Federal agency stepping in to clear up dioxin debate
Monday, June 26, 2006
By JEFF KART BAY CITY TIMES WRITER

 If you've been following the saga of dioxins in the Saginaw Bay watershed, you may be a little confused.

Studies, meetings and debates over the level of risk have all been a part of the story. Now, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is stepping in to look at the big picture for the Saginaw River in Bay and Saginaw counties.

The Michigan Department of Community Health will conduct a public health evaluation for the agency, beginning later this summer.

''We'll try to figure out the risk, identify where the risk is, then give recommendations on how the risk can be minimized,'' said Kory Groetsch, a toxicologist for the state health department.

Compiling and analyzing existing data on dioxins in the river may take up to two years. But in the end, people will have a much clearer picture of the situation, Groetsch said.

John Witucki, 51, of Bay City, said he hopes the federal government's involvement spurs a cleanup of the Saginaw River.

Studies have shown dioxins at levels far above state public health standards in Saginaw River soils and sediments, but so far Dow Chemical Co. has not proposed any specific cleanup for the Bay City area, saying more study is needed.

''I have three grandchildren and two daughters and I'm tired of just having this low-level crisis for the past 20 years,'' Witucki said.

''I want my kids to grow up with something different than I've had for the last 20 years.''

Witucki, chairman of an environmental group called Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, was one of about 40 people and groups that petitioned the ATSDR to conduct the assessment.

He said he doesn't eat fish from the river anymore.

''The more you know, the less you want to have contact with that river,'' Witucki said.

But Groetsch said plenty of people are eating fish from the river, which is one exposure pathway that the assessment will examine.

A recent survey of 1,088 anglers in the watershed found that 58 percent eat fish from the Saginaw Bay watershed, and of those, 47 percent eat fish from the Saginaw River.

Of those, 21 percent eat catfish from the Saginaw River, which the state says should never be eaten due to toxic contamination they've absorbed from dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, left behind from past industrial processes.

Fishermen told surveyors that they'd eaten up to 90 meals of fish from the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw Bay, Saginaw River or Shiawassee River in the last 30 days.

The Lone Tree Council, a Bay City area environmental group, wrote the petition letter. A similar assessment for the Tittabawassee River was completed in 2005.

Michelle Hurd Riddick, a Lone Tree member, said her group asked for the evaluation in light of state and federal data showing that dioxins are prevalent in the Saginaw River at concentrations that, in some places, exceed levels on the Tittabawassee River, downstream of the Dow plant.

''The goal of this in my mind is to really ascertain what impact contaminated fish are having on public health,'' Hurd Riddick said, especially women of child-bearing age and children.

- Jeff Kart covers the environment and politics for The Times. He can be reached at 894-9639 or by e-mail at jkart@bc-times.com.

©2006 Bay City Times

For additional articles like this one, go to the Tittabawassee 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.