Thursday, July 14, 2005 JEREMIAH STETTLER THE SAGINAW NEWS
The state Department of Community Health has released findings of a small-scale dioxin investigation that show elevated dioxin levels in people living on contaminated properties.
On average, residents along the Tittabawassee River had slightly more dioxin in their blood than people with no known dioxin exposure.
But state officials warn that the sample is too small -- 20 people -- to draw any conclusions about how much contamination lingers in other residents' blood.
They also say the study was biased, meaning that officials selected properties only where dioxin levels were above the state standard.
"We don't have enough information to say that these elevated levels in the blood stream are harmful or have no effect," said state spokesman T.J. Bucholz. "We just don't know that yet."
The University of Michigan is conducting a similar study but on a much larger scale. Researchers will collect blood, soil and dust samples from more than 700 people in mid-Michigan and in presumably uncontaminated Jackson and Calhoun counties.
The $15 million study is to answer the elusive question of whether people living on contaminated properties have higher dioxin levels than people who don't.
The state study was much smaller. The $40,000 investigation, launched in January 2004, was to examine the soil, dust and blood of 15 properties. Officials released that data Wednesday.
The study finds that 10 participants, age 45 to 59, had an average dioxin level of 26.8 parts per trillion. That compares to 16.9 parts per trillion in people with no known dioxin exposure.
The increase was less pronounced among the nine seniors 60 and older who had an average of 40.2 parts per trillion. That compares to 36.1 parts per trillion in unexposed populations.
The state did not report one person's blood samples because the person's age could identify him or her.
In total, officials found that five of the 20 participants had dioxin levels higher than in 90 percent of the "background" or unexposed population. Two of those five had dioxin levels above 95 percent of that population.
Tracey Easthope, director of the environmental health project for the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, said the study raises a red flag about dioxin levels elsewhere in the floodplain.
She said dioxin levels seem to shift upward for people living on polluted properties.
"It raises a concern that living in contaminated areas may lead to dioxin levels being higher than what you would expect," she said.
Dow Chemical Co. officials say the concern is unwarranted. They say the numbers still are within "background" ranges observed in unexposed populations.
"Background is background," said Dow spokesman John C. Musser. "You are always going to have people at the low end, in the middle and at the high end. But they all are within background."
While opinions vary, U-M researcher David Garabrant said it is premature to draw any conclusions. The study is too small for that, he said.
"This is not a representative sample of the floodplain population," he said. "This is not a representative sample of Michigan. This is not a representative sample of any population." v
Jeremiah Stettler is a staff writer at the Saginaw News. You may reach him at 776-9685.
© 2005 Saginaw News
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