Hey EPA, Stop Stalling Your Study on One of the Most Toxic Chemicals on the Planet!
The EPA has been buying time—27 years worth, to be exact—on evaluating the risks of dioxin exposure. Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known to science—and nearly every American has measurable levels of dioxin in their body. Even babies are born pre-polluted with potentially harmful levels of dioxin. In 1985, EPA concluded that there was an increased cancer risk in humans at dioxin exposure levels lower than had been estimated by any government agency anywhere in the world.
But even with these and other known health hazards linked to dioxin, the EPA’s report—the “Dioxin Reassessment”—still remains a draft, which has stymied the agency’s development of federal regulations for over 25 years.
The agency has repeatedly allowed the chemical industry to delay its efforts to finalize its assessment. This “delay” (more like a colossal, almost-three-decade-long lag!) on the Dioxin Reassessment has been going since 1985.
Enough is enough.
During those 27 years, people across the country have been exposed to this highly toxic chemical. Yet once again, industry is attempting to stall the release of this important report. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and other industry trade associations have continued to pressure the EPA to further delay the release of this important document, asking for more review and more evaluation of the already compelling evidence about dioxin’s health hazards.
The EPA made a promise to finalize its long-delayed study on dioxin by the end of this month. This week, a broad coalition of environmental health, environmental justice, Vietnam Vets, labor, women’s groups, and health-impacted organizations delivered a letter calling on EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to finalize the study on dioxin. Already, over 2,000 individuals and organizations from across the United States signed the letter.
Do your part by spreading the word and joining the movement to keep the pressure on. Because the release of EPA’s Dioxin Reassessment is the first step to stopping this chemical and its toxic hold on our health.