Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990 TAG: 9006300301
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The Environmental Defense Fund asked the EPA to insist that Virginia follow the federal dioxin guideline of .013 parts per quadrillion. Virginia's standard is 1.2 parts per quadrillion.
The Washington-based group's request came a day after Union Camp Corp. said it has made a technological breakthrough in paper bleaching that may eliminate dioxin from waste water at its Franklin, Va., plant.
Dioxin is a toxic chemical byproduct of the paper-bleaching process and is believed to cause cancer at very low doses.
Peter L. DeFur, staff scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund's Virginia office, welcomed the Union Camp announcement as a "very effective" approach to reducing dioxin. He said it reinforces the need to seek strict limits on dioxin.
The defense fund's petition to the EPA on Thursday contends that Virginia's standard, scheduled to take effect July 18, violates federal law by relying on existing technology for detecting and reducing dioxin and on the ability of the paper industry to pay for the necessary pollution controls.
The petition also contends that the state's standard does not protect human health or aquatic life.
Dioxin accumulates in sediments and fish tissue. In December, the Virginia Department of Health advised the public not to eat fish from portions of the Jackson and James rivers near Westvaco Corp.'s Covington paper mill because of high dioxin levels.
The State Water Control Board adopted the standard last month over the protest of the defense fund, which has filed notice in Richmond Circuit Court that it intends to sue Virginia over the standard.
by CNB