Dioxin Controversy - Industry PR - Coordinated Support

The Chlorophiles have undertaken a number of actions on behalf of the industry including a protest at Greenpeace-headquarters in Brussels against their anti-chlorine campaign; a petition; and a letter writing campaign directed at advertisers who use the terms 'chlorine-free' or 'PVC-free' as a selling point. In 1994 they lodged an unsuccessful complaint against a Greenpeace leaflet with the Dutch Advertising Code Council.

When the Clinton administration proposed that the EPA investigate chlorinated organic chemicals the Chlorine Chemistry Council suggested to its members, their employees and customers that Clinton intended to ban chlorine. It called on them to write to Clinton and to members of Congress and was able to generate, it claims, a million letters to Congress, as well as getting industry executives to contact members of congress, cabinet members and executive branch appointees (Weinberg 1995). Plastics World proclaimed "Industry officials are aghast that the Clinton Administration would even contemplate a ban on chlorine, given its enormous role in our society, both in industry and in public health.... Behind all the fuss is a mere 30 pounds or less of dioxins produced annually... That's not even a needle in a haystack." (Smock 1994) The Chemical Manufacturers Association met with cabinet members and the proposed study did not eventuate.

The industry response to the EPA draft reassessment report was coordinated with various industry representatives meeting to coordinate their strategies and divide up tasks. The agricultural industry groups, affected because their products had been labelled as being contaminated with dioxins, formed the Dioxin Working Group, coordinated by the National Cattlemen's Association to lobby Washington officials about the reassessment report and make use of their strong relations with the Agriculture department to apply pressure to the EPA to water down its conclusions before the final report was published (MBD, 1996, p. 7).

Advice to the chlorine industry from a consultant with the PR firm E. Bruce Harrison was to emphasise the "gaps in science" and "highlight uncertainties." The National Cattlemen's Association hired scientists to write a critique of the reassessment. The dioxin-source industries such as the chemical industry and the incinerator industry questioned the toxicology in the report. The American Forest and Paper Association hired the ENVIRON Corporation to put together an expert panel to review the EPA's reassessment. This panel argued there was not enough scientific information to support the EPA's conclusions that "adverse human health effects should be expected at near current background body burdens". It argued that although developmental and immunological effects were found in animals, no such effects have been found in humans, and cancer was inconclusive because workers had been exposed to other chemicals at the same time. (Baker 1994; Environ Panel 1995; Gibbs & CCHW 1995)

The Chlorine Chemistry Council attempted to undermine the EPA's findings, using scientific consultants to attack them at the EPA's hearings in Washington and by influencing the EPA's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) panel which was undertaking a review of the reassessment. According to a Greenpeace report two of the most vocal opponents to the report on the SAB panel were scientists who had received funding from the chlorine industry. One had received several million dollars worth of grants from the American Forest and Paper Association to study dioxin and gifts for research from the Chemical Manufacturers Association and Dow Chemical. The other had received grants from Dow Chemical several years running and his Center had received grants from companies with an interest in dioxin regulation such as Ciba Geigy, DuPont, General Electric, Georgia-Pacific, ICI, Monsanto and others. (Weinberg, 1995, part 4.4)

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References:

The Science Centre - Sponsored by the Chlorine Chemistry Council

Links to other Chlorine industry associations