What kind of knowledge is needed about toxicant-related health issues? Some lessons drawn from the Seveso dioxin case

Laura Centemeri (1)

1 LAMES - Laboratoire méditerranéen de sociologie

All the direct evidence on acute dioxin effects on human health comes from epidemiological studies of human populations exposed accidentally or occupationally to elevated dioxin levels. One of the cases most studied in the dioxin carcinogenicity literature concerns the population living in the area of Seveso, Italy. In 1976 an industrial accident in the chemical factory ICMESA (owned by the Swiss multinational corporation Roche) exposed the residents of the surrounding area--in particular the inhabitants of Seveso, Meda, Cesano Maderno, and Desio--to the highest exposure to TCDD known to have occurred in humans (Eskenazi et al. 2001). To quote an epidemiologist involved in the follow-up studies investigating the health consequences for the population affected: "The accident was a tragedy, for sure, but for us scientists, I must admit, it has been a rare chance to have a sort of laboratory situation, so to explore how dioxin works on human beings." This chapter focuses on the paradox of this "laboratory population" that is playing such a crucial role in the controversy concerning dioxin carcinogenicity. The paradox is as follows: the vast scientific output concerning dioxin effects in Seveso is having no impact in terms of public health measures implemented in the area affected, in particular as far as prevention is concerned. This scientific output is oriented exclusively around the problems and discussions that have emerged over the uncertainties surrounding dioxin toxicity and the problem of its regulation.

Domaines: Sociologie

Laura Centemeri. What kind of knowledge is needed about toxicant-related health issues? Some lessons drawn from the Seveso dioxin case. Powerless Science? Science and Politics in a Toxic World, Berghahn Books, pp.134-151, 2014. ⟨hal-01016067⟩