OEM: report on dioxins

[asagady@sojourn.com]

This is forwarded from the occ-env-med-l listserv...

FYI

Alex Sagady


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>From: wfpas@worldaccess.nl
>Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 19:18:42 +0000 (GMT)
>Subject: OEM: report on dioxins
>To: occ-env-med-l@MC.DUKE.EDU (OEM-lijst)
>Sender: owner-occ-env-med-l@list.mc.duke.edu
>
>The Health Council of the Netherlands recently published a report on dioxins, 
>assessing the risk of dioxins for the Netherlands population. The report if 
>available from the Health Council secretariat. Those interested should phone 
>our secretariat or call me by (e-)mail or fax. Below follows the press release 
>of the report.
>Wim Passchier
>
>Dioxins
>
>A committee of the Health Council of the Netherlands on August 6, 1966 
>presented the Minister of health and the Minister of the environment with a 
>report on environmental pollution from dioxin and other closely related 
>substances. According to the report, the level of exposure to such substances 
>of the Dutch population is too high to confidently exclude the possibility of 
>public health being adversely affected. The committee believes that this 
>conclusion is supported by epidemiological data indicating a link between 
>exposure to 'dioxin-like substances' and effects (albeit within the 'normal' 
>range) in the development of very young children.
>    
>In the environment, dioxin-like substances are found as mixtures of chemically 
>similar compounds capable of affecting human cells in a comparable way. A
great 
>deal of research has been conducted into the carcinogenic properties of these 
>compounds and their influence on reproduction and on prenatal and postnatal 
>development. Some years ago, a panel of experts set up by the World Health 
>Organization (WHO) concluded that exposure to dioxin-like substances should
not 
>exceed 10 picogrammes per kilogramme body weight per day. Taking into account 
>recent experimental data the Health Council committee has recommended a 
>health-based exposure limit equal to 1 picogramme per kilogramme body weight 
>per day.
>    In the Netherlands, the average adult is presently exposed to about 2 
>picogrammes of dioxin-like substances per kilogramme body weight per day. The 
>committee was concluded that the possibility of public health being adversely 
>affected cannot confidently be excluded. Research findings from the
Netherlands 
>and elsewhere tend to support this conclusion, in the committee's view. Levels 
>of prenatal and postnatal exposure to dioxin-like substances are known to be 
>linked to effects on the development of infants aged up to eighteen months. 
>However, the variations detected are within what might be considered the
normal 
>range.
>    More than 90 per cent of exposure to dioxin-like substances  in the 
>Netherlands results from the consumption of animal fats. Relative to body 
>weight, the quantities consumed by breast-fed infants are greater than the 
>quantities consumed by adults. The committee nevertheless believes that breast 
>feeding should not be discouraged, since it is advantageous in other respects. 
>Prenatal and infant exposure is in the committee's view best controlled by 
>limiting the exposure of the general population (and thus of pregnant and 
>lactating women) to safe levels.
>    The question of environmental quality standards for the protection of 
>aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems was also addressed by the committee. Such 
>standards are intended to restrict environmental pollutant concentrations to 
>levels at which there will be no adverse effect upon at least 95 per cent of 
>species in a given ecosystem.  The committee formulated an exposure limit for 
>dioxin, but insufficient data were available to enable ecotoxicological 
>recommended exposure limits for all dioxin-like substances. In some parts of 
>the Netherlands, aquatic dioxin concentrations exceed the exposure limit. On 
>the basis of the available data, it was not possible to say whether
terrestrial 
>ecosystems (embracing soil organisms, birds and mammals) are also being
exposed 
>to dioxin levels exceeding the recommended exposure limits.
>
>'Dioxins', publication number 1996/10E, is available from the Health
Council of 
>the Netherlands on +31 (0)70 340 6728. For more information, please call Dr
JAG 
>van de Wiel on +31 (0)70 340 5910.
>
>The Health Council of the Netherlands is an independent, statutory advisory 
>body of the Netherlands Government in the field of health care, public health, 
>food and nutrition, occupational hygiene and environmental protection. The 
>reports of the Council are drawn up by committees of experts appointed by the 
>Health Council's President.
>
>--
>(please note new address, phone and fax numbers)
>Wim Passchier, PhD
>Health Council of the Netherlands
>Dep. Executive Director
>PO Box 1236, NL 2280 CE Rijswijk, tel +31 70 340 6262, fax +31 70 340 7523
>private: Severij 1, NL 3155 BR Maasland, tel +31 10 59 11017
>e-mail: wfpas@worldaccess.nl
>
>