LAKE CHARLES, LA, April 19, 1999--Residents of the poor, African-American community of Mossville announced today that they are forming a citizen-based task force to investigate the levels and sources of the dioxin contamination of humans and the environment. The task force is forming because actions by the ATSDR and Louisiana state health and environment agencies have shut out citizen input into designing, implementing and analyzing dioxin tests.

"We are human beings, not animals in a laboratory. We demand information!" said Shirley Johnson, vice-president of Mossville Environmental Action Now, MEAN. MEAN is a Mossville-based citizen environmental action organization. "We want to have our own team of doctors, toxicologists, scientists and allies design, gather and analyze information on how badly our community is poisoned with this dangerous, cancer-causing chemical!" stated Ms. Johnson.

Dioxin is term used to describe a family of chemicals. The most potent of all the dioxins is 2,3,7,8 TCDD. Recent test results on initial blood samples revealed that almost half the residents have levels of dioxin over national averages. The national average used by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, ATSDR, was 38-56 part per trillion, ppt.

"We want to know if the ATSDR was analyzing for all of the dioxins or just for 2,3,7,8 TCDD. Were PCB's also used in the analysis, since we know that PCB's are dioxin precursors? We also want to know where ATSDR gets 38-56ppt as the national average. Our information shows a national average of 10-30ppt." Said E.J. Mouton, Mossville resident and President of MEAN.

The ATSDR took blood samples from 28 residents of Mossville in December, 1998. The sample results were recently shared with MEAN and Lake Charles area residents, but only after the numbers were given to elected officials. Citizens are protesting the treatment they are receiving by the state and federal agencies. A letter was sent to the ATSDR formally lodging a complaint and list of demands.

"We are asking to be treated as intelligent human beings with an obvious and serious stake in the process and findings of future dioxin studies." Said Marlene Ross, MEAN Coordinator. "We believe the real solution is to set official dioxin emission levels at zero and to bring all dioxin production and emissions in the Lake Charles area to an end." Ms. Ross continued.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Marlene Ross, MEAN Coordinator 318-882-6892
Shirley Johnson, MEAN vice-president 318-882-7856
Beth Zilbert, Calcasieu League for Environmental Action Now Coordinator 318-433-0222