Dioxin Resources

Publications & Resources

A number of persistent toxic chemicals were found to be affecting the health of Love Canal residents in the late 1970s. One of the most dangerous of these chemicals was dioxin. It has been a focus of the work of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) with contaminated communities ever since our founding by the Love Canal community leader, Lois Gibbs, in 1981. In 1995 we launched our nationwide Stop Dioxin Exposure Campaign in the wake of the 1994 release of EPA’s draft dioxin reassessment report.

Dioxin is a highly toxic industrial by-product of industrial processes involving chlorine. Sources of dioxin include paper and pulp mills, hazardous waste incineration, sludge from waste facilities, cement kilns that burn chemical waste, and the manufacturing of PVC plastics and some pesticides. The human health effects from exposure to dioxin include cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities, endometriosis, infertility, suppressed immune functions, reduced IQs and hyperactive behavior in children.

For more information on dioxin check out the following resources:

BE SAFE Issue brochure: Dioxin - pdf version or html version
Dioxin Fact Sheets
Publications (chej)
Reports (government and other)

Please join the BE SAFE Campaign by emailing Anne Rabe, CHEJ'S BE SAFE Coordinator at annerabe@msn.com or call 518-732-4538.