Fish Contaminated by Dow's Dioxin Are Focus of Michigan Festival
(Including photo gallery of dioxin's effects.)
by Heidi Stevenson
28 April 2009
The poor may be the intended beneficiaries of Dow Chemical's dioxin-contaminated fish, in spite of public advisories against their consumption. Along the banks of the Dow-contaminated Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers in Michigan, an annual festival—generally sponsored by Dow and the local hospital system, MidMichigan Health, and sponsored by the local Freeland Lions Club—features a contest to catch the biggest walleye fish.
Dioxin is a known cancer-causing agent, a hormone disruptor, and an impairer of the immune system. But even worse, it interferes with fetal development.
A series of photos of dioxin-induced birth defects is displayed here.
WARNING! These images may be disturbing. Use discretion in viewing them.
Before last weekend's event at West Michigan Park, Steve Doyle, spokesperson for Freeland Lions Club, said, "If people don't want the fish we will filet the fish and donate them to different food organizations that want them." Since then, Rick Hayes, another active Lion's Club member, has denied such plans. He was, though, a member of a committee that created an unofficial Walleye Fest hat, with the sentiment, "Dioxins My Ass", printed on it. Hayes has claimed that he's unaware of consumption advisories issued for the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers issued last year.
The walleye involved had swum from Saginaw Bay through an area so badly contaminated that many believe it should be listed as a Superfund site. The worst dioxin contamination ever measured by the Environmental Protection Agency occurred along the same stretch of river where the Walleye Fest takes place.
Move the pointer over the thumbnail image below to see a full-sized graphic showing the locations of the Dow Chemical plant and Freeman, Michigan, where the Walleye Fest is celebrated.
Dow Chemical promised to pay for signs along the contaminated waterway to warn people of the dangers of the fish and water. However, the company has refused to pay for them. The township has balked at putting warning signs up.
West Michigan Park itself has been contaminated by dioxin from Dow's plant upstream. The EPA found nearly six times the maximum limit of dioxin levels in its soil. There is no known safe limit for exposure to dioxin. The work is supposed to start any day now.
Although a great deal of money was put into removing and replacing the park's topsoil in 2005, repeated river flooding recontaminates the area. In a nearby park in Saginaw, where an EPA-supervised cleanup is progressing, dioxin has been found at 5,900 parts per trillion—more than 65 times Michigan's official "safe" level of 90 parts per trillion. Yet, West Michigan Park, which includes a children's playground, has remained open and everyone who attends the Walleye Fest may be exposed to the poison.
Though Dow says it's committed to the park's cleanup, negotiations are ongoing. Whatever their outcome, though, the questions remain: Why does Dow act as a sponsor for a festival located on land that it's contaminated and why is it promoting a fishing contest for fish it's poisoned? Lone Tree Council's Michelle Hurd Riddick asked, "Are you going to set back and let the polluter frame the issue around the safety of the fish?"
Toxic sediments are known to be deposited on a fishing dock at the West Michigan Park from high water. People using the dock after high water are exposed to contaminated sediments. During the weekend's festivities, three generations of the Lori and Joe Butters family stood on that dock, and some were barefoot. One of their grandchildren complained of burning feet.
Mrs. Butters said she wasn't aware of the state's advisory against fish consumption. She said that she'd seen a news report on CBS affiliate WNEM-TV saying that it was safe to eat as much as five pounds at a time.
Michigan's Department of Community Health advises that children under 15 and women of childbearing age should not eat walleye that are bigger than 18 inches, and no more than one per month. Since the legal size for walleye is a minimum of 15 inches and most of the fish caught at the festival are adults swimming to spawning grounds, most of the fish caught must be larger than the recommendation.
"He's taking them home. He's going to eat them," Mrs. Butters said of Zack Prince, a 15-year old who had caught four 18-22 inch walleyes during the festival.
Over 2,800 pounds of fish were caught and weighed at the over the weekend. The weigh-in station featured a Dow Chemicals banner. A sign stating that fish were to be caught and released was posted near a pond for the junior fishing championship—but the reason for the rule wasn't specified. The sign does note, though, that all contact with the water is forbidden.
Many members of the local community have an attitude much like members of the Lions Club. They're quite blasé about it. As one man said about eating the local fish, "I’ve been doing it all my life and I haven’t grown gills." The Lions Club has apparently been contributing to the propaganda claiming that there's no risk in the dioxin contamination. They have presented talks by a Dow Chemical-funded researcher who convinces people that there is little risk.
Festival organisers have never been cooperative with Michigan's Department of Community Health in getting the word out about the contamination. Referring to attempts to disseminate flyers, Kory Groetsch, a toxicologist with the Department, says, "We've never had any collaboration with them helping hand them out." He said that many people in the community dismiss the dangers, and points out that, "It's not a situation where you get exposed today and tomorrow you have to run to the hospital. Some folks just can’t get beyond that. They say that there is no proof the dioxin has health effects. But we have never had a study done in this area that would look for health outcomes."
Gaia Health wonders if the fishers along the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers would be willing to feed their children and potential parents the Dow dioxin-laced fish, or parents would allow their children to play in the park, if they knew that their descendents might suffer the sorts of deformities delineated by the photo gallery accompanying this article. Wishful thinking may have a place—but when the consequences must be suffered by future generations, one wonders how those descendents will forgive them their fantasies.
Gaia Health wishes to commend The Michigan Messenger, the local newspaper that has been doing real journalism in bringing this issue to its community.
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