Harding pointed out that the study was not designed to be a health exposure assessment, but noted that concentrations found in samples taken from the Midland community are below the action level set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for limiting human exposure. The average community samples were below Michigan's Part 201 standard for corrective action. The DEQ data will provide direction for additional sampling and analysis in the Midland community, on the Dow site, and other areas in Michigan. Dow is required to implement more extensive studies addressing areas where current data is insufficient. Due to the on-site remediation that has been completed, results from the Dow site are not readily comparable to historic results.
Findings show remediation needs to continue but that the programs have been successful.
The U.S. EPA is completing its national reassessment of dioxin and furan toxicity. It was necessary for the DEQ to complete this initial study phase to direct any necessary future action in a timely manner. The EPA is expected to release the results of its national dioxin reassessment this fall, which will be useful in interpreting data. The DEQ study collected and analyzed surface soil samples from 50 locations in the Midland area and on the Dow Michigan Division plant site. This assessment follows up on dioxin evaluations conducted by the company and EPA in the mid-1980s, which resulted in the implementation of Dow's dioxin minimization programs.