Thursday, April 14, 2005 FOR THE SAGINAW NEWS MIDLAND
Dioxin is probably the most studied compound anywhere, yet no answer to the contamination question is likely to come soon, three panelists told a 50-person audience at the Dow Retirees Club.
"We don't know where the dioxin is from, but the problem is historical and likely from Dow (Chemical Co.) emissions within the city," said Midland City Manager Karl Tomion.
The other panelists were Susan Carrington, vice president and director of Dow's Michigan Dioxin Initiative, and Warren B. Crummett, a Dow retiree and author of a 345-page book "Decades of Dioxin Limelight on a Molecule."
Tomion said the city became intimately involved in the dioxin question in fall 2003 after the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality set Michigan's tolerance level at 90 parts per trillion rather than the federal guideline of 1,000 parts per trillion.
He said the DEQ proposed to go into Midland neighborhoods, test soil and move any that did not meet the state's requirements.
"We found this a serious threat to property owners, since they could not sell their property," Tomion said as he showed a map of questionable properties within two miles of the chemical plant.
Up to 8,800 homes could become tagged with the "facility" designation for cleanup, he said.
Carrington said that while parties in dioxin-related lawsuits may reach settlements, the DEQ and Dow are best served if "people stand up and continue to be involved in determining the framework."
She said "tangible data" will come from the work of Dr. David Garabrant of the University of Michigan, who is studying 350 area residents and 350 in Calhoun and Jackson counties to find dioxin levels in blood. Results are expected in 2006.
Crummett outlined the years of study, scientific papers and collaborative studies by scientists all over the world.
He said America's acceptable dioxin limit of 1,000 parts per trillion is the most stringent in the world. Much of it, Crummett said, is political. v
© 2005 Saginaw News.
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