[Dioxin-l] Open List?

[Ralph Ryder]

For the benefit of some of our newcomers:

Dr. Linda Birnbaum says: 
"When was dioxin first found in the environment, and when did it start
to accumulate? Some chemical companies have been trying to convince us
for a long time that dioxin has been around since the beginning of time,
and that it is a product of forest fires and volcanic activity. Prior to
the onset of heavy uses of chlorinated organics in industry, which
really commenced about 1930, levels were extremely low, based on
analysis of sediment samples. People have done analyses of Egyptian
mummies from more than 2,000 years ago and frozen Eskimos from northern
Canada and the levels are below the detection limit. Dioxin is a product
of the modern industrialisation."

"... dioxins and dibenzofurans have no known industrial use and they
were never made for any purpose. They are contaminants of industrial
processes involving certain organic compounds and chlorine. They are
produced by low temperature combustion at between 300o to 400o degrees
centigrade."


On whether there is a threshold for dioxin Dr. Birnbaum said; 
        “there is no threshold for immunotoxic responses to dioxin."
In other words, no level of dioxin below which the immune system is not
affected. There is no “safe dose,” any amount seems to do some damage,
at least in animals.

Human studies
        Industrialists have maintained humans are not as sensitive as
animals to dioxin. Research shows this is not strictly true. Dr.
Birnbaum stated;
        “...with respect to dioxin, people react similarly to animal
responses ...there is a large amount of data showing for example, that
changes in bio-chemical properties such as enzyme induction in some
hormonal states and in growth factors, occur at similar body burdens in
animals as they do in people.” For example, in the on-going occupational
study conducted by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) looking at workers who were exposed to dioxin, these adult males
are showing decreases in the levels of their circulating testosterone at
body burdens very similar to the body burdens in adult rats. In
immunotoxicity testing, human lymphocytes and cultured cells respond to
the same concentration of dioxin in the media as mouse and monkey cells.
In terms of developmental toxicity based on organ culture you find
similar responses at similar concentrations of TCDD. For example, if you
take out the embryonic palate of a rat and the embryonic palate of a
human, put them in culture and expose them to the same concentration in
the media, you get a similar response. Similarly, the body burden
associated with chloracne in people is essentially the same as the body
burden causing chloracne in monkeys, in hairless mice, or in rabbit
cars. Animals with a lot of hair -- like regular mice and regular rats -
- do not develop chloracne, but hairless mice do and the body burden
there is essentially the same. Cancer appears to occur at similar body
burdens in animals as in humans.[5]

Ref: Dr. Linda Birnbaum ‘Re-evaluation of Dioxin’ Presentation to the
102nd Meeting of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board, Chicago, Illinois,
July 15th 1993. ToxCat Vol. 2 No. 8


Unfortunately much of the public, especially those threatened with waste
to energy incinerators are being hoodwinked into accepting today's
dioxin contamination level of the globe as 'the normal background
level.' the same way they have been hoodwinked into accepting that 1 in
3 of us will die from [chemically induced?] cancer. And please don't
give us any of that bull sh*t about 'its because we live longer.'
Something like 1 in 800 children develop brain tumours, not doubt curtsy
of the chemical industry.

Might I recommend a reading of a piece I did on "No-one Ever died From
Dioxin" in The Ecologist, Oct issue 1999 to new comers to the list. 

Please note: I am not on a percentage of the sales. 

Wishing you good health 

Ralph
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Ralph Ryder
Communities Against Toxics
PO Box 29
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire UK
CH66 3TX
Email ralph@tcpublications.freeserve.co.uk
Tel/Fax 0151 339 5473
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