ONTARIO'S "WEEDLESS" TOWN, ELMIRA

How many Elmira and Woolwich residents recall those ads in the 60's extolling the virtues of mass spraying throughout Elmira, Ontario? How many Elmira residents have died prematurely as a result after sufferring various ailments including cancers? Esther Thur of Elmira and the Elmira Environmental Hazards Team attributed her multiple bouts of cancer to Uniroyal Chemical.

The Fact-Finding Panel on Herbicide 2,4,5-T have stated that in 1978 Ontario municipalities used 90,000 kg. of Agent Orange, half of which was 2,4,5-T (ie. 45,000kg). The combined use of 2,4,5-T by the MNR, MOT and Ontario Hydro that year was half of that or 23,000kg. The Panel did not allegedly have data to show if those numbers were representative of the entire 1950-1979 era for either total useage or proportional useage between the province and municipalities. Regardless in one year alone (1978) Ontario municipal and provincial governments doused nearly 70,000 kilograms (150,000 pounds) of 2,4,5-T on unsuspecting Ontarians.

The Panel also claim that they do not know which manufacturer or suppliers provided Ontario with 2,4,5-T. As we manufactured it right here in Elmira, Ontario I've got one candidate in mind. The Panel bless their pointed little heads at least have indicated that they are satisfied that the 2,4,5-T used in Ontario did indeed contain the same Dioxin contaminant as that purchased by the U.S. military for use in Vietnam. That again was purchased both in the U.S. as well as from Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira, Ontario.

The Panel have also indicated clearly that while there were standards, policies, practices and guidelines regarding the spraying of pesticides at the time, they (the Panel) "could not determine the extent to which they were followed or enforced". Stories by survivors indicate that students were on the ground holding balloons allowing Ministry of Natural Resources pilots to spray from the air, thus soaking the students as well. That hardly bodes well for ground spraying procedures to be any more professional or careful.

The Panel discuss the difference between Threshold and Non-Threshold (one hit model) levels or risks. Essentially the Non-Threshold hypothesis states that zero risk is only possible with zero exposure. This theory feels that exposed populations are at risk at any level of exposure to carcinogens particularily genotoxic ones which damage DNA. The Panel state that historically the Threshold approach has not been used to estimate risks from carcinogen exposure
"...but more recent advances in risk assessment science have led the scientific community to discuss integrating the Threshold and Non-Threshold models for the risk assessment of carcinogens.".

Clearly uncertainty abounds. I wonder when the last human being is left whether the long deceased scientific community will have the data they require to unequivocally state that Dioxins are lethal eventually to everybody.