Chlorinated dioxin is an air pollutant that comes from burning plastic and medical waste with chlorine. It settles in grass and feed, which is then eaten and becomes fat in livestock and poultry. Dioxin is also a generic term for a group of compounds, some of which are more toxic than others. The contaminant used in Agent Orange, a defoliant sprayed during the Vietnam Was, includes the most toxic form of Dioxin. Agent Orange exposure has been associated with cancer, birth defects and miscarriages, though a direct link to those problems remains unproven.
Environmental groups are pleased that the report is finally being issued.
The fact that this report has been in draft form for the last 10 years has been a stumbling block for community groups and elected offices who have been working together to develop strong dioxin regulations, said Monica Rohde, the dioxin campaign coordinator for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. Chemical, beef and poultry industry officials, who oppose stricter dioxin regulations, were not as happy. The agency first looked into the health risks of dioxin in 1985 and found it to be potentially one of the chemicals posing the greatest cancer threats to humans. But protests from the chemical industry led to another look in 1991. The current report is a result of that reassessment.