Belgian dioxin contamination

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

It seems the EU Commission is now warning the Belgian goverment that they
aren't complying w/ the order(s) to take foods out of commerce, saying that
the levels of contaminain make it a very serious matter.  I gues it was the
_Washington Post_ story here last week that said levels exceeded safe
levels by 1.500 (1,500) times, but not sure if they meant (or said) if
those levels were in the food or in the feed or in the oil that went into
the feed.  U.S. EPA has (ie the dioxin reassessment) a draft 'safe' dose
(intake) of 0.01 pg/kg body weight/day TEq, equivalent to a 1-in-a-million
lifetime cancer risk (no other effects considered, for the few
"dioxin-like" dioxin, furans & PCBs only).  I believe other agencies and
government bodies commonly use a 1 pg/kg/d dose as 'safe'--even 10 pg/kg/d,
but I don't see that that is remotely supportable, given the exhaustive
study and confirmations that went into deriving the 0.01 pg/kg/d dose
(basically it reconfirmed EPA's aerlier dioxin cancer risk assessment,
which determined the 'safe' dose was 0.006 pg/kg/d--a mere 40% difference
from their reassessment).

Does anyone know yet what levels have been found in the recalled foods, or
in the feed, the oil?  If the ultimate source is ever divulged, we might
get a good idea.  I too am dying to know where it came from!
---

>Verkest & Son  is cleared but still held in custody because of appeal. It seems
>the contamination source lies further upstream. Because of the late
>announcement by our ministers, the search for the source, spread and impact of
>the contamination is a long haul...
>
>G. De Mey

Tony Tweedale

Causality is a concept not subject to empirical demonstration. -David Hume
(1711-'76)

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