| Abstract: | At hazardous waste sites, a 1 μg/kg (ppb) cleanup level has commonly been used for dioxin in residential soil. This article outlines reasons for the continued use of this value in site remediation. Dioxin, one of the most toxic compounds known, has been a focus of scientific study for many years. However, controversy continues to surround its regulation, with some scientists arguing that new scientific results support decreasing risk estimates for dioxin and others taking the opposite view. Part of this controversy appears to involve a decreasing emphasis on cancer and an increased concern about non-cancer and ecological impacts of dioxin. The 1 ppb soil cleanup level represents a reasonable generic value for dioxin, with higher or lower values required on a case-by-case basis to protect specific populations. |
