EPA Draft Report Cites Risk of Dioxin

The Clinton administration is preparing to dramatically raise its estimate of health threats from dioxin, citing new evidence of cancer risk from exposure to the highly toxic chemical compound.

A draft of a long-awaited report by the Environmental Protection Agency concludes for the first time that dioxin is a “human carcinogen.” The report notes that emissions of dioxin have plummeted from their peak levels in the 1970s but still pose a significant cancer threat to some people who ingest the chemical through foods in a normal diet.

Dioxin comes from both natural and industrial sources, such as medical and municipal waste incineration and paper-pulp production. The chemical enters the food chain when animals eat contaminated plants. Dioxin then accumulates in the fat of mammals and fish. It has been linked to several cancers in humans, including lymphoma and lung cancer.

For a small segment of the population who eat large amounts of fatty foods, such as meats and dairy products that are relatively high in dioxins, the odds of developing cancer could be as high as 1 in 100, the report says. That estimate places the risk at 10 times as high as the EPA’s previous projections.

Exposure to dioxin occurs over a lifetime, and the danger is cumulative, the report said.

The report, obtained by the Washington Post, links low-grade exposure to dioxin to a wide array of other health problems, including diabetes as well as developmental defects in babies and children. It also concludes that children’s dioxin intake is proportionally much higher than adults’ because of the presence of the chemical in dairy products and even breast milk.

The EPA’s draft assessment, if finalized in its current form, would solidify dioxin’s status as one of the most potent chemical toxins known to science.