving chlorine. They can be formed during waste incineration, paper manufacturing as well as the production of pesticides and other chemicals. Dioxins are extremely dangerous and they can suppress the immune system, produce cancer, lead to malformed foetuses and affect the central nervous system. That is 18 per cent of the UK's average annual emissions.