EPA targets dioxin, GOP targets EPA @gop #p2 #tcot

The Obama administration is proposing tougher pollution standards that could lead to new cleanups of highly toxic dioxin at locations around the country. Naturally, industry groups and Republicans are objecting. And those objections will turn to a full-scale attack if the GOP wins control of the House in today's elections.

The Environmental Protection Agency expects to adopt the new standards this fall. Once that happens, federal and state officials will take a new look at sites that are known to have had major dioxin contamination - like the 50 miles of Michigan watershed where for decades Dow Chemical's Midland plant dumped dioxin byproducts. The officials will determine if more cleanup is needed.

Dioxins are toxic chemical byproducts from industrial processes such as pesticide and herbicide production, waste incineration, refining and smelting. One form of dioxin was a key ingredient in Agent Orange, the defoliant used by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War.

The World Health Organization says significant exposure to dioxins can damage human reproductive and immune systems. The EPA has characterized dioxins as "likely" human carcinogens. The agency will be reviewing that definition as part of its upcoming health risk assessment.

EPA officials say dioxins are dangerous to human health at lower concentrations than previously thought.

"We're driven by the need to protect against excessive risk of both cancer and non-cancer health concerns," Mathy Stanislaus, EPA assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response, told the Associated Press. "We believe (the current standards) are not sufficiently protective and more stringent numbers are needed."

The EPA will be working from a list of 92 Superfund sites where dioxin is among the soil contaminants. In addition, the agency estimates that as many as 150 other hazardous waste sites may have dioxin contamination and will need reviewing.

Since 1998, the EPA has regarded dioxin soil concentrations of less than 1,000 parts per trillion (ppt) as safe for residential areas. It has considered 5,000 ppt to 20,000 ppt safe for commercial and industrial zones. The proposed new standards would dramatically lower the safe levels, to 72 ppt for residential areas and 950 ppt for commercial and industrial sites.

rest at http://peoplesworld.org/epa-targets-dioxin-gop-targets-epa/