Therefore, the levels at which many, if not all, of these effects may occur. Therefore, any additional dioxins in the environment are a significant concern and must be eliminated wherever possible. Dioxins accumulate to greater amounts in fatty substances, such as breast milk, than in vegetables and fruits. Consumers Certain populations that consume large amounts of fish, such as recreational and avid anglers, subsistence fish consumers and Native Americans are at an increased risk due to their larger consumption of fish contaminated with dioxins. Animals on the top of the food chain, such as birds and mammals that eat contaminated fish, face the greatest risks.
Dioxins get into the bodies of people and wildlife primarily through food.
Air Dioxins generated by burning of certain plastics and other chlorine-containing materials from incinerators and other sources travel through the air and can fall out on our farmland and food crops. Cows and other animals eat the grasses and plants on which the dioxins have fallen, which contaminates their milk and meat. Although there are a number of sources of dioxins in our environment, bleach kraft paper mills are the most significant source of dioxin contamination in Maine's waters. Therefore, elimination of dioxin discharges from these mills is not only a priority but also essential to allow people to enjoy the full economic, recreational, and environmental benefits of our largest waterbodies. These 7 mills discharge over 100 million gallons of wastewater a day to the Penobscot, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Presumpscot and St. Croix rivers.