Dioxin

Dioxin is the term used to refer to 210 chemical compounds that share certain chemical structures and biological characteristics. The byproduct of industrial combustion, dioxin also comes from natural sources like volcanoes and forest fires. While all humans are exposed to dioxin because of its existence throughout the environment, according to studies people exposed to dioxin can suffer a high number of adverse health effects. The severity of the health effects suffered can vary, most often duration of exposure, and length of exposure to the dioxin increase.

Due to the dangers dioxin poses, the levels in the United States have been declining over the last 30 years because of the reductions in manmade dioxin sources. Dioxin was a result of industrialization in the 1920s and it was not until the 1970s, when it was discovered how toxic dioxin is that government and industry started to reduce the levels of it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has since been looking for ways to reduce and control dioxin in the environment.

Even though agencies have worked at controlling industrial sources of dioxin releases, dioxin was still emitted into the environment prior to regulation and the health effects are serious. Dioxin is known to cause cancer and other adverse health effects. Animal studies have shown that even low levels of dioxin over long periods, as well as high level exposures at sensitive times, may result in reproductive or developmental effects.

The majority of people suffering from dioxin exposure will have chloracne symptoms. Chloracne is a severe skin disease that is evident by the acne like lesions most often occurring on the face and upper body. Even though there have been steps to reduce the amount of dioxin emitted into the environment and ingested by humans, controversy regarding the extent of dioxin risks and health effects still remain. Most notably is the controversy surrounding Midland, Michigan, the home of Dow Chemical Co.

About a century ago, before dioxin risks were understood, Dow manufacturing and incineration practices caused the high levels of dioxin that to this day lingers in the soil. The town, government, and groups have mixed positions as to what should be done about the levels of dioxin in the soil affecting nearly 9,000 residential properties in the city, which is about half the entire city''s population. Now, officials at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) are considering if Dow Chemical Co. Should undertake major remediation measures since soil analyses have indicated some dioxin levels are currently in excess of state and federal limits.

Some residents have sued Dow Chemical Co. because of the dioxin contamination in response to fears of health effects and that their properties will be devalued if declared toxic wasteland. Dow and the state Department of Environmental Quality continues to be in lengthy negotiations to decide what will be done about the dioxin result of decades of chemical production at the plant. Two studies are anxiously been waited on; one bio-availability study would look at the affects of dioxin on animals fed various levels of dioxin laced soil and an exposure study will involved blood tests of Midland area residents to determine whether an elevated level of dioxin exists.

Dioxin decomposes very slowly in the environment and there continues to be many questions and many uncertainties regarding scientific data on dioxin and analysis of dioxin risk. The actual risk of dioxin is still unknown but very serious health effects have been caused because of dioxin exposure.

Dioxin Breaking News

"Yushchenko’s dioxin levels are second highest recorded in human"

Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned and first fell ill in September. According to new tests, they reveal Yushchenko had more than 6,000 times higher than normal level of dioxin in the blood. The level of dioxin in his body...

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"Toxic perchlorate found in 4% of water supplies presenting possible risk to newborns and fetuses"

Perchlorate has been found in an estimated four percent of U.S. water systems as of 2003, creating a major controversy over what should be done. Though perchlorate occurs naturally, the majority of the drinking water contamination has been linked to ...

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"Dangerous levels of dioxins found in backyard burn barrels"

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the backyard burn barrel, a regular fixture in rural life, is now the largest quantifiable source of dioxin emissions in the country. The burning, according to Arkansas'' Western River Valley Soli...

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Dioxin

Dioxin Breaking News

"Yushchenko’s dioxin levels are second highest recorded in human"

"Toxic perchlorate found in 4% of water supplies presenting possible risk to newborns and fetuses"

"Dangerous levels of dioxins found in backyard burn barrels"

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