Cancer Rates in Seveso Are Up

The latest update on the health of residents of Seveso, Italy, who were
exposed to dioxin from an explosion at a pesticide manufacturing plant in
1976, was released in June. The study shows that people who lived in the
areas of highest exposure died more often from cancer than an unexposed
population and that there was an excess of leukemia and Non-Hodgkins
lymphoma. The incidence of diabetes was also higher, as was chronic
circulatory and respiratory disease. These cancer findings further support
the EPA's decision to classify dioxin as a human carcinogen. See Bertazzi,
P.A.,et al., "Health effects of dioxin exposure: A 20-year mortality study,"
American Journal of Epidemiology, 153 (11): 1031-1044, June 1, 2001.