Dr. Arnold Schecter on Dioxin

Notes from his presentation at the People's Dioxin Action Summit, UC Berkeley 10aug00

U.S.A. DIOXIN CONSUMPTION

• Adults: 1-6 PG/KG Body Weight Per Day Dioxin Toxic Equivalents (TEQ)
• Nursing Infants: 35-100 PG/KG Body Weight Per Day
• From: Industrial Sources, into Meat, Dairy and Fish
• WHO ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake): 1-4 PB/KG/Day
• EPA "Risk Specific Dose": 0.01 PG/KG/Day

DIOXIN (BLOOD) LEVELS

• U.S.A.: 20-40 Parts Per Trillion (PPT) TEQ - Dioxins + Dibenzofurans - Adults
• U.S.A: 20-65 PPT, Dioxins + Dibenzofurans + PCBS - Adults
• Less Industrial Countries: < 10 PPT - Adults
• Pure Vegetarians: < 10 PPT - Adults
• Ancient U.S. Eskimo Women frozen over 100 years ago Almost no dioxins
• Dioxin levels 100 years ago about equal to zero??

GENERAL POPULATION LEVELS OF DIOXINS CAN CAUSE ILL HEALTH

• North Carolina Mothers and Babies - Rogan and Gladen (PCBS)
• Michigan Mothers and Children - Jacobson and Jacobson (PCBS)
• Dutch Mothers and Children Studies (PCDD/F/PCBS)
• Diabetes - Adult Male Controls - U.S. Air Force and NIH (TCDD)

SPECIAL INCIDENTS

• Japan:
  Municipal Incinerator Workers: Elevated Dibenzofurans and TEQ in workers and worker's wife (Miyata & Schecter)
  
  
• Vietnam:
  Elevated dioxin from Agent Orange during spraying, up to 1, 8 5 0 PPT TCDD in nursing Mother's milk, 1970
  Elevated Human Dioxin levels from Agent Orange from Contamination of fish 30 years after spraying ended - dioxin persists, moves
  Dioxins in river sediment, from Agent Orange, and other sources
  Health Effects on Vietnamese still a question
  Hot spots of dioxin remaining still appear to exist - No cleanup to date (Schecter & Colleagues)
  
  
• Binghamton, New York:
  PCB electrical fire, 1981
  Building contaminated with PCB S, Dioxins, Dibenzofurans
  52 million dollar cleanup
  13 years for cleanup
  First use of blood and fat dioxin measurement of workers in U.S.A. (Schecter, et al)
  First time found that general population of U.S.A. exposed to dioxins - Not just Vietnam veterans
  First use of dioxin toxic equivalents
  
  
• China:
  Elevated dioxins in agricultural workers from pesticides sued to kill snails, eliminate schistosomiasis - higher chlorinated dioxins
  
• Southern USA (Alabama):
  Elevated PCB S and TEQ in blood of people living near PCB manufacturing company - air spread to people, food?
  
  
• England and Holland:
  Elevated dioxins in farmers and cattle downwind of industrial incinerators
  
  
• Russia:
  Elevated dioxins and dibenzofurans in men and women chemical workers and their children 25 years after exposure
  
  
• Lake Charles and Mossville, LA:
  Elevated dioxins, dibenzofurans in blood of residents living near many chemical manufacturing sites

DIOXINS AND OTHER POPS:
WHAT TO DO

Person With High Dioxin Levels:
Pringles potato chips (Olestra)?
Activated Charcoal?
Mineral Oil?
Rice Bran Oil?
Lifelong Medical Surveillance?
No good way to medically decrease levels or prevent damage. Prevention best approach.

Individual Action, Especially In Industrial Countries:
Low animal fat diet
Diet high in fruit and vegetables
Ocean fish seem to have less dioxins that farm grown fish
Reduce fat during cooking

Nursing Mothers With High Levels:
Don't nurse at all? Nurse a short time?
Wet nurse?
Formula?
Eliminate dioxins from the environment.

WHY WORRY ABOUT DIOXINS AND OTHER POPS:

Cancer and death from cancer
Reproductive and developmental problems, EG, Low Birth Weight, Hormone Alterations, Lower IQ, Emotional Problems
Immune system alterations: Decrease in ability to fight cancer, infections
Endocrine disruption: Thyroid, Sex Hormones, Diabetes, others
Central Nervous System effects such as Low IQ in children
Possible other Nervous System effects
Biochemical changes, meaning not clear
Changes begin to be noted at general population levels now found this century in industrial countries
Liver damage Increase in blood fats Skin diseases
. . . DEATH