Dioxin lawsuits dismissed

[jchristensen@igc.apc.org (Jackie Hunt Christensen)]

Mississippi judge dismisses 29 dioxin contamination lawsuits

A heavy stream of river pollution lawsuits in Mississippi is being reduced
to a trickle after recent rulings by Circuit Court Judge James Backstrom.
Backstrom on Monday dismissed 29 lawsuits that alleged dioxin contamination
from the International Paper Co. pulp mill in Moss Point, Miss. Many of the
suits sought compensation for emotional distress related to people's fear of
getting cancer after having eaten fish contaminated with dioxins and other
harmful chemicals. Others were houseboat owners claiming their property had
lost value. The judge adhered to the Supreme Court's finding in October that
people cannot sue on the basis of fear of getting cancer; there must be a
medical basis for that fear. The dioxins were an unintentional byproduct of
the mills' bleaching processes. The compounds are known to cause cancer in
laboratory mice, but scientists have debated the effects on people. The
mills have since changed their operations to eliminate dioxin discharge.

Copyright 1996, Knight-Ridder/Tribune, All Rights Reserved
ENN Daily News -- March 6, 1996

Jackie Hunt Christensen
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
1313 5th St. SE #303
Minneapolis, MN 55414
phone: 612-379-5980; fax: 612-379-5982
e-mail: <jchristensen@igc.apc.org>