Whilst the new risk assessment was being
put together by the EPA, the new scientific studies being published
were causing alarm in industry groups. The Chemical
Manufacturers Association,
established the Chlorine
Chemistry Council in 1993
"to handle public relations, political lobbying, and "scientific initiatives"
on all issues for the chlorine industry". By 1994 the Council was receiving
an estimated $12 million annual funding plus another $120 million of
in-kind support from member companies. It hired two public relations
firms to augment its own public relations staff. (Weinberg 1995, part
4.3; Gibbs & CCHW 1995, p. 278)
Members
of the Chlorine
Chemistry Council include
Dow
Chemical, DuPont, Exxon
and 3M. The Chlorine
Chemistry Council works
with other like-minded organisations in other countries including
Euro
Chlor and coordinates
the International Group of Chlorine Chemistry Associations. It
is supported in its public relations efforts by various corporate
front groups such as the American
Council on Science and Health,
conservative think tanks such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute
and the Heartland Institute, as well as the Wise Use Movement.
The industry is also supported by a number of workers groups.
The Alliance for the Responsible Use of Chlorine Chemistry (ARCC),
is an alliance of unions and chemical companies that "recognises
the significant society and economic benefits provided by chlorine
chemistry." The Chlorophiles,
a group of workers in Belgium and the Netherlands, describe themselves
as "an independent non-profit organisation of workers in the chlorine
and PVC industry who want to react against allegations against
their work."
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References:
Gibbs,
Lois Marie and The Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste,
1995, Dying from Dioxin (Boston, MA: South End Press).
Weinberg,
Jack, 1995, Dow
Brand Dioxin: Dow Makes You Poison Great Things,
(Greenpeace).