August 30, 2005 - Volume 5 Added :
                    Dow Chlorophenol Dioxin Serum Levels

FLAWED SCIENCE                                  

The effects of dioxin exposure on human health have been studied for almost fifty years. The Dow Chemical Company is a recognized leader in the various issues associated with dioxin exposure to chemical workers and residential neighbors.

DioxinSpin is confident that The Dow Chemical Company would like to present the most accurate, scientifically sound information needed by all the parties affected by dioxin contamination in the Midland plant, in the city of Midland and in the Saginaw Valley.

However, even Dow, with all its resources and expertise, can make a mistake – a defect that brings into question the validity of a single study or, perhaps, even the validity of several studies.

Until any defects are corrected or found to be inconsequential, the relevant study (or studies) must be considered “flawed science”.

This section of DioxinSpin.com will address various defects and oversights that appear to be present in mortality and environmental studies that the company has published or provided to the DEQ/EPA.

A copy of each analysis will be sent to the company for review and, hopefully, comment.  Responses made by the company will be presented in this section, as received without revision.

VOLUME 1 (link) : This volume focuses on potential mistakes that the company may have made in mortality studies of Midland plant employees exposed to pesticide plant dioxins.  Discrepancies have been found in the following areas:

          (1) Total number of employees exposed to pesticide dioxins
          (2) Total number of employees that worked in each pesticide plant
          (3)  Number of employees exposed to varying intensities of TCDD

VOLUME 2 (link) : This volume focuses on potential errors that the company may have made in the most recent mortality studies of dioxin exposed Midland plant workers.  Errors may be present in the following areas:

          (1)  Unexpected decline in the number of expected deaths
          (2)  Unrecognized higher mortality in non-chloracne workers
          (3)  Unrecognized higher mortality in workers exposed to TCDD

VOLUME 3 (link) : This volumes addresses potential defects in one of the company's 2005 studies of dioxin levels in the Tittabawassee River.  The number of defects are sufficient to severely limit the value of the study. 

Link to DEQ website and Dow dioxin studies:
   http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3312_4118_4240-53424--,00.html

Direct link to DioxinSpin.com file copy of study : Link

VOLUME 4 (link) : Dow Chemical and Michigan Department of Community Heath studies of dioxin blood serum levels in Midland area residents and Dow employees reference a ATSDR-CDC study, Patterson, et al, 2004, that provides an estimate of background blood serum levels in 588 U.S. citizens supposedly not exposed to dioxins other than in their diet or in an environment distant from known sources of dioxins. 

However, Patterson, failed to exclude four unusually high serum levels and, as a result, the reported ranges of dioxin levels by age group are much greater than if only the 584 more normal levels were used.  As a result, some of the dioxin serum studies being carried out in Michigan erroneously report that ranges of serum levels being found are "lower than" or "are consistent" with US background levels.

In addition, the Dow and MDCH studies determined dioxin serum levels in the test subjects in 2004 and 2005.  However, Patterson was based on serum levels measured in 1996, 1997 and 2001.  The Dow and MDCH studies failed to adjust the Patterson serum levels to 2004/2005 levels which would be reduced through biological degradation.

More information on these topics can be found in Recalculation of U.S. Background Dioxin Blood Serum Levels via the Volume 4 (link).

Link to Patterson, et al, : Patterson study

VOLUME 5 (link)  :  In September, 2003, The Dow Chemical Company measured dioxin blood serum levels in a small number of its chlorophenol employees that were exposed to dioxins and furans present in certain pesticide plants.

Following a release of partial results to the media and the DEQ in 2004 and 2005, the full study was made available in July, 2005.

The study has been criticized by some regulatory agencies.  Dow has taken the unusual step of having the principle peer-reviewer of the study publicly praise the its epidemiological professionalism and the study itself in a local newspaper.  The company recently defended the study in a "letter to editor" in another local newspaper.

The study may contain a number of potential defects – such as selection bias – that brings into question the validity of some portions of the study. An analysis of the study can be viewed by linking to the Volume 5 (link)

The Dow Chlorophenol study can be viewed via Link to Dow Chlorophenol Study : (The study is being made available to DioxinSpin.com readers under the Fair Use provisions of US Copyright laws and is subject to the provisions thereof)

DOW CHEMICAL RESPONSE : None received to date.