Dioxin Hot Spot Found on the Saginaw River

Dioxin Hot Spot Found on the Saginaw River

November 2007 
 Operating on its own work 
plan, which has not been approved by either the federal or state 
authorities, Dow Chemical Friday discovered a previously unknown dioxin 
hot spot on the Saginaw River. 
When the company notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the 
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as it must by law, the state 
and federal agencies jumped into cleanup mode. 
Dioxins are highly toxic compounds that pose serious risks to human health 
and the environment. EPA's reassessment of the most recent scientific 
findings on dioxin indicates that it is a more potent chemical than 
previously understood. 
Late Friday, Dow notified both agencies of preliminary, unvalidated 
results of over 1.6 million parts per trillion (ppt) of dioxin in one 
sample of sediment taken from the Saginaw River. 
This concentration is 50 times higher than a 32,000 ppt level, previously 
the highest found in the Saginaw River. And It is 15 times higher than any 
dioxin levels found at hot spots in the nearby Tittabawassee River where 
there are three hot spots that Dow must cleaned up by year's end. 
This new Saginaw River sample came from a location a half mile below the 
confluence of the Tittabawassee and Shiawassee Rivers, roughly adjacent to 
Wickes Park. 

      On the Saginaw River looking towards Wickes Park. This is where the 
      new dioxin hot spot was found.  
The 93 acre riverfront park in South Saginaw, is a permanent community 
asset derived from the Wickes Foundation established in 1945 by 
industrialist H. Randall Wickes. It features a children's playground and 
small boat launching ramp. 
"EPA has determined that this emergency work should be performed under an 
EPA Superfund order," said Regional Administrator Mary Gade. 
"EPA and MDEQ are working closely together on a thorough and appropriate 
plan to remove this hot spot," she said. "Moreover, we must be very 
cautious to make sure, through laboratory tests, that we determine the 
extent of this high level of contamination. It may be only one additional 
hot spot or it could cover a larger area." 
As a result of EPA Superfund orders in June 2007, Dow is now finishing the 
cleanup of three dioxin hot spots in the Tittabawassee River. Those dioxin 
hot spots along the first six miles of the Tittabawassee River were 
contaminated at levels up to 87,000 ppt, far above state and federal 
action levels. The area also is prone to flooding and erosion which can 
spread contamination. 
People living in parts of Midland and Saginaw counties near the Dow 
Chemical plant in Midland have higher levels of dioxins in their bodies 
than a control group of people elsewhere in Michigan, according to a 
University of Michigan study released in August 2006. 
In the Tittabawassee River floodplain near Dow, people had 28 percent 
higher median levels of total dioxin-like chemicals in their blood than 
people in a control group 100 miles away. 
To add to Dow's environmental woes, the EPA notified the company on Friday 
that it has found potential clean air and hazardous waste violations at 
the company's flagship Midland, Michigan facility. 
Dow's Midland facility is a 1,900 acre chemical manufacturing plant. 
Dioxins and furans come from the production of chemicals containing 
chlorine. Past waste disposal practices, fugitive emissions and 
incineration at Dow have resulted in dioxin and furan contamination both 
on-site and off-site. 
EPA alleges Dow violated the Clean Air Act by failing to follow 
regulations aimed at detecting and repairing leaks, as well as failing to 
conduct a required stack test. 
Dow was also allegedly found to be in violation of multiple Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act requirements for managing hazardous waste. 
"Our investigation of this very large facility spanned eight weeks over a 
two-year period and included personnel from EPA's National Enforcement 
Investigation Center, said Gade. 
She said Dow's alleged clean air violations may have increased public 
exposure to organic hazardous air pollutant emissions including, but not 
limited to, ethyl chloride, toluene, ethylene, perchloroethylene, methanol 
and hydrogen chloride. 
Hazardous air pollutants may cause serious health effects including birth 
defects and cancer and may also cause harmful environmental and ecological 
effects. The EPA says these pollutants are also volatile organic compounds 
and are major precursors of ground-level ozone, or smog. 
These are preliminary findings of violations. To resolve them, EPA may 
issue a compliance order, assess an administrative penalty or bring suit 
against the company. Dow has 30 days from receipt of the notice to meet 
with EPA to discuss resolving the allegations. 

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