Dioxin's Adverse Health Effects Confirmed

Dioxin, a byproduct of pulp-and-paper chlorine bleaching and the manufacture and incineration of PVC plastic (vinyl), can cause cancer, disrupt hormonal systems, and produce developmental defects in humans, according to a new draft report from the EPA. Children's dioxin intake is proportionately much higher than adults' because the chemical accumulates in animal fats, including breast milk and dairy products. For those who eat large amounts of meats, fish and dairy products, the risk of developing cancer could be as high as 1 in 100, ten times higher than the agency's previous estimate. Reproductive effects were underscored by a report in Lancet finding that dioxin lowered the birth rate for male children in Seveso, Italy, the site of an explosion that rained dioxin.

While EPA recommends that mothers continue to breastfeed, as benefits outweigh health risks, it advises that all Americans reduce consumption of fatty animal foods.

Sources: Science News, 6/3/00; Washington Post, 5/17/00.