Tuesday, November 11, 2003

JEREMIAH STETTLER
THE SAGINAW NEWS

Kim Doyle has heard the dioxin talk. She has heard about declining property values and about the supposed health risks.

But Doyle, like many other property owners along the Tittabawassee River, isn't sure what to think about the toxin that has spurred litigation against Midland-based Dow Chemical Co.

She questions whether to let her 17-year-old son play paintball in the back yard and wonders whether dioxin may affect the family dog that bathes occasionally in the river.

Those issues lingered in Doyle's mind Monday as she stepped into the chemical giant's first "neighborhood" meeting at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State in Saginaw Township. She didn't worry about not having an attorney or about Dow officials pressuring her into blood or soil sampling.

"I just wanted to be educated," said Doyle, 46.

Dow officials launched a public outreach program Monday that will solicit comments from various "neighborhoods" along the Tittabawassee River. The groups, consisting of no more than 20 residents, will meet privately with the company to ask questions and offer suggestions about how to deal with dioxin contamination.

Officials met Monday with six property owners.

Residents suing Dow spoke out last week against the meetings. They said such contact could allow Dow officials to probe into residents' medical, employment or property information, to present one-sided information or to pressure residents into blood and soil sampling.

Gary Henry, a resident involved in the lawsuit, urged property owners to refuse the invitation, particularly if they are interested in joining a class-action lawsuit against the company.

"These people are not represented (by an attorney)," he said. "Anything they say can and will be used against them."

Dow spokesman Scot Wheeler maintained Monday that the meetings are "unrelated" to litigation against the company. He said attorneys would not attend the meetings, nor would officials create video or audio recordings of the discussion for use elsewhere.

Dow abided by that promise Monday.

However, officials ventured into questions about blood and soil sampling, asking property owners if they would have an interest in such tests. Jack Clough, a consultant Dow hired, said the company was not seeking a commitment from those involved.

Michelle Hurd-Riddick, a member of the environmental watchdog group Lone Tree Council, called the question "suspicious" in light of pending litigation. "Dow can deny that this has anything to do with the lawsuit, but this has everything to do with the lawsuit," she said. "Everything they do is very calculated."

She said Dow hopes to use blood and soil sampling to undercut a dioxin-related lawsuit along the Tittabawassee River.

Monday's discussion also touched on concerns about declining property values, the health risks associated with dioxin and varying state and federal safety standards.

Clough solicited comments on how effectively Dow is coping with the contamination problem, and asked what approach residents would like the chemical giant to take in remediating the Tittabawassee floodplain.

Sampling has disclosed high levels of dioxin in soil downstream from Dow's Midland plants.

Rudy Emerick, a 40-year resident along the river, applauded the small-group setting. He described it as more civil and informational than he'd encountered in larger meetings.

"A lot of times there are so many people there (in public meetings) that you can't get your answers," he said. "The ones who yell the loudest are the ones who are heard. And I don't yell very loud."

Doyle echoed his remarks and added that she didn't mind the questions about blood and soil sampling.

"It was up to me if I want it tested," she said. "They weren't pressuring me in any way."

Dow officials plan to send invitations to every Tittabawassee River property owner who is not named in a lawsuit against the company. Meetings will continue throughout the week. t

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

© 2003 Saginaw News.