EPA studying several dioxin testing methods

Thursday, April 29, 2004

JEREMIAH STETTLER
THE SAGINAW NEWS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is bargain shopping,
scientific-style.

Officials want to find a way of detecting dioxin in soil that's fast and
frugal -- qualities that have eluded environmental regulators using
traditional technologies.

The federal agency presented six detection systems Tuesday that their
manufacturers claim are quicker, cheaper and just as reliable as traditional
sampling methods.

EPA officials aren't convinced they work, but they want to give them a try.

"We're not here to replace traditional technologies," said Stephen Billets,
program manager for the agency.

"We are here to provide alternatives so that if we need to do a quick
response or collect more data at a lower cost, you could consider them."

The EPA did not endorse the systems during a demonstration at Saginaw's
Green Point Environmental Learning Center, but said it will evaluate them
for accuracy and reliability.

If legitimate, the technologies could cut the cost of dioxin samples to
several hundred dollars from $1,200 each and reduce the processing time to a
matter of hours rather than weeks.

Sue Kaelber-Matlock, senior geologist for the state Department of
Environmental Quality, said the technologies could prove useful along the
Tittabawassee River, where regulators have uncovered dioxin levels that
exceed state safety standards.

"I've got a lot of calls from residents who want their soil tested, but the
methods we know work are the traditional ones -- and they are very
expensive," she said. "We're looking for a lower cost and a quick turnaround
time so people can know right away.

"With the validation the EPA can provide, maybe some of these technologies
can be used locally."

Bob Harrison, representing the chemical monitoring firm CAPE Technologies,
told onlookers that he tested 50 soil samples in two days using a kit that
he could cradle under his arm.

"There is no magic to this," he said. "This is no Star Trek tricorder or
home pregnancy test. This is analytical chemistry."

Holding up a seemingly empty test tube that contained dioxin particles so
small that they are the equivalent of a few grains of salt in an
Olympic-size swimming pool, Harrison said he could gauge dioxin levels for
$200 a sample -- one-sixth of the traditional cost.

Similar claims were made in mobile laboratories across the Green Point
parking lot, where chemists from as far away as Japan showcased emerging
sampling techniques.

Most of the soil samples used for the demonstrations were scooped from
various locations east of the Missouri River. However, four of the 209
samples came from along the Tittabawassee River.

Billets described the river as a prime staging ground for debuting
dioxin-related technologies.

"This was an area that was known to have dioxin, which is important to the
program on a national level," he said. "It is a place that wants to be at
the leading edge of these technologies."

EPA officials will continue to evaluate the six companies, comparing their
results to those produced by proven testing techniques. They will release a
report of their findings in December and post it electronically at
www.epa.gov/ORD/SITE.

The demonstration was conducted as part of EPA's Superfund Innovative
Technology Evaluation program, a federal initiative that encourages the use
of new technologies in resolving environmental issues.

Among the participants were Abraxis LLC of Warminster, Pa.; CAPE
Technologies LLC of South Portland, Maine; Paracelsian Inc. of Scarsdale,
N.Y.; Xenobiotic Detection Systems Inc. of Durham, N.C.; Hybrizyme Corp. of
Raleigh, N.C.; and WAKO Pure Chemical Industries LTD of Chuo-Ku, Osaka, in
Japan. t

Jeremiah Stettler is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach him
at 776-9685.

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.