| Dioxin,
a chemical released for decades by Midland-based Dow Chemical
Company into the Saginaw Bay watershed, is toxic. It threatens
the immune system and can cause thyroid dysfunction, lipid
disorders, neurotoxicity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic
disorders. It can cause cancer. Even small concentrations
over time can build up in human beings and threaten health.
All those conclusions, reached years ago by scientists
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
were reaffirmed in a National Academies review of the
proposed EPA Dioxin Reassessment that was released in
July.
"The
review is yet another piece of science strengthening
the call for cleanup of the riverbanks and riverbeds
downstream from Midland," said Terry Miller of
the Bay City-based Lone Tree Council.
Dioxin pollution in parts of the watershed is dozens
of times higher than safe levels and has prompted public
health warnings on human consumption of both fish and
terrestrial wildlife from the region.
The new review does nothing to change that: "Dioxin
is still dangerous," said Dr. Michael Harbut, a
Royal Oak-based expert in environmental health. "Most
informed physicians and scientists believe it causes
cancer and a host of other serious health problems in
humans, especially in unborn babies who are the most
vulnerable."
Federal regulators should now complete the reassessment:
"The review paves the way for the EPA to finish
its report, which has taken 15 years already,"
said Tracey Easthope of the Ann Arbor-based Ecology
Center. "Even the National Academies are now urging
the EPA to finalize the report."
|
