PUBHLTH 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River, Dow Chemical Company
Document Summary
The dow chemical co has been operating at its midland plant since the 1890s. After floods in 1986, dow chemical"s waste treatment plant was overwhelmed and its contents were released in the tittabawassee river. Along with this and past disposal methods of dow, dioxin levels have increased in and around the river. The highest dioxin concentrations detected to date are. 110,000 parts per trillion teq in the tittabawassee river and. 1,600,000 parts per trillion teq in the saginaw river. The term dioxin refers to a large family of similar chemicals, including polychlorinated dioxins, polychlorinated furans and certain pcbs (polychlorinated biphenyl). These chemicals are produced by industrial processes byproducts. Dioxin is not created intentionally but can be formed by human activity or naturally by fires, for example. In this case, dioxin formed as a byproduct of dow"s early manufacturing processes. This chemical builds up in the food chain when it is absorbed.
