What exposure level to dioxin can cause health effects?
The answer to this question is the subject of ongoing scientific and policy debate. We do know very high levels of dioxin in blood (hundreds to thousands of times higher than people normally experience) increase the likelihood of developing chloracne, a temporary skin condition which can be severe in some cases. Scientists convened by WHO reviewed the animal toxicity data on dioxin in a recent report (Food Additives Contam., 17: 223-240, 2000). For the purposes of policy development, these scientists prepared an analysis of the most sensitive non-cancer health effects observed in the laboratory animal studies. They estimated the exposure levels needed to cause those health effects in humans, using the assumption that humans are as sensitive as laboratory animals. This information gives perspective on the relationship between the most sensitive effects observed in animal studies, the exposure levels at which they occurred, and daily human exposure levels that would be necessary to achie
