another reason to go vegan! :)

[Guest guest]

I ran across this and thought it was really interesting. Now that I get most

of my protein from dairy/meats, I'm really looking closely at how these

sources are derived and go 'organic' as much as possible. I've also been

very concerned about this for my kids (ages 4 1/2 and 2)....

Can someone post that new website group again -- it was about DS vegetarians?

This article does not have a URL -- got it off of AOL news, not the internet,

BTW.

all the best,

lap DS with gallbladder removal

Dr. Gagner/Dr. Quinn assisting/Mt. Sinai/NYC

January 25, 2001

pre-op: 307 lbs/bmi 45

Now: 258 lbs/bmi 38?

EPA Agrees Dioxin Poses Cancer Risk

By JOHN HEILPRIN

..c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - A long-stalled government study that says dioxin causes

cancer in laboratory animals and possibly in people finally will be sent to

federal regulators - and put another far-reaching environmental issue in the

Bush administration's lap.

The study's conclusion that chlorinated dioxin is an air pollutant that

should be more tightly controlled could affect everything from milk, beef and

fish to medical products and the chemical and paper industries.

A scientific advisory committee for the Environmental Protection Agency voted

unanimously Tuesday to send its report, more than a decade in the making, to

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. The findings could provide the basis for

federal regulators to impose limits on dioxin that go beyond current

voluntary controls and would be costly to the chemical, beef and poultry

industries that have opposed them.

Glaze, a University of North Carolina professor who chairs the

advisory panel, called the report ``a huge step forward'' toward possibly

stricter controls. He said its key finding is that ``diet is the principal

root of exposure'' for people who consume even small amounts of dioxin in

dairy products and fatty foods.

``We think that the agency should take action to continue to try to limit

emissions of dioxin in the environment. How the agency chooses to do that is

up to them,'' Glaze said in an interview. ``This committee felt that

regulating emissions is desirable.''

He said his panel planned to send the report to Whitman by June 1. Whitman

repeatedly has declined to comment on the report and how her agency intends

to use it.

Industry groups question the science behind it. Marcie Francis of the

Chlorine Chemistry Council told Glaze's panel that ``great uncertainty

remains in our understanding of the effects of dioxin and dioxin-like

compounds.''

Environmental groups were pleased the report is going forward since not

having it done ``has been a stumbling block for community groups and elected

officials who have been working together to develop strong dioxin

regulations,'' said Rohde, the dioxin campaign coordinator for the

Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

While agreeing that dioxin causes cancer in laboratory animals, the committee

split over whether to classify the chemical as a known human carcinogen, as

it did in a draft report a year ago.

Instead, the new version says: ``It is important that EPA continue to try to

limit emissions and human exposure to this class of chemicals in view of

their very long biological and environmental persistence.''

Chlorinated dioxin is an air pollutant that comes from burning plastic and

medical waste with chlorine. It settles in grass and feed, which is then

eaten and becomes fat in livestock and poultry.

Dioxin also is a generic term for a group of compounds, some of which are

more toxic than others.

The contaminant used in Agent Orange, a defoliant sprayed during the Vietnam

War, includes the most toxic form of dioxin. Agent Orange exposure has been

associated with cancer, birth defects and miscarriages, though a direct link

to those health problems remain unproven.

But a new study released Tuesday by American researchers shows a high level

of dioxin among residents of a South Vietnamese city and suggests that once

it enters the environment, dioxin remains a persistent source of

contamination for generations to come.

On the Net:

EPA site: http://www.epa.gov/sab

CHEJ: http://www.chej.org

Chlorine council: http://www.ccc.com

AP-NY-05-16-01 0337EDT