Dow-funded report claims dioxin poses no threat

People living on the dioxin contaminated area should not worry about absorbing the cancer-causing chemical from their surroundings, a Dow Chemical-funded report said last week.

U of M refuses to reveal details of Dow relationship

Despite a history of ethically challenged research funded by corporations — and Dow Chemical specifically — the University of Michigan is refusing to release internal documents that could reveal problems with a study that downplays the dangers of dioxin.

Chemical industry pushes Dow-funded U-M dioxin study

The group that represents American chemical manufacturers wants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to back off criticisms of a Dow Chemical-funded dioxin exposure study conducted by researchers at U-M’s school of public health.

Dow-funded U-M researcher at odds with DEQ

State officials say that a Dow Chemical-funded University of Michigan study on dioxin exposure in the Saginaw River watershed has spurred misperceptions about the contamination threat caused by Dow — and they say U-M’s lead researcher has not fully cooperated in efforts to address the problem.

Dow-funded U-M dioxin study criticized for bias

For the last six years, University of Michigan research funded by Dow Chemical has figured prominently in public discussions over what to do about the dioxin contamination caused by the company in the Saginaw River watershed. Federal and state environmental agencies have warned that U-M’s Dioxin Exposure Study has failed to answer crucial questions and that its results are being misinterpreted.

Despite this, the U-M’s lead researcher on the project — a man some environmental health scientists say should not be seen as an objective because of his track record of working for industry interests — is actively insisting his study should shape regulatory action on dioxin.