News Release

A report released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, concludes that there is “no apparent health hazard” presented to the public by the consumption of typical levels of blue crab meat caught in the St. Louis Bay. This report corroborates findings of a 2006 ATSDR health consultation, three U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports and a public announcement by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) confirming that the DuPont DeLisle site’s environmental measures successfully weathered Hurricane Katrina and performed as designed and permitted. 

“Results of the testing show that consumption of crabmeat at typical levels poses no apparent public health hazard,” concludes the report. The ATSDR report states that the average person can safely eat four to six St. Louis Bay crabs per day.

On the subject of Hurricane Katrina, the report concluded that “The sediment sample results are not consistent with a major release of any dioxin-like compound (DLC) from the DuPont DeLisle plant.”

As to the source of the dioxins found in sediment and crab samples, the ATSDR found that, “The dibenzofuran congeners associated with DuPont DeLisle were not elevated.” Concentrations of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in sediment and crab meat samples were not consistent with the unique “fingerprint” of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds emitted from the DuPont DeLisle site. The samples in the study show OCDD, the predominant congener found in the DeLisle area and the type of dioxin typically associated with general environmental background levels.  In contrast, the predominant congener generated at the DuPont DeLisle site is OCDF. This unique chemical “fingerprint” can be useful in analyzing the sources of dioxin sampled in a study. In 2005 the site reported emissions of 0.0194 grams of dioxin per year to water and 1.0386 grams of dioxin per year to air.

The ATSDR recommends that “persons limit their routine consumption of St. Louis Bay blue crab hepatopancreas (mustard). Sensitive populations, such as girls and young women in the crucial years before pregnancy, should especially avoid routine consumption of blue crab hepatopancreas.” This guidance is consistent with regulatory guidance for blue crab consumption issued in a number of other states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Maine, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. There are currently more than 100 active dioxin-related seafood consumption advisories in the United States.  

Background on Dioxin

Dioxin is the name of a family of chemical compounds that are byproducts of certain industrial, non-industrial and natural processes. Less than 15 percent of dioxin emissions are created by industrial sources, with the majority (56 percent) generated by backyard trash burning (source: dioxinfacts.org).

More than 99.9 percent of dioxin created at the DuPont DeLisle site is stored in on-site landfills. In 2005 the site reported emissions of 0.0194 grams of dioxin per year to water and 1.0386 grams of dioxin per year to air. This report includes emissions for the months the plant operated, as well as some abnormal activities such as the permitted burning of wood debris during Katrina recovery.

In the coming year the plant will complete the installation of a $28 million investment designed to reduce TRI emissions, including dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. The project is a key part of DuPont’s ongoing commitment to emissions reduction. 

DuPont is a science-based products and services company.  Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere.  Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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4/12/07

FACT SHEET
DuPont DeLisle’s Environmental Performance During Hurricane Katrina

4/12/2007 - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, issues a report of crab tissues and sediment samples concluding that “Results of the testing show that consumption of crabmeat at typical levels poses no apparent public health hazard.” Further, the report finds that the “sediment sample results are not consistent with a major release of any dioxin-like compound (DLC) from the DuPont DeLisle plant.”

4/18/06 - In response to a request from the Mississippi chapter of The Sierra Club, the ATSDR issues a report for comment corroborating the findings of several U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports confirming that the DeLisle operations’ environmental measures successfully weathered the storm and performed as designed and permitted.

2/11/06 - Sun Herald publishes “Plant, Base Clear”

1/14/06 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Concludes “Based on these sampling results, EPA does not believe the site was impacted by Hurricane Katrina.”

12/15/05 - Biloxi Sun Herald publishes “DuPont Assails Hazard Study,” in which:

• ChemRisk shows that a Sierra Club study was “wrong and irresponsible,” because it failed to consider background concentrations or health-based regulatory limits.
• Toby Cook of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality provides figures that suggest arsenic in the samples taken by Subra did not exceed what would normally be found.
• Researcher Wilma Subra admits that “the point of analyzing samples was not to show where metals and dioxin were above government limits.”

12/9/05 -  Biloxi Sun Herald publishes “Gulf Seafood Tests Show No Problems,” in which researchers conclude that there is “no reason for concern about the consumption of Gulf seafood.” They also point out that levels of dioxin in bay sediments “were below the limit set for residential soil.”

10/28/05 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Mississippi Bay and Estuary report in which they report that “Dioxin results for the five sediment samples collected were all well below the EPA screening value for residential soils.”

9/28/05 - Biloxi Sun Herald publishes “State: No Evidence of DuPont Plant Leak”

9/28/05 - The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality announces in a press release that “Our visits to the site assure us there have been no leaks or releases”

9/12/05 - Biloxi Sun Herald publishes “DuPont: No Chemical Leaks”

9/11/05 - DuPont conducts a facility tour for community leaders and media. Sierra Club members are invited but choose not to attend.

9/10/05 - DuPont plant leaders publicly state that there has been, “no adverse environmental impact from Hurricane Katrina.”

9/05 - MDEQ, EPA and US Coast Guard conduct initial inspections of the DuPont DeLisle facility. They verbally relate to plant leaders that they see no cause for concern.

8/30/05 - Post-hurricane damage assessment begins at DuPont DeLisle facility. Although chlorine cars were derailed, there is no evidence of any adverse environmental impact.

8/28/05 - Prior to the hurricane’s landfall, the DuPont DeLisle site completes comprehensive storm preparation procedures and a planned shutdown.