MacRae speaks to BDN about impact of Juniper Ridge Landfill fire

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Jean MacRae, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maine, about the impact of Monday’s fire at Juniper Ridge Landfill. MacRae said that during an uncontrolled burn, contaminants such as carbon dioxide, particulate matter and dioxins are released into the air. “It depends on how much [pollutants] got released, how long the fire went on, how much wind was blowing … . That affects the concentration of where the fire is, and the concentration and how long people were exposed would determine the degree of toxicity,” MacRae said.