| Many Midlanders
back Dow |
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| Cheryl Wade , The Midland Daily News | 09/26/2003 |
| A largely Midland
crowd gave The Dow Chemical Co. a warmer reception to its plan to tackle the dioxin issue
than those who attended a Swan Valley High School meeting earlier this week. At least 60 people came to The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Thursday night to hear Dow and state officials describe the proposed scope of work to assess the dioxin contamination problem. Unlike Monday’s meeting, there was no name-calling or yelling. Dow supporters – the majority of those who spoke – called for good science instead of hysteria. But some said Dow’s plans fall short of what’s needed and called for more severe measures. Dow already is conducting studies on the Tittabawassee River, Midland soil and on wildlife and people living in contaminated areas. Dow has installed hand-washing stations in parks known to have dioxin and has been talking to hunters and sportsmen about collecting and testing deer and turkey hunted in the upcoming season. Plans are to study the topography of the flood plain area and make more dioxin information available. "We know that dioxin is ubiquitous. It was created when man first sat at the mouth of a cave and made fire to roast dinosaur legs," said Dow retiree Orrin Barrett. He said there has been no documented effect of dioxin on the community’s health, and urged the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and citizens to work with Dow. Midland Mayor R. Drummond Black noted Midland’s dioxin levels are far lower than those in the river. Scientists are "still trying to figure out if dioxin actually gets into people’s bodies and whether it will have a health impact," he said. "We’re comfortable with the interim response Dow is proposing for the city" – education and dissemination of information. Scraping topsoil off a quarter of the city, or covering it up to keep contamination from spreading, isn’t needed "if we’re confident it’s not hurting anybody," he said. Local environmental activist Terry Miller said he wouldn’t be part of the "love fest." He said he does not believe Dow is following the guidelines required for an interim response in its scopes of work. "I heard we’re going to meet, coordinate with park directors, discuss riverbank erosion; we’re going to study, map," he said, indicating that’s not enough. He called for "tangible and realizable projects that will break the exposure pathway," and for more comprehensive flood plain erosion control and continued soil sampling. Midlander Melissa Whitney said parks with no grass cover should be closed until further testing can be done. She said people in Midland "have no concern for the people downstream." "It overwhelms me that people who claim to be so intelligent can be so misinformed (about dioxin)," she said. State geologist Al Taylor said the DEQ wants to address the worst issues first – the 22 miles of the Tittabawassee between the Chippewa and Saginaw rivers. The immediate responses will be to prevent and reduce exposure. After that will come feasibility studies to find the most effective, economical way to deal with the contamination. Then will come remedial action. In Midland, that might involve studying soil kicked up during crop harvesting or seeing if contaminated soil is tracked into homes. "All I can say is there are no quick fixes, that we make things better, not worse; have the right people involved in the actions for the most people long term," said Susan Carrington, Dow director of sustainable development. |
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| İMidland Daily News 2003 | |
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 contributing 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.