The accidental release of such large amounts of pollutant led to heightened interest in these chemicals, both from scientists and politicians alike. As many of the industrial processes blamed for dioxin generation have now been banned, the risk of emission from these sources is relatively low. However, incineration is still a major dioxin source. Worried about the possible environmental consequences, the European Commission has set limiting values for the emissions from hazardous waste incineration through a Directive. The EC is especially concerned about food contamination.
Dioxins can wreak such havoc because they are very soluble in fats and oils.
As a result, dioxins passed through the food chain stay within it for a long time. Babies drink such large amounts of it that any contamination could be dangerous to their health. What's more, the Common Agricultural Policy pushes milk across borders from one Member State to another. Each country wants to be sure that its milk is safe to drink. Measuring the levels of dioxins in milk is quite a challenge for testing laboratories and yet they are so important to environmental monitoring and evaluation.