THEY ALL LIE - PAT POTTER

More good news is coming out of the success of "Toxic Time Bomb" produced by Ron Harpelle and Kelly Saxberg. I've been put in touch with a number of individuals from the U.S., Vietnam and British Columbia who all have different experiences and knowledge regarding dioxins/furans and also DDT, the infamous insecticide which destroyed mosquitoes and so much more (birds, animals, fish etc.). ............................................................................................................. I have as a result been receiving various published scientific papers dealing with dioxins and DDT. One of them is in regards to a study of porpoises and seals living in the Bay of Fundy. This study was done by researchers from our neighbour, the University of Guelph. One of the most interesting items is that all testing of tissues was the exact opposite of what Lanxess Canada and the Ontario MOE/MECP are currently doing here in Elmira. Fish tissue testing from the Canagagigue Creek has all been done on lean tissues. That's right lean tissues which do not accumulate either dioxins or DDT as readily as fatty tissues. In this U. of Guelph study the focus was on testing fatty tissues (i.e. blubber) precisely because DDT and dioxins tend to deposit and accumulate in fatty tissues. Once again our local polluter and his fellow travellors are masters of minimizing environmental problems and issues. ...................................................................................................................... The second report concerns the massive spraying of New Brunswick forests with DDT from 1952 until 1968 to combat the spruce budworm. Indeed to assist the local forest industry, essentially lakes, rivers, soils and wildlife sufferred and continue to suffer the effects of that spraying. Of a number of conclusions including that DDT persists in the natural environment far longer than originally believed, the one sticks out for me is that studies are showing the movement of DDT and its breakdown products from the aquatic food webs to the terrestial food webs. In other words simple text references in the upcoming Risk Assessments to land animals and birds uptaking DDT and dioxins from fish, frogs, etc. is not adequate. This is a solid and ongoing migration of toxic chemicals from sediments and the benthic community up through aquatic lifeforms to their many land based predators such as raccoons, foxes, coyotes, herons, hawks etc. Serious research and references are necessary to determine the extent of that migration and hence how much cleanup in and around the creek is required. Not to mention stopping the source areas both on the Lanxess site and off their site (Stroh & likely Martin property).