Day 010 - 11 Jul 94 - Page 77


     
     1        A.  That would be correct.
 
     2   Q.   So your statement that, as it were, in relation to
              McDonald's waste, dangerous cancer causing chemicals are
     3        released by incineration is misleading, is it not?
              A.  The statement reads:  "The National Bureau of
     4        Standards Centre for Fire Research identified 57 chemical
              byproducts released during the combustion of polystyrene
     5        foam during laboratory tests.  These findings identified a
              number of dangerous cancer causing chemicals that are
     6        released when foam products are burned".
 
     7   Q.   This is a statement about McDonald's waste, is it not?
              A.  This is a statement about the burning of styrene,
     8        polystyrene.
 
     9   Q.   What has this general statement about the burning of
              polystyrene foam possibly at low temperature without
    10        oxygen got to do with the disposal McDonald's waste?  I do
              not understand it.
    11        A.  As I have already indicated in the evidence I have
              provided in my testimony, McDonald's one of McDonald's
    12        responses to the campaign was to propose to incinerate its
              waste.  Secondarily, when we talk about disposal issues,
    13        we have to talk about what the most likely options are for
              trash that is picked up in the back of a McDonald's
    14        restaurant and where that trash ends up.  So the process,
              or the logical outcome of that approach, assumes that
    15        either the material will be disposed of in a landfill, or
              it will be disposed of in an incinerator, so that is why
    16        the issue is what happens when you burn polystyrene
              arises.
    17
         Q.   Indeed so, but you have to observe that the toxic releases
    18        when polystyrene foam, according to this report, is
              incinerated under normal incinerating conditions in the
    19        presence of oxygen, the principal toxic released is carbon
              monoxide?
    20        A.  Yes.
 
    21   Q.   That is not, so far as you are aware, a cancer inducing
              chemical is it?
    22        A.  That is correct.  But I would like to add that the
              point of departure for this research and the reason this
    23        research was conducted was to deal with whether or not
              McDonald's claim burning polystyrene produces virtually
    24        nothing but carbon dioxide and water, and the question
              was:  Does it produce other things?  I think you will
    25        agree with, at least in this point, that the presence of
              certain types of toxic substances can cause harm at very 
    26        low levels or that they can be ingested at least inhaled 
              and lodged at low levels. 
    27
         Q.   No Mr. Lipsett, as a matter of fact not.  You see, at the
    28        moment I am not concerned to debate with you the merits or
              otherwise of this particular report.  The report is not
    29        evidence.  It may be that his Lordship will feel that you
              are not an expert in this particular field.  What I am
    30        concerned about is the way in which you chose to represent
              the findings of this report in the statement that you made

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