ATSDR - more than meets the eye

["Jon Campbell" <jon@cqs.com>]

Hello everyone,

        There is more than meets the eye in the ATSDR detoxification of
dioxin. Make no mistake about it - that is exactly what they are doing, and
they are doing it quite purposely.

        The ATSDR is closely linked to the Centers for Disease Control; both
agencies are part of Health and Human Services. Previous to 1986 (I believe)
the CDC had responsibility of correlation of toxic substances and disease.
Undoubtedly many of the staff positions at the ATSDR used to be in the CDC.

        Why is this relevant? The CDC was implicated in previous work to
"detoxify" dioxin in the cases of Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to
Agent Orange, canceling its Agent Orange study (1987) and releasing a study
on the general health of veterans in 1988, which claimed that there was no
evidence of health problems related to exposure to Agent Orange (see Dying
>From Dioxin, pg 16).

        The EPA's original 1988 Dioxin Assessment specified .006 pg/kg/day
as the "maximum allowable dose". It appears that, incongruously, ATSDR
issued its first Tox. Profile for dioxin, at 1 pg/kg/day, at about the same
time, apparently having relied on the same data that EPA used.

         Because the EPA has delayed release of the 1994 Dioxin
Reassessment, the ATSDR is in a position to set the public standard for
limits for dioxin intake.

          THE SETTING OF THE MDL AT 1 pg/kg/day IS NOTHING LESS THAN SETTING
THE SOLE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT REGULATION ON ALLOWABLE DIOXIN INTAKE AT THE
CURRENT LEVELS, including consumption of highly-contaminated beef, pork, and
full-fat dairy products. It is an attempt to detoxify the meat and dairy
industries, the incinerator industry, and the chemical and plastics industry
by political proclamation.

          It is extremely important, in my humble opionion, to not only get
opposing comments to the ATSDR, but to publicize those comments in the media
in a way that can be understood by non-technically-trained people.

         Dioxin and PCB contamination of the biosphere represents one of the
worst environmental threats facing us today. The epidemic of cancer and
other environmental illnesses, as well as species extinction, will escalate
rapidly unless we act to trap, destroy, and eliminate the sources of these
powerful endocrine disruptors. (I know I'm preaching to the choir here. My
point is that now is the time when we put our scientific knowledge to work
to change the political climate, which, ostrich-like, seeks to hide from the
menace by keeping it a secret.).

       I have no idea whether we can change the thinking in ATSDR. I know we
must enlighten the U.S. (and the world's) citizens. Whether or not the ATSDR
publishes this standard as is will not ultimately change the truth about
dioxin toxicity. It would just be nice if we did not have the ATSDR as an
adversary.

Thanks for your time
Jon Campbell