ShareThisWith the rising price of copper, federal officials are noting an increase in cases of "wire burning" in California in which thieves set stolen electrical wire ablaze to get rid of the insulated covering and increase their recycling profits.
The practice, which also is a problem in other western states, causes serious environmental damage and possible health problems, said Troy Bolen, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Land Management in California. The burning insulation releases harmful substances, including dioxins, lead and chemical compounds, into the air, soil and water.
One incident of burning that might net $100 worth of copper results in about $5,000 in hazardous materials cleanup costs because the top layer of soil must be scraped off and specially disposed of as hazardous waste, Bolen said.
"As soon as they douse it with diesel and light it on fire, heavy metals are released into the soil. The chemical breakdown of that sheathing puts carcinogens in the soil," he said.
The problem isn't limited to federal lands. In May, San Bernardino County, Calif. fire officials said a homeless person burning copper wire sparked a 91-acre fire along the Mojave River in Victorville. Firefighters worked for three days to contain the blaze.
The wire often is stolen from construction sites and utilities. Since 2005, 95 cases of wire-burning on public lands have been logged in California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho, according to the BLM. Because so many of them happen in remote areas -- primarily the deserts -- it's hard to catch the culprits, Bolen said.
Authorities usually learn about the cases when they happen upon a burn site, he said.
Just over half of the 95 cases resulted in civil or criminal action. Four people have been arrested, including Albert William Newton III, who recently pleaded guilty to damaging federal lands.
In September 2007, BLM rangers discovered Newton burning wire in a fire ring in the Yuha Desert in western Imperial County, said Melanie Pierson, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case in San Diego.
Samples were taken from the burn site to be analyzed before the soil was cleared. Authorities also confiscated 150 to 200 feet of copper wire, said Nick Torres, special agent in charge of criminal enforcement for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Newton was taken into custody in March, when the indictment was filed, and he pleaded guilty before a U.S. magistrate on June 8, Pierson said.
Newton's attorney, Marc Carlos, of San Diego, said his client maintains that he talked to someone on scene before burning the wire and thought he had clearance.
"He thought he talked to somebody, but apparently they didn't have the authority," Carlos said.
Mark Harris, the district ranger for the California Desert District in Moreno Valley, has seen numerous cases of wire burning during his years in Utah and Arizona.
"There will be a big black mark where they have the fire. You'll see all these small pieces of copper wire still left on the ground," he said. "It can pose lingering threats to campers who follow."
Among the toxins released are dioxins and furans, carcinogens that are easily absorbed and stored in fat tissue. The health effects associated with dioxins depend on several factors, including a person's age and the length of exposure. They have been linked to severe reproductive and developmental problems and suppressed immunity, according to the EPA.
Heavy metals such as lead also are common at wire-burning sites; they can damage the brain and nervous system, cause reproductive problems and muscle and joint pain. Small amounts of lead can damage a child's kidneys.
(E-mail reporter Janet Zimmerman at jzimmerman(at)PE.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif.
