Dioxin tests in Mossville higher levels than expected

[Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>]

Dioxin tests in Mossville higher levels than expected. But where did the 
dioxin come from, and what happens next?   
 KPLC TV   Theresa Scmidt
12/07/99

28 residents participated in the study. But the cause and health effects 
remain unknown.
  
A demolition crew knocks down vacant houses in Mossville. Otherwise this area 
where 28 residents had their blood tested for dioxin is pretty much a ghost 
town. Most homes were bought by Vista Chemical which formerly owned the vinyl 
chloride plant next to the community. Still the study of 28 people confirms 
elevated levels of dioxin in their blood. Betty Harmon is one of the few 
homeowners still in Mossville. After living here for 45 years she worries 
about the what the dioxin study means for her: "We are all very concerned. 
And I still say the federal government needs to do something about it. All of 
us need to be tested that have lived out here, even if they moved." Harmon 
was not one of the people tested. The study was written by toxicologist Ken 
Orloff who says there are no documented health effects from the dioxin levels 
of Mossville residents. Still he says it makes sense to find if there's 
ongoing exposure to dioxin and if so to reduce it:
    "The real issue in our mind, at this point, is what is the source of this 
exposure and we don't know at this time. However, we are proposing that some 
additional sampling be done, specifically testing of water, sediment and fish 
from the bayous and of ambient air." Another significant finding is that 
updated testing shows dioxin levels have fallen in the general population. 
That means the gap is wider than first thought between most people and 
Mossville residents. 
    The A.T.S.D.R. Mossville Health Consultation is available for public 
review at the Sulphur branch library on Cypress street.