Re: AP story downplays dioxin's link to cancer

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

If I recall, TCDD has been shown or indicated to block some hormone
mechanism cancers (which also shows it has carcinogenic activity, btw).  I
suppose it's possible lower exposures may have a protective effect, but I
have heard several times that low doses tend to promote binding efficiency
w/ receptor molecules.  vomSaal says this in talking about his extremely
low doses on bis-phenol-A to rats, chararcterizing higher concentrations as
"flooding out" the available receptors and shutting down hormonal
responses/signals (I haven't heard him go into more detail).  Pretty sure I
recall Devra Lee Davis say (again, generally, or at least in some
circumstances) that estrogen receptors on breast cells show a greater
response at low doses.  Well, non of that is directly relevant to the Q. at
hand!

I notice a lot or many of wire stories about dioxin in recent years, such
as this one, say dioxin is created in chemical manufacturing, and never
mention incineration, unless the story is about dioxin from an
incinerator/boiler.