Tittabawassee River Watch www.trwnews.net
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Tittabawassee River Watch www.trwnews.net
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TRW Archives 2003, 1st quarter 1/1/03 - 3/31/03
3/25/03 Press Release: Environmental class action lawsuit against Dow Chemical
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ---- March 25, 2003 STUEVE HELDER SIEGEL LLP SUES THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY FOR DIOXIN POLLUTION IN SAGINAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN For complete details and contact information, click here
3/21/03 Public parks posted with misleading information by Saginaw County Department of Public Health. Local High School coach is concerned about cross country team members health Recently, the Michigan Bureau of Epidemiology sent a letter to the Health Director or Saginaw County asking him to change the misleading signs in our parks. "Specifically, While these signs are more durable than those previously posted, they are not consistent with those previously agreed upon. Specifically, the current signs state that dioxin contamination has been found only near the river. The admonishments to "stay off the riverbank" or "stay on the trail" printed in bold at the top of the signs do not adequately convey the nature of the hazard presented by dioxin contamination in the soil nor the distribution of contaminated soils throughout the park. No signs were posted at West Michigan Park. I would like to ask once again that you install large durable signs that accurately reflect the nature of the public health hazard presented by dioxin contamination in soil in these parks. Signs should be posted in all areas of Imerman Park and West Michigan Park where dioxin and dioxin-like contaminants have been found at levels exceeding the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Residential Soil Cleanup Criterion of 90 parts per trillion (ppt). " Below is the agreed upon signage. Note signs actually posted (below) imply eating dirt over a long period of time is the source of exposure. Dow and the Saginaw County Health Department seem to be the only entities promoting this concept. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and the EPA indicate dust inhalation, hand to mouth activity, and direct contact are also major sources in areas known to be contaminated with Dioxin. TRW recommends words to the effect: "Avoid inhalation of Dust" be added to the above sign and that this amended sign be used to replace all current signs immediately before dusty conditions develop. Almost all of the soil in Imerman Park
is contaminated, however our Department of Health instruct the public to stay
off the river banks and to stay on the trails as if this will protect them. Based on the photo below, which sign indicates the greater hazard (Hint: the dioxin sign is the little yellow one in the background)?
Tittabawassee Township parks ALL signs have been taken down in Freeland Festival Park (below). This park had the some of the highest levels of dioxin found in the Phase 2 sampling process. Is this action part of a Tittabawassee Townships board members "Dioxin My Ass" campaign?
3/17/03 Publication confirms source of dioxin in Tittabawassee Flood Plain Concentrations of PCDD/PCDF in sediments and flood-plain soils from
the Tittabawassee
3/10/03 Response to County Commissioner Dioxin Update "Contrary to Dow's statements, dioxin is one of the most studied chemicals to date. EPA will not ascribe a "safe level" for exposure. The precautionary principle of public health is being ignored in Saginaw County and in Midland County."........... "Saginaw County Health Department came out early and incorrectly in support of the
Dow funded Health Study. Volumes of highly critical comments from ATSDR, EPA, DEQ, and DCH
were released on the Dow Health study and the accompanying bioavailability study that tied
clean up to human exposure. In the end the only support for the health study was DOW and
the two local health departments. WHY?..... Click here for the entire reponse by Michelle Hurd RIddick of the Lone Tree Council
"The county at this time has not changed its position. That position is to seek a risk exposure study and health assessment. Closure on the dioxin issue is not expected for some time." Click here for the entire update by Roger Kahn, Commissioner of the Townships of Kochville, Saginaw (south part), and Tittabawassee.
contamination. Sixteen tactics are listed, read the article and see if you can identify how many are being used in the Tittabawasse River Flood Plain Dioxin Contamination fiasco. If you get less than 10, review the rest of this web site and try again. The other 6 will probably show up sooner or later.
Please plan on attending!!!! Call 781-4518 for information Other News: How Irresponsible can Dow Get? New Day for the People Public Comment Period Extended Dow Letters in the Mail For the full story, click here
The above is an excerpt from Dr.
Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D. 53 page slide show used during her Dioxin presentations around the
country. Dr. Birnbaum is the EPA's Director of the Experimental Toxicology
Division. Topics on the "the most toxic man-made compund" include recent findings of Dioxins effects in people including cancer, & non-cancer effects, key findings of the EPA Reassment Exposure Document, exposure pathways, body burdens associated with effects, and many more. Click here to start.
Please submit your comments and get them on record while the opportunity exists. Comments must be postmarked by February 26, 2003 and sent to: Ms. Cheryl Howe, MDEQ, Waste Managment Division, POB 30241, Lansing, MI 48909-7741. Email Cheryl Howe for further information: howec@michigan.gov The draft license or a supporting fact sheet can be viewed on the MDEQ web site . These are large pdf files, be patient when downloading. Food for thought:
1/25/03 Toxic Releases and Health Effects Toxic chemicals linked to severe health problems continue to be released in massive quantities nationwide. "Each year, industrial facilities nationwide release hundreds of millions of pounds of chemicals linked to cancer, to developmental and reproductive problems, and to neurologic and respiratory disorders into the nation’s air and water. Yet, communities in the shadow of industrial acilities typically have access to only limited information on how these discharges may be affecting their health. Yet, for any particular community, understanding the potential health threats that could result from toxic releases is a nearly impossible task. Public health officials often lack sufficient understanding of how citizens have been exposed to toxic substances, how those substances work within the body, and how many people have contracted chronic disease within a community to render conclusive judgments as to whether particular toxic exposures have led—or can lead—to increases in disease"The above is an exceprt of a report mentioned in a 1/22/02 USPIRG Press Release. The report (a very large PDF file), is titled "Toxic Releases and Health: A Review of Pollution Data and Current Knowledge on the Healht Effects of Toxic Chemicals". Read the Press Relase for a condensed version. The full report can be a great tool to help analyze the Toxic Release Inventory maintained by the EPA. The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) only covers toxic releases of less than one percent of the estimated 80,000 chemicals in commerce today. Further, TRI covers only releases from the largest facilities in a limited number of industries. As a result, releases of potentially health-threatening releases of toxic chemicals are greater than are reported to TRI. (i.e. the Tittabawasse River Flood Plain) Note that the reports most recent data is from the year 2000. The Tittabawassee River Flood Plain dioxin contmaination was not revealed to the public until January 2002 and is not reflected in the report. However, Dow Chemical is listed as the top contributor to dioxin releases in the nation for the year 2000, more than 500 grams higher then the next highest company on the list (Southwire Co.), see page 26, table 27.
The content of this site referring to all of the deceit and collusion between Dow and the MDEQ will remain for a historical perspective. Future developments will hopefully be in stark contrast to the past.
1/15/03 DOW MYTH...1 ppb dioxin "Safe Level" Editorial:
Click on the Search Trw Site link at the top of the Contents window and enter key words or phrases.
Here we go again. Barely 2 weeks after the the illegal CACO was killed, Dow is planning to petition the new MDEQ for items like higher dioxin clean up levels and a study of residents health. State clean up level for Dioxin is 90 ppt, Dow was asking for 831 ppt. A health study is not required before clean up begins yet Dow wants one included. Why? The answer might be that they know it will come back inconclusive and relieve them of responsibility for the contamination. Click here
Are Health Studies conclusive? Not in Pensacola Florida. Click here
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