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Dioxins in Delaware

Two new research studies reinforce what has long been known about dioxin: It causes cancer and numerous other health problems.

Both the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization recently issued reports confirming the highly toxic nature of dioxin and its link to cancer. Dioxin is also known to cause problems such as skin lesions, liver disease, thyroid and blood disorders, neurological problems, heart disease and diabetes.

The reports are rekindling concerns about exposure for people who live in Delaware, the nation’s largest producer of dioxin. Dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs have been making their way from industrial plants in Delaware into the Delaware River. Chemical maker DuPont owns a plant in Wilmington in dire need of cleanup, which the company had planned to seal. The WHO report finds the hazards posed by this plant are as much as 10 times higher than initially reported.

Controversy has swirled around dioxin ever since it was used (in the form of Agent Orange) during the Vietnam War, exposing the soldiers who fought there. The new reports should help those fighting for dioxin cleanups at chemical plants here in the United States, and lend greater credibility to those who may have been harmed by exposure.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org