We applaud EPA for conducting a comprehensive review and for reaching reasonable conclusions backed by strong scientific data. We hope that this investment of time and money will not have to be duplicated for every chemical confronting controversy. The new report largely confirms original suspicions of dioxin's potent toxicity. The message resulting from the agency's careful analysis is sobering. EPA's report concludes that some segments of the population may already be experiencing health problems, such as immune suppression and reproductive problems, because of chronic, low-level exposure to dioxin and related chemicals in the environment.
Wildlife species are also at risk.
Populations of mink, trout, and cormorants in the Great Lakes area have suffered profound reproductive failures from exposure to dioxin and PCBs. Marine mammals, who dwell far from industrial sources, often carry high burdens of these chemicals in their fat. EPA's own data confirm that hundreds of miles of rivers are so contaminated that the fish are unsafe for human consumption, although birds and other wildlife continue to eat them. While EPA's analysis of the hazards of dioxin is well-reasoned, industry is already mounting an attack on the agency in an attempt to head off tighter limits on how much dioxin can be discharged into air, soil, and water. Industry argues that dioxin is already so ubiquitous that little more can be done to halt its spread.