J. Gordon Edward’s Dec. 11 Op-Ed commentary “The lost element” belittles the growing concern about the toxicity of chlorinated organic compounds. His misleading argument is a disservice to public debate on this important issue.
Pollution due to chlorinated organic compounds and their waste products (including many pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polyvinyl chloride, and dioxins) deeply concerns the American Public Health Association (APHA), the nation’s oldest and largest association of public health professionals. In 1993 the APHA position was embodied in a policy resolution titled “Recognizing and Addressing the Environmental and Occupational Health Problems Posed by Chlorinated Organic Compounds.”
This resolution warns that “virtually all chlorinated organic compounds that have been studied exhibit at least one of a wide range of serious toxic effects.” It concludes that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, one can presume “chlorine-contained organic chemicals pose a significant risk.” This is often magnified due to the bioconcentration and persistence of many of these compounds in the environment.
In the absence of better alternatives, certain uses of chlorine need to continue, including the chlorination of drinking water and the manufacture of some pharmaceutical agents. Dr. Edwards’ failure to acknowledge that these current uses of chlorine are not in dispute by Greenpeace nor any other responsible environmental organization reveals his biases.
Greenpeace is to be saluted for its efforts to alert the public to the serious toxicity of chlorinated organic compounds and it is hoped that they will continue to direct the attention of all of us to curbing this growing global environmental threat.
