High Dioxin Levels Threaten Louisiana Black Community

WASHINGTON -- A senior scientist at Greenpeace issued a report (Download PDF version) today criticizing serious flaws in an Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry report on dioxin contamination in the predominantly African American town of Mossville, La.

"ATSDR claims that the dioxin levels in the soils, chicken eggs and breast milk from Mossville are not elevated," said Pat Costner, Greenpeace senior scientist, "but its data show that dioxins in the soil are twice as high as the U.S. average; dioxins in the breast milk sample are 30 percent higher than the U.S. average; and dioxins in the chicken eggs are almost twice as high as the level that the Food and Drug Adminstration considers to be 'adulterated'."

In April 1999, an arm of the U.S. Public Health Service, ATSDR, released a report of its investigation of dioxin contamination in Mossville. In the report, ATSDR concluded that dioxin levels are elevated and higher than the national average in some of the people in this small African American community. The town is next door to several vinyl chloride monomer and chlorine manufacturing facilities that emit dioxin.

The plight of the impoverished semi-rural town has gained national attention as a result of pressure by local residents, Greenpeace and national and international human rights and environmental protection groups. The community has been deemed one of the sickest in the nation by a prominent toxicologist. National environmental justice organizations and Greenpeace say the community's black residents are victims of environmental racism.

"ATSDR's study is flawed and so are its recent actions toward the community," said Damu Smith, a Greenpeace toxics campaigner. "It has ignored residents health concerns by boycotting a scheduled meeting with the community this week to explain its own investigation. The people deserve answers and environmental justice now."

Without explanation, a top ATSDR official helping to coordinate the dioxin investigation has refused to attend a meeting with Mossville residents to discuss the agency's study. "ATSDR has misinterpreted its incomplete results,"
added Costner, "and there is evidence of fundamental problems in its analysis of dioxins and dioxin-like chemicals in Mossville people's blood."

The Greenpeace report concludes with a set of recommendations, among them are:

• Identify and eliminate local sources of dioxins and dioxin-like contaminants.
• Declare a moratorium on new permits for industries that are dioxin sources.
• Establish a transition planning process to mitigate any potentially negative economic impacts associated with the elimination of dioxin sources.

• 116 Human Rights