Document 6b188Bk1gd1xQ8DRZq6X1jYLR

DIAL STA. 2 0 Z f 0POTECT- ORDER* QUESTION: with the publicity concern ing d i o x i n s a t TIMES BEACH, DON T YOU THINK THE PEOPLE OUT HERE NEED A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT THE EFFECTS ARE? RESPONSE: yes, we are aware of the M l "INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT. WE ARE' REPRINTING AN ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE RIYN,: 1983 ISSUE TITLED ITS EFFECTS ON ANIMALS AND PEOPLE . AS A MAJOR U.S. CHEMICAL COMPANY WITH WORLD-CUSS RESEARCH EXPERTISE, MONSANTO IS FREQUENTLY SOUGHT OUT BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, THE NEWS MEDIA, THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND, IN DEED, ITS OWN EMPLOYES FOR OPINIONS AND INFORMATION ON A WIDE RANGE OF CHEMICAL ISSUES, ONE SUCH ISSUE, CURRENTLY THE OBJECT OF CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC CONCERN IN MISSOURI, CENTERS ON THE PRESENCE IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF MINUTE AMOUNTS OF A HIGHLY TOXIC, ALTOGETHER USELESS CHEMICAL WITH THE TONGUE-TWISTING NAME! 2,3,7,8 TETRACHLORODIBENZO- PARA-DIOXIN, OR TCDD. FREQUENTLY CALLED BY .ITS GENERIC NAME, "DIOXIN," THIS SUBSTANCE BELONGS TO A C U S S OF' CHEMICAL IMPURITIES WHICH CAN BE FORMED UNINTENTIONALLY AS CONTAMI- ... NANTS DURING THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN STICIDES AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS. SEARCH RESULTS HAVE RECENTLY ES TABLISHED THAT MOST COMBUSTION PRO CESSES LIKE POWER P U N T S , MUNICIPAL TRASH INCINERATORS, AUTOMOBILE EN GINES, AND EVEN WOOD BURNING A* * FIREPLACES; ALSO PRODUCE MEASURABLE AMOUNTS OF VARIOUS DIOXINS; INCLUD ING TCDD, THE FORMATION OF 75 DIF IJfcNT DIOXIN COMPOUfffiS-'lS CHEMICALLY POSSIBLE; BUT WE WILL FOCUS HERE ON ONLY ONE, TCDD, WHICH WE WILL REFER TO AS SIMPLY "DIOXIN. IN 1971, WASTE OIL CONTAINING THIS DIOXIN, U T E R TRACED TO A NOW DEFUNCT PHARMACEUTICAL P U N T IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI, WAS SPRAYED ON THE GROUND TO CONTROL DUST ON MANY DIRT ROADS IN THE COMMUNITY OF TIMES BEACH AND IN SEVERAL HORSE ARENAS AS WELL. IT RECENTLY HAS COME TO LIGHT THAT DIOXIN-CONTAMINATED SOIL FROM THE HORSE ARENAS WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RE MOVED AND USED AS FILL DIRT AT RE SIDENTIAL SITES, THUS CREATING ADDITIONAL CONTAMINATION AND IN CREASING THE POSSIBILITY OF HUMAN EXPOSURE. Mo n s a n t o 's k n o w l e d g e o f t h e M i s s o u r i DIOXIN SITUATION IS LIMITED TO WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE NEWS MEDIA. HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF COMPANY SCIENTISTS ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THE CHEMISTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL, TOXICOLOGICAL AND HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS OF DIOXIN. WE ARE FURTHER FAMILIAR WITH A SUB STANTIAL AMOUNT OF SCIENTIFIC INFOR MATION THAT HAS BEEN GENERATED AND REPORTED BY INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS ON THIS SUBJECT. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE ANIMAL DATA, HUMAN HEALTH INFORMATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS SUBSTANCE, AS EXCERPTED FROM THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. THE "ACUTE ANIMAL TOXICITY" OF DIOXIN-- THAT IS THE AMOUNT THAT WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE POISONING-- DIFFERS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ^ _ sir* CONSIDERABLY FROM ONE ANIMAL SPECIE PUS POCKETS, U R G E CYSTS AND SCARRING TO ANOTHER. IN THE GUINEA PIG, THE? HAVE OCCURRED. IN SOME INDUSTRIAL LABORATORY ANIMAL FOUND TO BE THEfr-'! WORKERS CHLORACNE HAS PERSISTED FO'R MOST SENSITIVE, A SINGLE ORAL DOSfcfJ U UP TO 30 YEARS, BUT MILD CASES USUAJAY OF AN EXTREMELY MINUTE AMOUNT U N " K CLEAR UP SHORTLY AFTER EXPOSURE CEA S. THE BILLIONTHS OF AN OUNCE RANGE) MAY PROVE FATAL. HOWEVER, OTHER f1 IN SUMMARY, THE PREPONDERANCE OF TEST ANIMALS, SUCH AS RJBBITS, DOGS"? ~ MEDICAL EVIDENCE PUBLISHED IN THE AND HAMSTERS, CAN TOLERATE DOSES t'-U! <> SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE INDICATES THAT RANGING FROM 100 TO MORE THAN \'U '1 CHLORACNE WILL MANIFEST ITSELF AS THE SEVEN THOUSAND TIMES THAT WHICH Q FIRST CLINICAL SYMPTOM IN HUMANS EX CAN KILL A GUINEA PIG. .4 o- POSED TO TOXIC LEVELS OF DIOXIN. IN LABORATORY STUDIES ALSO HAVE SHOWN :4 O THE ABSENCE OF CHLORACNE, OTHER AD VERSE EFFECTS ARE IMPROBABLE. THAT SOME TEST ANIMALS, FED DAILY DOSES OF DIOXIN IN THEIR DIETS FOR PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME, HAVE EXPERIENCED OTHER SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS INCLUDING CANCER AND BIRTH DEFECTS. . A ' 4 1 r/ U W IN THE ENVIRONMENT, DIOXIN TENDS TO Cl 3at BIND IT A ITSELF FAIRLY TO SOIL PARTICLES MAKING IMMOBILE SUBSTANCE. IT IS NOT MOBILE OR SOLUBLE IN WATER EITHER. RATHER, IT SETTLES TO THE FROM THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, IT'S CLEAR THAT MAN IS MUCH MORE TOLERANT OF DIOXIN THAN MOST ANIMAL SPECIES. SINCE NO HUMAN IS KNOWN TO HAVE DIED FROM DIOXIN POISONING, THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO KILL A HUMAN IS UNKNOWN. HOWEVER, MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT OTHER HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS. BOTTOM OF RIVERS AND STREAMS, BINDING ITSELF TO THE SILT OR SEDIMENT. THIS CHARACTERISTIC PREVENTS IT FROM CON TAMINATING DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES. HOWEVER, FISH THAT FEED ON THE SEDIMENT CAN BECOME CONTAMINATED. IN RECOGNITION OF THIS, THE U.S. FOOD 2* 5DRPUAGRTASD-MPIENRI-STTRRIALTLIIOONN HAS ESTABLISHED AS THE MAXIMU' TO CITE THE MOST RECENT ARTICLE, THE JOURNAL ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAN RFPORTFn ON DOT. METD5I..CAILMS?. THAT THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT DIOXIN HAS CAUSED CANCER OR BIRTH DEFECTS IN HUMANS. AMOUNT OF DIOXIN PERMITTED IN FISH FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. U.S. ENVIRON MENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGUUTIONS CURRENTLY PERMIT THE SALE AND USE OF HERBICIDES CONTAINING UP TO 100 PARTS PER BILLION OF THIS CONTAMINANT. USING UP-TO-THE MINUTE TECHNOLOGY, THIS STATEMENT IS BASED IN PART ON UNDINGS FROM MANY HEALTH STUDIES, SOME DONE RECENTLY, ON SIZEABLE THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY NOW PRODUCES HERBICIDES TYPICALLY CONTAINING ONLY ONE-TENTH THIS AMOUNT. SROUPS OF PEOPLE KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO REUTIVELY HIGH LEVELS OF HOXIN, GOING AS FAR BACK AS 30 YEARS. 'HESE STUDIES FOUND NO INCREASED :a n c e r RATES OR o t h e r l o n g -t e r m fEALTH PROBLEMS EXCEPT A PERSISTENT iCNE-LIKE SKIN CONDITION ATTRIBUTED 0 EXPOSURE TO DIOXIN. DIOXIN IS A SOLID MATERIAL WITH A HIGH MELTING POINT, (ABOUT 500 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT), THUS IT DOES NOT GENERATE FUMES. THIS MEANS EX POSURE THROUGH INHALING THE SUB STANCE IS NOT A CONCERN, THE MOST LIKELY ROUTE OF HUMAN EXPOSURE IS BY ABSORPTION THROUGH THE SKIN FROM HIS SKIN CONDITION, KNOWN AS CHLORCNE, IS THE HALLMARK (OR VISIBLE NDICATION) OF BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC OXIC EXPOSURE TO DIOXIN IN HUMANS. DIRECT SKIN CONTACT WITH CONTAMINATED SOIL. INGESTION IS ALSO POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY BY CHILDREN WHO TEND TO PUT THEIR FINGERS IN THEIR MOUTHS. HLORACNE MANIFESTS ITSELF SHORTLY FTER EXPOSURE (USUALLY WITHIN TWO 0 THREE MONTHS) AND, IN ITS MILDER ORMS, IS CHARACTERIZED BY CLUSTERS F BLACKHEADS OVER THE CHEEKBONES, ROUND THE EARLOBES, ON THE FACE, HEST AND BACK. IN SEVERE CASES, SUNLIGHT DESTROYS DIOXIN'S TOXIC PROPERTIES RAPIDLY ON PLANT AND SOIL SURFACES. THE LENGTH OF TIME REQUIRED TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO HARMLESS COMPONENTS BELOW THE SURFACE RANGES FROM SEVERAL MONTHS TO MANY YEARS, DEPENDING ON A NUMBER