Otago Study Provides Assurance for Former 2,4,5-T Workers

University of Otago, New Zealand: 13 March 2006 Media Release,

A General Mortality Study completed by University of Otago for Dow AgroSciences New Zealand Limited has shown no increase in cancer among longer term workers at the company's manufacturing site in New Plymouth, which produced the herbicide 2,4,5-T until 1988.

The study's initial findings show that the level and causes of mortality among people who worked at the site for more than three months are not statistically different from the rest of the New Zealand population.

Principal Investigator Dr David McBride of University of Otago 's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine said that while the study does not assess individual workplace exposure it provides good data to show that former workers at the New Plymouth facility have very similar mortality outcomes to the general population.

"We have traced over 1,700 people who worked at New Plymouth from 1969 to 2001, and identified those who have died," he said."Across all causes of death, the rates are consistent with the rest of New Zealand," he said, "with males slightly higher than expected while females slightly less than expected." "Similarly, cancer rates overall are consistent with rest of New Zealand." Dr McBride said that for males who worked at the site for less than three months the death rates for all causes are slightly higher than the general population.

"This short term worker effect is a common phenomenon across all industries around the world and is considered to reflect to life style factors such as smoking and alcohol-related illness," he said. "Our new research confirms this effect from previous studies in New Zealand." Dr McBride said the initial findings of the Otago research do not indicate anything of concern which stands out at this stage, and workers should find this reassuring.

"The focus now is to proceed to the next phase of the research, which will assess workplace exposures through analysing blood from former workers for the presence of dioxin. This will enable us to determine whether there is any relationship between workplace exposure to dioxin and long term health effects."

He said the current serum analysis and exposure study is planned to be completed by the end of 2006.

The research work being undertaken by the University of Otago is funded by Dow AgroSciences NZ Limited.

Original Source

Health Ministry to probe dioxin 'errors'

NZ HERALD: 10:20AM Tuesday Oct 24, 2006

The Ministry of Health will today ask for a copy of findings which suggest its report last year into dioxin levels at a New Plymouth chemical plant contained significant mistakes.

In a TV3 documentary last night, forensic accountant John Leonard said high levels of dioxin contamination at the Ivon Watkins-Dow factory in the suburb of Paritutu were obscured by poor methodology in the report.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said a review of the original report was likely. "I think it's inevitable that ... questions have been raised that need to be answered," he said. 

"It's clear that there's room for doubt so we better have another look at it and I need to satisfy myself that we've done it right and if we haven't we do it again."

Ministry spokesman Peter Abernethy said the ministry would ask TV3 for a copy of its assessment of the report today.

The ministry would wait until it had seen the assessment before taking further action, Mr Abernethy said. Ivon Watkins-Dow, which is now called DowAgro Sciences, made the herbicide 245T from 1962 to 1987. A byproduct of manufacturing 245T was TCDD, a type of dioxin. 

Dioxins are a family of chemicals which can cause birth defects, diabetes, endometriosis and some rare forms of cancer. All humans are exposed to dioxin in tiny amounts through food consumption, and products manufactured with plastics and bleaches.

Green Party health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said: "So far, all we have heard is that the Ministry of

Health will 'look into' the claims. After decades of denying and covering-up this issue, the public can have no confidence in the Ministry of Health objectively investigating itself. Any follow-up study now undertaken must be totally independent. 

"We also need a formal apology from the Government for successive Governments' roles in systematically downplaying the health consequences of living near a dioxin plant, just as it apologised to veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam."

Dioxin campaigner Andrew Gibbs told Radio New Zealand this morning the ministry was not screening the right people to check if their dioxin levels were higher than normal. "They've spent a heck of a lot more doing studies to reassure the unaffected... current residents who presented no evidence of exposure and, really, shouldn't we be looking at the people who were exposed?"

Paritutu residents who lived near the plant at the time should be tested for health problems associated with exposure, and genetic damage, Mr Gibbs said. Health Minister Pete Hodgson said in April 2005 the Government had advice that suing DowAgro Sciences over dioxin exposure would almost certainly fail.

Dixinnz PDF: Copy

Original Source

ill man vows help in dioxin action

Founder of Dioxinnz Gary Green

Sister Casts Light on Mystery Illness

By HUMPHREYS, Lyn 

2006-03-27 Daily News Taranaki

GARY GREEN estimates he's been in and out of hospital 50 times in the past two years. 

Founder of Dioxinnz

During that time, the now-unemployed 50-year-old has had two mystery strokes, and been forced to leave work and sell his home because he could no longer pay his mortgage. 

His symptoms include a range of unexplained neurological, gastric, endocrine and immune system breakdowns. 

"It's not left much unturned," he told the Taranaki Daily News yesterday from his bed in St John of God Hospital in Western Australia's capital, Perth. He has been there since Saturday with bleeding from his bowel. 

It wasn't until his sister, Sue Green, who lives in Lepperton, last year told him of the extensive Ministry of Health investigation into the production of 2,4,5-T and its toxic dioxin side-product, at Ivon Watkins Dow in New Plymouth, that he put two and two together. 

Mr Green worked as a sales manager for Steel and Tube on Centennial Drive, next to the chemical plant, for three years between 1985 and 1988. 

"I was there when the pressure disc (at IWD's trichlorophenol plant in April 1986) failed and spewed raw dioxin in the air," Mr Green said. 

An investigation at the time found 150mg of dioxin escaped, but that there were no harmful effects. 

However, he recalls experiencing a strange taste in his mouth that day, which 

sometimes returns. 

In 1988, Mr Green and his family headed across the Tasman where he worked for Steel and Tube's parent company, Tubemakers, as a project manager and later as an account manager for mining companies in Western Australia. 

During that time he believes there was "not a chance" he was exposed to dioxin. 

"I ended up so sick, my doctor told me to stop work in 2003 because, after two strokes, I've been left with double vision."

Once alerted by his sister, he talked his puzzled Perth doctors into sending a blood 

test for analysis in New Zealand, looking for dioxin. 

It was found his dioxin levels were 61ppt (parts per trillion), five times higher than the 20ppt maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation for a lifetime exposure. 

"So for that short period of time (when he worked at Steel and Tube) I got a truckload of crap in my system."

Sue Green said: "There's no other explanation for my brother being the way he is. I feel so sorry for him. He's had every test known to man."

He was now hopeful ACC would cover his case. He applied for cover last September and had recently been told his case was before ACC's toxicology committee. 

"I assume I have a valid claim. I should hear in the middle of April. 

"Basically, I've lost 20 years of my working life. My wife is pretty stressed. She has to stay home to look after me and make sure I'm OK. It's pretty frightening. People here have just put it in the too-hard basket."

Information he has read about dioxin states the known carcinogen can hit the neurological and endocrine system, and it hits people randomly and without explanation. "It's like a loaded gun and no one knows where the smoke's going to come from."

www

Yesterday, campaigner Andrew Gibbs, of Cepra (Chemically Exposed Paritutu Residents Association), said Mr Green's dioxin tests showed he had levels nine times higher than the background levels in adults of a similar age. 

There were other workers, such as the Shell BP Todd, power station and port workers and those living in the single men's camp, who had also been at risk during the high exposure era in the 1960s and 70s, he said. 

"But they have all been left out of the studies. It's time the Government got off its arse and provided real effective health care for them -- as the Taranaki District Health Board has asked." 

An ACC official said there were six claimants for ACC cover under investigation. 

Since last year, four former IWD workers have had their claims accepted for dioxin related illnesses. 

Nov 2006 STUDIES - BINARY MIXTURE OF DIOXINS: PCB

3,3N,4,4N,5-PENTACHLOROBIPHENYL 
(PCB 126)
(CAS NO. 57465-28-8)



AND

2,3N,4,4N,5-PENTACHLOROBIPHENYL 
(PCB 118)
(CAS NO. 31508-00-6)


Results 

Female rats administered the mixtures of PCB 126 and PCB 118 developed a variety of diseases in several organs, including cancers of the liver, lung, and mouth.  

A variety of other toxic lesions observed in exposed animals included 

hypertrophy
hyperplasia
hepatopathy
fibrosis, and necrosis of the liver
hyperplasia of the oral mucosa
metaplasia of the lung
atrophy of the thymus
hypertrophy of the thyroid gland
atrophy of the adrenal cortex
vacuolization and atrophy of the pancreas
kidney nephropathy
hyperplasia of the nose
hyperplasia of the forestomach
hemorrhage of lymph nodes and brain
atrophy of the spleen. 

Conclusions 
We conclude that the mixtures of PCB 126 and PCB 118 caused cancer and other toxic effects at several sites in female rats.

Study Results 
niehs.nih.gov: Paper published