Opinion ID: 1651891
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dioxin

Text: Appellants start with the proposition that dioxin is highly toxic to humans and animals, and that Appellees have admitted as much. They then contend that the level of dioxin that will be emitted from the Pine Bluff Facility, in addition to amounts already existing in the area, is reasonably expected to cause adverse health effects. They argue that the health risks are especially high for breast-feeding infants, minorities, and low-income persons. To a large degree, Appellants rely on a document from the EPA, which proposed a reference dose for dioxin of one picogram per kilogram of weight per day, or 1 pg/kg/day. Appellants' reliance on this standard is misplaced, because the record demonstrates that the EPA never adopted this reference dose, which was found in a document known as the 1994 Draft Dioxin Reassessment. The Draft's cover page specifically cautions: DraftDo not Quote or Cite. The draft proposal was never adopted by the EPA and was, in fact, criticized by the EPA's independent Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Specifically, the SAB concluded that the EPA had not presented adequate scientific findings that would support its conclusion that adverse effects in humans may be occurring at or near current dioxin-exposure levels. The SAB's conclusion was supported by the expert testimony in this case. Dr. Phillip Guzelian, an expert in the field of toxicology, testified that during the 1970s, there was concern among medical scientists that dioxin might cause cancer and other adverse effects in humans. He stated that those old fears have been replaced by the new facts, showing that even persons exposed to dioxin at high doses are not developing adverse health effects. He explained that the only adverse effect clearly shown to be caused by dioxin is chloracne, a very disfiguring and persistent form of acne. He stated that to cause that adverse effect, a person would have to have a blood level of dioxin of one thousand parts per trillion. Dr. Guzelian testified that the level of dioxin expected to be emitted from the Pine Bluff Facility is far less than that amount. To illustrate this point, he considered the study done by Dr. Morris Cranmer on the dioxin levels in the blood of persons living near the Vertac hazardous-waste incinerator in Jacksonville, Arkansas. Dr. Cranmer's study measured the blood levels in 1991, before the incinerator began to burn, and found an average of 3.8 parts per trillion. During the incineration, in 1994, the average blood level was determined to be 3.9 parts per trillion. Finally, after the incineration was completed, in 1995, the average blood level was found to have decreased to 3.5 parts per trillion. Dr. Guzelian used this study in calculating the assessed risks of dioxin exposure from the Pine Bluff Facility. He concluded that the emissions from the Vertac incinerator were quite a bit higher than the expected emissions from the Facility and that, accordingly, there would be no observable change in the blood levels due to emissions from the Facility. He concluded further that the dioxin emissions from the Facility would not pose an unacceptable threat to human health to the exposed population. Despite Dr. Guzelian's testimony that there will be no adverse health effects from the Facility's dioxin emissions, Appellants contend that the exposure to nursing infants caused by emissions from the Pine Bluff Facility, when added to those already in the atmosphere, is virtually certain to cause an increase in the frequency and severity of adverse health effects. They assert that ADEQ's standard of 2.4 pg/ kg/day is too high because it exceeds the standard of 1 pg/kg/day taken from the EPA's 1994 draft. As explained above, this standard was never adopted by the EPA and was, in fact, criticized by its independent advisory board. Other than this, Appellants have offered no evidence showing that ADEQ's standard will result in adverse health effects. The AHO found that the standard was developed in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Health, after consultation with the EPA, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and that the standard adopted for use in the risk assessment was provided to the health department from Dr. Cranmer, who conducted the study of the Vertac incinerator. The AHO found significant the fact that ADEQ received no adverse comments about the standard from any of the agencies it had consulted. The AHO also relied on the testimony of Dr. Gary Liberson, who stated that the health-risk assessment followed, and in some aspects exceeded, the EPA's guidance on the subject. Dr. Liberson testified that ADEQ had used a margin of error approach in arriving at the figure of 2.4 pg/kg/day. Under this approach, emissions from a source are set at a level that will not exceed a certain percentage of the existing exposure level. Dr. Liberson stated that the dioxin emissions from the Pine Bluff Facility would increase the daily dose to the population by no more than ten percent above the daily dose (0.8 pg/kg/day) received by five percent of the state's population that has the lowest levels of dioxin. He explained that this meant that the remaining ninety-five percent of the state's population would get an increase of less than ten percent. Dr. Liberson testified that there is a thirty-fold magnification for infant exposure from the mother's milk. Thus, using the margin of error approach, if the mother's marginal dose is 0.8 pg/kg/day, then the infant criteria is 2.4 pg/kg/day. He stated that this approach was conservative for a number of reasons. First, the approach assumed that the mother and the nursing infant lived on site. Second, it assumed that the mother was exposed to the additional dioxin emissions for seven to fifteen years, even though the Facility is only scheduled to operate for three and one-third years. Third, the expert testimony showed that as the mother nurses, she depletes her reservoir of dioxin, such that at the end of the nursing period, there is about an eighty percent reduction of the dose. Thus, the daily level of dioxin exposure to the nursing infant actually decreases. Finally, because it takes the mother seven to fifteen years to build up this reservoir, any succeeding children would intake a smaller dose than the first child. The AHO concluded that Appellants had failed to demonstrate that the risks from exposure to dioxin emitted from the Facility were not properly considered by ADEQ before it issued the permits. The AHO's order reflects: The risk assessment adequately considered the health effects of dioxin due to predicted emissions from the [Pine Bluff Facility] and existing sources. The AHO concludes that the [ADEQ] evaluation of dioxin through the risk assessment process was protective of the public health and the environment. In addition, the AHO finds no evidence that [ADEQ] acted arbitrarily, capriciously or in violation of any statute or rule. Appellants have failed to show that this ruling is not supported by substantial evidence, especially considering the expert testimony given by Drs. Guzelian and Liberson. As stated above, expert testimony qualifies as substantial evidence unless it is shown that the expert opinion is without reasonable basis. See Bullock, 345 Ark. 373, 48 S.W.3d 516. No such showing was made by Appellants.