| U of M Dioxin Results Update on June 5 05/29/2007 |
Join the University of Michigan scientists studying human exposure to dioxins in the Midland/Saginaw area on June 5 as they discuss progress and updates to their study.Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw, MI (map in PDF format)
Cost: FREE
Dr. David Garabrant, who heads the University of Michigan (U of M) scientific team, is Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Professor of Epidemiology, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at U of M. Dr. Garabrant will give a progress report to the study's Community Advisory Panel. He is expected to focus on progress and results since the last public meeting held in August of 2006.
The goal of the U of M scientific study is to see whether elevated levels of dioxins in the environment are ending up in the bodies of residents of the Tittabawassee River basin (in Midland and Saginaw counties), and whether these residents have higher levels of dioxins in their blood than persons living in other parts of Michigan, such as Jackson and Calhoun counties. Jackson and Calhoun counties were selected for comparison because the population and types of industry are similar to Midland and Saginaw counties, but there is no known major contamination of the environment with dioxins in these counties.
Dioxins are considered to be toxic chemicals. They can be produced by industrial and combustion activities. There are known to be elevated levels of dioxins in the soil of the Tittabawassee River flood plain and nearby areas that are affected by discharges from the Dow Chemical Company plant in Midland.
The U of M study does not look at health effects, but rather the level of human exposure to dioxins and whether the dioxins are getting into people’s bodies. "First we need to get the facts about exposure," Garabrant said. "Then decisions can be made about what to do next." The Dow Chemical Company is funding the U of M study but has no say over how it is conducted. The study is controlled entirely by the University of Michigan investigators. Results of the study do not identify individual participants.
More details about the study are available on the research team's Web site.
