Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

2,3, 7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin, Steven P. Bradbury

Steven P. Bradbury

Since 1985, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has classified 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin (TCDD) as a probable human carcinogen; subsequently, sources of TCDD in the environment have been regulated on the basis of animal cancer rates extrapolated to doses associated with human exposures. Two major activities have prompted the decision to reassess this approach for evaluating TCDD toxicity and its associated risks. First, an epidemiological study of cancer mortality in U.S. chemical workers by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health provided evidence of TCDD-mediated human carcinogenicity (Fingerhut et al. 1991 ). Second, at a 1990 Banbury conference a consensus …