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7/8 Synthesis/Regeneration       Summer 1995

DIOXIN: THE ORANGE RESOURCE BOOK

    —Dedicated to the Residents of Times Beach

The Dioxin Story
Gayle Greene & Vickie Ratner underline the scope and importance of the dioxin problem.

Some General Reference Material on Toxins & Politics
Jeff Sutter suggests some background reading for activists (eight capsule reviews)

The Basics of Dioxin

The Political History of Dioxin
Barry Commoner's keynote address at the Second Citizen's Conference on Dioxin (St. Louis, July 1994)

Generations: Reproductive & Developmental Effects of Organochlorines
Eric Weltman summarizes new evidence on the biological dangers of these chemicals.

Dioxin's Toll on Wildlife
Vicki Monks describes the effects of dioxins on Great Lakes birds.

Why Are Organochlorines So Dangerous?
Don Fitz describes the organic chemistry of dioxins.


Dioxin Is Formed Throughout Chlorine Chemistry
Joe Thornton says dioxins are formed as a by-product of nearly all chlorine-related products and processes.

Chlororganic Compounds in Breastmilk Down Wind of Incinerators
Roland Knebusch summarizes a study showing concentration of dioxins in human breastmilk near German waste incinerators.

Times Beach

The Times Beach Story
The erasure of a town, by Marilyn Leistner, the last Mayor of Times Beach, Missouri

Dioxin Incineration & Flooding
George Baggett provides a critique of the Times Beach dioxin incinerator.

"Position Available: Environmental Engineer with capability to design an underwater incinerator."
Job announcement publicized courtesy Gateway Green Alliance, St. Louis.

Helping Hands Recycling: Another Type of Dioxin Victim
by Mark Guy, Don Fitz, & Barbara Chicherio. A dioxin site wrecks a non-profit recycling business.

Public Thrown Out of Public Hearing
by Don Fitz. The Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources pretends to hold a public hearing.

EPA Gets Hung by Its Own Regulations
Mark Guy explains the "test burn" farce the EPA stages, and how St. Louis activists took advantage.

Immunological Studies on 16 Times Beach Children
P.R. McConnachie, A.C. Zahalsky, & G.H. Smoger summarize clinical tests of environmental exposure to organochlorines.

War, Herbicides, Pesticides

Introduction

Cheryl's Story
by Liane C. Casten. The story of Agent Orange, a veteran, and his widow.

Agent Orange, Vets & the New Jersey Mud Dump
Michael Eckstein reports the effects of Agent Orange on veterans and in the vicinity of its production.

Elmira, Ontario
Colleen Cooney recounts 50 years of corporate irresponsibility.

Agent Orange and Cancer
Richard Clapp reviews some of the recent scientific evidence about the ability of Agent Orange to cause cancer in humans.

Binding Up the Wounds
Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr. describes the long struggle to obtain adequate evidence regarding Agent Orange's effects.

Mylece
by Carol Van Strum. The story of a life and a death in Oregon, and the use of herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D.

Picking Strawberries in Lincolnwood
Nan Hendricks testifies regarding her family's illnesses and herbicide use in Chicago.

U.S. Forest Services Sprays Globe, Arizona
Ingrid Scott & Wilma Kennell describe an area in Arizona contaminated with defoliants by the U.S. Forest Service.

Back to the Future: EPA Reinvents the Wheel on Reproductive Effects of Dioxin
Carol Van Strum describes the trouble caused the EPA by the conclusions of the "smoking gun" Alsea Study.

Gulf War Syndrome—Civilian Syndrome: A Link?
Janette D. Sherman tells how difficult it has been to get a definitive toxicology study.

Military Waste Incinerators

Chemical Weapons Disposal Poses Serious Threat
by Elizabeth Bos. The Army argues for incineration; citizens push for alternatives.

US Army's Proposal to Incinerate Chemical Weapons
by Karen James

Navy Targets Missouri & California Kilns to Burn Napalm
Neil Carman explains why cement kilns should not be used to burn napalm.

Explosive Waste Incinerators and Dioxin
by Jim Mueller describes military explosive waste incineration and its dangers.

Interview with Pat Costner
—regarding military waste incineration.

City Trash Burners

Deadly Hazardous Waste Burns in NYC Incinerators
Robin Perl on New York City's inadequate provision for household hazardous waste.

Incinerators in Spain
Esteban Cabal describes the breakdown of Spain's plans for incineration.

The Matter of the Rivas Incinerator
by Esteban Cabal. A Green city councilor reports on a city's fight.

Waste of Energy
George Baggett asks: what have we learned from "waste-to-energy" garbage incineration?

Poisons from the Health Industry

Struggle for Survival in the South Bronx
Nina Laboy describes the Bronx Clean Air Coalition, the first grassroots environmental justice coalition in New York City.

Victory Over MedWaste Incinerator!
Barbara Chicherio & Don Fitz provide a history of organizing against medical waste incineration in St. Louis.

Dioxin from U.S. Medical Waste Incinerators
Public comment on EPA assessments of dioxin incineration by Sam Bishop

Regional MedWaste Incineration
Don Fitz presents a study of medical waste incineration technology.

Hazardous Waste Incinerators

Introduction
by Don Fitz

The PCB Mess in Bloomington, Indiana
by Linda Greene. Workers, citizens, the City of Bloomington, and Westinghouse's toxic mess—the history of a Superfund site.

The World Infamous WTI Incinerator
Terri Swearingen recounts the political history of an EPA outrage.

Southern Illinois Activists Combat PCB Incinerator at Wildlife Refuge
by Richard Whitney. The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a Superfund site.

Resisting Environmental Racism in Cancer Alley
by Florence Robinson. An activist recounts the ongoing struggle of Louisiana citizens against Rollins Environmental Services.

The EPA Reassessment: Comments from Arkansas
Gregory Ferguson provides a critique of the EPA's dioxin reassessment.

Dioxin Contamination Out of Control in Arkansas
Rachel's Hazardous Waste News reports on the environmental violations of the Vertac incinerator.

Cover-ups by Industry and Government

EPA Collusion with Industry: A Very Brief Overview
Liane C. Casten's testimony to an EPA hearing, December 14, 1994, regarding its protection of large corporations polluting with dioxin.

What's Wrong with the Environmental Protection Agency?
William Sanjour gives an insider's account of why the EPA sees citizens, not polluters, as the enemy.

EPA's Phony Investigation of Monsanto
William Sanjour & Rachel's Hazardous Waste News describe the "fraudulent" criminal investigation of Monsanto for exposing workers to dioxin.

Pandora's Poison
Eric Coppolino describes the long-running coverup of the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Goals and Tactics

A National Strategy for Dioxin Elimination
Joe Thornton of Greenpeace advocates a detailed Zero Dioxin Strategy.

Dioxin in Germany
Barbel Hohn of the German Greens describes Germany's growing dioxin problem, the coverup by political elites, and the German Greens' strategy for resisting dioxin.
Die Grünen: Strategies for Resisting Dioxin

A Chlorine-Free Future—Not Only Possible, but Happening
Bonnie Rice argues the chlorine industry is on the defensive and shows how to work for a phase-out or zero-discharge of chlorine-based compounds.

Precautionary Principle: The "Better Safe than Sorry" Approach
Joan D'Argo argues that "if we err, we err on the side of caution and put health first," rather than using human populations as lab rats.

Environmental Health and the Building Code
Deborah Wallace argues we need a new reform of building codes to counteract industry-oriented weakening of standards.

Video & Electronic Media: The Case of Ross Electric
William Snodgrass shows that video camcorders can be a powerful weapon.

Lessons from East Liverpool
Terri Swearingen summarizes critical lessons learned by citizen organizers. Make injustice visible.

Lessons from Crab Orchard
Gary Wolf also summarizes critical lessons learned by citizen organizers. It's a life and death issue but have fun from time to time.


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