What are the harmful effects of dioxin?
The scientific data that must be understood to answer this question present a bewildering collection of conflicting information that creates confusion, misperceptions, and potentially undue concern over the risks from dioxin exposure, especially for individuals currently exposed to background levels. Adding to the confusion is the unreliable methodology used in many of the studies. Before this question can be answered, it is very important to distinguish between effects recorded in well-controlled laboratory studies in rodents such as rats and mice, and in clinical observations and human health studies of exposed people, including highly exposed workers and communities like Seveso, Italy that experienced industrial accidents. We believe exposure to background levels of dioxin does not cause any human health effects. Many documents list the effects of dioxin without informing the reader whether they are from relatively high dose studies in mice and rats or if they are clearly demonstrat
