NEW ZEALAND PER CAPITA DISPERSAL OF 2,3,7,8-TCDD [DIOXIN] IN 2,4,5-T HERBICIDE WAS SECOND HIGHEST IN THE WORLD TO VIETNAM.

THE LEGACY OF HIGH RELEASES FROM 1948 TO 1972 BEFORE TCDD LEVELS IN 2,4,5-T REDUCED BY 95 % INBETWEEN 1971 AND 1973 IS DEMONSTRATED BY 1988 NZ POPULATION LEVELS MATCHING 1990 LEVELS IN AUSTRALIAN 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS WHO HAD USED LOW TCDD 2,4,5-T AFTER 1974 FOR TEN YEARS. FROM 1948 TO 1988 THE HERBICIDE 2,4,5-T WAS MANUFACTURED IN NEW PLYMOUTH. IN 1969 THE AMERICAN EMBASSY NOTIFIED NEW ZEALAND OFFICIALS OF US RESTRICTIONS AFTER ANIMAL STUDIES HAD FOUND BIRTH DEFECTS AFTER MATERNAL EXPOSURE. IN NEW ZEALAND NATIONWIDE BIRTH DEFECTS INCREASED FROM 1.3 % IN 1960 TO 2.1 % IN 1970. THE LARGEST DEFECT INCREASE WAS IN NEW PLYMOUTH WHERE 2,4,5-T WAS MADE.

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

1990 AUSTRALIA AND 1988 NEW ZEALAND PARTS PER TRILLION BLOOD SERUM AND BREAST MILK FAT TCDD 1990 AUSTRALIAN 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS [MEAN AGE 40.4 SPRAYED 1974-1990 MEAN 129 MONTHS] JOHNSON ET AL., 1992 1988 NEW ZEALAND POPULATION MALES [AGES 44-64] SMITH ET AL., 1992 1988 NEW ZEALAND BREAST MILK FAT [AGES 26 - 30] BATES ET AL., 1990

MEAN

MEDIAN

IN 1992 PROFESSOR SMITH CITED NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS AS THE GROUP PERHAPS MOST HEAVILY EXPOSED TO AGRICULTURAL USE OF 2,4,5-T IN THE WORLD. AGE MATCHED MALES EXPOSED IN PARITUTU BEFORE 1975 HAVE INDIVIDUAL, MEAN AND MEDIAN [2004 ADJUSTED TO 1996] BLOOD SERUM 2,3,7,8-TCDD SIMILAR TO NEW ZEALAND 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS AND HIGHER THAN AUSTRALIAN 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS.

70 60

1988 N.Z SPRAYERS AND CONTROLS DECREASED BY A HALF LIFE AND 1990 AUSTRALIAN SPRAYERS BY 0.75 OF A HALF LIFE TO 1996 VS PARITUTU PRE 1975 AND POST 1974 ADULT MALES 2004 TCDD INCREASED BY ONE HALF LIFE TO 1996

NEW ZEALAND 2,4,5-T [AGE 53-70] SPRAYERS [1951-1988 MEAN 16.1 YEARS SPRAYING]

50 40 30 20 10 0

PARITUTU ESR 2004 MALES EXPOSED BEFORE 1975 [AGES 53-73] PRE 1974 AUSTRALIAN 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS [MEAN *2.7 YEARS EXPOSURE] POST 1974 AUSTRALIAN 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS [MEAN ****10.7 YEARS EXPOSURE] PARITUTU MALES EXPOSED AFTER 1974 [AGES 50-64] NEW ZEALALAND POPULATION CONTROLS [AGES 54-72]

[NOTE:

*PRE 1974 AUSTRALIAN SPRAYERS

MEAN IS

ADJUSTED X 4 TO 10.8

YEARS]

MEANS

PARITUTU MALE TCDD RESULTS ARE USED TO ELIMINATE AGE & GENDER VARIATION IN RESIDUE REDUCTION. AUSTRALASIAN MALES EXPOSED TO 2,4,5-T HERBICIDE 1948 TO 1974 WHEN THE 2,3,7,8-TCDD CONTAMINANT LEVELS WERE AT THEIR HIGHEST DEMONSTRATE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN BLOOD SERUM 2,3,7,8-TCDD. IN 1992 PROFESSOR A SMITH STATED PROFESSIONAL 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS IN NEW ZEALAND WERE - PERHAPS THE GROUP MOST HEAVILY EXPOSED TO AGRICULTURAL USE OF 2,4,5-T IN THE WORLD AND CITED THE 200 FOLD REDUCTION OF TCDD IN 2,4,5-T FROM 1971 TO 1985. IN FACT LEVELS REDUCED BY 95 % FROM 1971 TO 1973.

NEW ZEALAND TIMELINE ON 2,4,5-T HERBICIDE 2,3,7,8-TCDD NATIONWIDE & NEW PLYMOUTH EXPOSURES.

2,4,5-T TONNES AND 2,3,7,8-TCDD GRAMS

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

2,3,7,8-TCDD GRAMS 2,4,5-T TONNES

NEW ZEALAND PARITUTU MALE PRE 1974 2,3,7,8-TCDD EXPOSURES COMPARED TO OTHER EXPOSED GROUPS.
250 200 150 100 58 50 9.2 0 MEANS 5.6 9.9 5.1 4.2 53.3 49.5 48.8 46.3 233

MEAN PPT MALE BLOOD SERUM 2,3,7,8-TCDD MEASURED OR ADJUSTED TO 1988

US CHLOROPHENOL WORKERS 1987 CENTRAL VIETNAM MALES X 1.5 HALF LIVES N.Z. 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS 1988 IWD WORKERS 2005-2007 X 2.25 HALF LIVES PARITUTU ESR 2004 [53-73 AGE] MALES X 2 HALF LIVES PARITUTU ESR 2005 [50+] MALES X 2 HALF LIVES N.Z SPRAYER CONTROLS 1988 AUSTRALIAN PRE 1974 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS 1990 AUSTRALIAN POST 1974 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS 1990 US VIETNAM GROUND TROOPS 1987 US VIETNAM VETERANS HIGH EXPOSURE 1984-85

PARITUTU MALE 1988 TCDD WAS AROUND 9 FOLD N.Z BACKGROUND AND 12 FOLD THE US VIETNAM VETERAN GROUND TROOPS. THE PRE 1974 PARITUTU ADULT MALE LEVELS WERE SIMILAR TO HIGH EXPOSURE VETERANS, VIETNAMESE MALES, DUTCH AND NEW ZEALAND AGRICHEMICAL WORKERS, N.Z. 2,4,5-T SPRAYERS AND ABOUT TH 1/5 OF THE HIGHEST CHEMICAL PLANT WORKERS [THE AMERICAN COHORT]. NEW ZEALAND INVESTIGATIONS INTO EFFECTS OF TCDD HAVE FOCUSED ON MALES SO ARE OF VERY LITTLE WORTH FOR POPULATIONS SUCH AS HIGH EXPOSURE 1960-1973 PARITUTU WOMEN AND CHILDREN. ANIMAL AND MORE RECENT HUMAN STUDIES CITE THESE COHORTS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE TO REPRODUCTIVE, IMMUNE, CANCER & DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS. THE RECOMMENDED TARGETED INVESTIGATIONS OF HIGHLY EXPOSED PARITUTU RESIDENTS WERE IGNORED HOWEVER CITY-WIDE BIRTH DEFECTS [1965-1970] AND CANCER [1970-1994] AND USA IOM LINKED CANCER [1970-1984] RATES WERE ALL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DURING OR AFTER SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE.