Re: Carolina Solite

["Charlie Cray" <ccray@dialb.greenpeace.org>]

  Maybe instead of making vague insinuations you can provide some  
  details of your critique of our "Dioxin Factories Expose," since you 
  suggest it's "close to out and out libel"...where is the evidence  of 
  "hard work" among the state and federal agencies which oversee those 
  facilities?  Have you spoken to people who live near them to find out 
  just how responsive the agencies have been?   I've spoken to Region 
  VI and TNRCC and LDEQ, and they have yet to look at those facilities 
  closely for dioxin contamination--especially where dioxins are being 
  released--from on-site HWI's and BIFs.  They essentially have no 
  data.  (NOAA actually has done the best work of any agency that has 
  looked near these facilities for contamination -- in a review of 
  contamination of the Lake Charles Estuary they found the highest 
  levels of PCBs, HCBs and other dioxin indicators near the PPG and 
  Vista VCM plants--too bad EPA made no use of that report for the 
  Dioxin Reassessment).  
  
  We found that the highest levels of dioxins end 
  up in the heavy ends in the oxychlorination process--those are burned 
  on site (and off-site--many ship their heavy ends to PPG, for 
  instance).  This is why the industry has released dioxin data for 
  everything but their incinerators. It makes their dioxin contribution 
  look minimal (and will likely result in a distortion of their 
  contribution when the Reassessment comes out -- if it ever does, as 
  it will likely be submitted too late for inclusion in the inventory). 
  I.e.  EPA and industry have not yet coughed up any data on dioxin 
  emissions from BIFs on-site at the VCM plants we sampled.  This data 
  was promised over two years ago -- since when do trial burns 
  take so long to complete, unless you are trying to delay issuing the 
  results or doctor their interpretation or worse-- remember what 
  happened at Times Beach.
  Charlie Cray
  Greenpeace US Toxics Campaign
  847 W. Jackson Blvd., 7th floor
  Chicago, IL 60607
  Ph: (312) 563-6060 x218
  Fax: (312) 563-6099
  Note new e-mail address: Charlie.Cray@dialb.greenpeace.org