December 29, 2004
BY RITA JACK Detroit Free Press Columnist
Michigan citizens who care about protecting public health and our rivers should pay close attention to how the Granholm administration resolves the dioxin contamination situation in Midland, and along the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers.
The precedents set there will impact future cleanups in other similarly contaminated places, such as the Kalamazoo, Pine, Rouge and Detroit rivers.
Midland-area residents and state and local environmental groups gave notice over the holidays
that they are watching closely to see if an expected dioxin cleanup agreement between the state and Dow Chemical Co. will protect human health and the environment. We hope that our state will protect and restore that natural legacy and not leave future generations of Michigan residents at risk from one of the most deadly poisons ever made.
The world became more familiar with dioxin's acute effects on human health after Viktor Yushchenko, the newly elected president of the Ukraine, was purposely poisoned with it, though he clearly was exposed to much more dioxin than Michiganders ever will be. Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known to science. It persists in the environment for extremely long periods of time and it causes cancer.
Dioxin contamination from Dow's Midland plant exists in high concentrations along a 20-mile stretch of the Tittabawassee River floodplain downstream from Midland. Extremely elevated levels of dioxin were also recently found by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency downstream within the Saginaw River.
Threatened by this deadly poison are parks, recreation areas, residential homes and the entire river basin that feeds Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.
Clearly, dioxin contamination poses a public health threat and puts the entire Saginaw River basin at risk.
Closed-door negotiations designed to lead to a cleanup involving Dow, Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry and Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Chester have gone on for months, missing an Oct. 31 deadline and locking out public input.
The environmental groups watching this process include the Michigan Environmental Council, Lone Tree Council, Sierra Club, Ecology Center, Clean Water Action, Tittabawassee River Watch, Citizens Against Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Health Watch. Together, we have released seven dioxin cleanup guidelines. Absent direct input into the negotiations with Dow, we hope these guidelines will assist the Granholm administration's efforts toward a successful conclusion. They are:
•The final goal of any cleanup should result in rivers that we can safely swim and fish in, and that we know are safe as drinking water sources.
•The public should have a strong, direct role in ensuring a comprehensive cleanup is undertaken.
•The cleanup should begin immediately. The most contaminated areas that affect public health and Michigan's waters should be cleaned up first, and there should be a specific cleanup schedule.
•The current lawful dioxin cleanup standard of 90 parts per trillion should be used in all cases; if not, then a scientific basis should be provided for using a less protective standard.
•Contaminated soils and sediments should be removed, using methods, procedures and containment sites that ensure dioxin poisons will not be reintroduced into our neighborhoods by the next major flood.
•The cleanup agreement must be legally enforceable by the state and by the EPA. Consequences should be spelled out if Dow or the state fails to comply with the agreement. Impacts on other existing cleanup agreements between Dow and the state should be likewise detailed.
•The cleanup agreement should protect economic growth, public enjoyment and sustainable development along the riverfront into the future, and should leave no pollution behind for future generations to deal with.
It's time to bring this situation to a close and let the people of Midland reclaim their property -- in a way that assures everyone statewide that Michigan also is reclaiming its public health and natural heritage.
RITA JACK is Water Sentinels Project director at the Sierra Club's Mackinac Chapter. Write to her in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit, MI 48226.
For additional articles like this one, go to the Tittabawasse River Watch web site www.trwnews.net for complete coverage of the Tittabawassee River Dow Chemical dioxin contamination saga. . The Newspaper / Media page of our site contains an extensive archive of media articles dating back to January 2002. The source organization's web site link is listed to the right of the article, visit often for other news in our area. The Newspaper / Media page may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of the CONTENTS section and clicking on the Newspaper/Media link.