Portrait of a Poison
Dioxin is the most deadly chemical man has ever made. A few specks of it would kill you. Unlike other poisons, dioxin is of no use to anybody. It is merely a by-product in the manufacture of certain herbicides, such as the defoliant 'Agent Orange used by the Americans in Vietnam. Dioxin brought disaster to Seveso, Italy, when a toxic cloud polluted the town; dioxin caused disease in 90 British workmen in Derbyshire. In animals, dioxin causes cancer, abortions and birth defects. What effect is it having on man?
Evidence is mounting - from Vietnamese peasants and US army veterans, from mothers in Oregon, from over 2,000 accident victims. Have scientists lagged behind events? How many other chemical poisons surround us, so far undetected?
Narrator PAUL VAUGHAN
Film editor ELLIN HARE
Editor SIMON CAMPBELL-JONES Written and produced by CHRISTOPHER RILEY. Woddis; page 17