Document Vj4MweZL7Z6d4ObJ5rBj5DoaZ

ADELAIDE jkMSTEROAM ANCHORAGE AUCKLAND BOSTON BRUSSELS SUCHOS AWES H1CAGO * COPENHAGEN DUBLIN FORT LMJDCRQALE GOTHENBERG HAMBURG LEWES - U K . . LONDON LUXEMBOURG MADRID MONTREAL OSLO <PALM A OE M ALLORCA " RAMS ROME SAN FRANCSCO SAN JOSE -- COSIA RICA SEATTLE STOCKHOLM SYDNEY TORONTO VANCOUVER VIENNA _ . WASHINGTON WORLD PARK BASE-- ANTARCTICA ZURICH Greenpeace news Greenpeace USA 1436 U Street NW Washington DC 20009 Tel (202) 462-1177 Tlx 89-2359 Fax (202) 462-4507 EMBARGOED UNTIL: NOVEMBER 29,1990 CONTACTS: Joe Thornton, Greenpeace Research Analyst Pat Costner, Greenpeace Research Director Lynn Thorp, Greenpeace Toxics Campaign Julie Brenegar, Greenpeace Media 202-462-1177 202-462-1177 202-319-2479 202-319-2490 GREENPEACE EXPOSES FRAUD IN INDUSTRY DIOXIN STUDIES; CALLS FOR EPA ACTIONS TO PREVENT DIOXIN POLLUTION WASHINGTON, DC -- Exposing fraudulent and manipulated science in several key industry studies of dioxin's health effects on humans, the international environmental group Greenpeace will petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, November 29., to revoke all past decisions based on these studies. The petition also calls on EPA -- based on new evidence showing dioxin to be far more toxic than previously thought -- to implement a national strategy to eliminate major dioxin sources. Greenpeace will submit the petition to EPA under the authority of the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act and release it at a 10.00 a.m. news conference at the National Press Club, Lisagor Room, 14th and F Streets N . w . W a s h i n g t o n , D.C. The Greenpeace petition outlines major flaws in the design, conduct and interpretation of key dioxin studies conducted or funded by Monsanto, one of the world's largest chemical companies. The studies, published between 1980 and 1984, were conducted on workers exposed to dioxin during accidents and the routine production of herbicides at Monsanto's plant in Nltro, West Virginia. Scientists, attorneys and EPA whistleblowers have raised concerns about the studies since 1985;. the Greenpeace petition contains the most thor ough analysis of the studies to date and the first move for official action to discontinue their use in government policy. Greenpeace analysis of several of the studies shows that dozens of workers with cancer and heart disease, who were known to be exposed to dioxin, w e r e i n a p p r o p r i a t e l y shifted into u n e x p o s e d " c o n t r o l " groups or excluded from the studies altogether. In some cases, those classifications were contrary to the studies' stated criteria; in others, the criteria were designed specifically to allow exposed workers to be misclassified. Similar concerns have recently been raised about manipulations in. a study conducted by the German chemi cal company BASF o n d i o x i n - e x p o s e d workers at one of Its Eure pear, plants. (mere) 000471 000258