Report of Dioxin Reassessment Review Committee and upcoming meeting

[slester@essential.org]

Here's what I found out from Donald Barnes about the SAB meeting on
September 21.
 
The SAB meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. on the 21st. Dioxin is up first
and is scheduled to last two hours. The public is invited to sign
up to speak by calling him at 202-260-4126. Remarks are limited to
5 minutes. The meeting will take place at the auditorium of the
Disabled American Veterans, 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. They would
appreciate having 35 copies of each speakers' comments by Monday so
they can distribute them to the members of the SAB.  
 
Here are some sound bites about the public draft report released by the 
EPA on September 8 from the Dioxin Reassessment Review Committee.
 
The Dioxin Reassessment Review Committee confirms EPA's findings
that:
 
Dioxin comes from incinerators, pulp and paper mills, PVC
manufacturing and the production of chlorinated pesticides and
other chlorinated compounds. Specifically the report says,
"Therefore it is very clear that dioxins are a twentieth century
phenomenon closely correlated with the production of chlorinated
compounds."  PVC and chlorinated pesticides are given as two
examples. (p. 31)
 
We get dioxin poisoning from eating food - "...the consumption of
animal products contributing over ninety percent of the average
daily intake." (p.7)
 
Dioxin is more potent and toxic than most compounds the EPA has
studied. (p. 3) And, the margin of safety between exposure and
health effects is smaller for dioxin than for other chemicals (p.
87).
 
Dioxin is a probable human carcinogen. Dioxin exposure is also
associated with endometriosis, decreased testes and penis size,
glucose intolerance, immune system suppression, birth defects,
hormone disruption and other serious health problems. (p. 75).
 
We are being exposed to dioxin even if we don't live near a source
of emissions. (p. 21)
 
So there is agreement on where dioxin comes from, that we get it
from our food, that is it very dangerous to our health, and that
everyone is at risk. Isn't that enough agreement? Isn't it time to
act? There is enough agreement to start reducing dioxin emissions
while scientists do more studies and calculate better estimates on
how much damage has already been done.
 
Some of the scientists on the review committee are suggesting that
EPA overestimated by a factor of 3 or 4 the amount of dioxin we are
getting from our diet (p. 27). Okay. That would mean that breast
fed infants aren't getting 7,000 times the safe dose -- they are
getting 1,750 times what is safe.  Adults would not be taking in
238 times what is safe. Instead our food is only giving us 60 times
more than is safe. 
    

Charlotte Brody, Michael Drescher
Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste
e-mail:  slester@essential.org