Re: AP story downplays dioxin's link to cancer

["Arnold Schecter" <ARNOLD.SCHECTER@email.swmed.edu>]

I have not had the opportunity to review the journal article yet. As I understand the situation, cancer has been related to dioxin exposure in humans and animals at higher dose levels than lower. There is a dose dependent reaction. However, as noted in the peer reviewed scientific literature and by publications of Linda Birnbaum and Mike Devito, 2 EPA senior dioxin scientists, humans show certain reactions at high general population exposure, not only heavy worker exposure which is still higher. For references, refer to the Steenland article itself, the Dutch next generation studies, eg, Koopman von Essebom, etc. For PCBs and general population levels, see Rogan and Gladen, several articles, and Jacobson and Jacobson, NEJM and previous articles. The PCB effects in humans appear at higher general population levels.These may be from dioxin like pcbs, non-dioxin like pcbs or from dibenzofurans which contaminate pcbs. The Yusho and Yucheng rice oil poisonings in Japan and Taiwan show that humans respond to PCBs and dibenzofurans. Lucier and colleagues at NIEHS showed that some human tissue responds to dioxins in certain ways in as sensitive a fashion as laboratory rodents. 



Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH
Professor of Environmental Sciences
Univ. of Texas School of Public Health-Dallas
5323 Harry Hines Blvd., V8.112
Dallas, Texas 75235-9128
(214) 648-1096
(214) 648-1081 (Fax)
email: arnold.schecter@email.swmed.edu