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Questions and Answers for the Record 



Hearing Before House MM&F-OGM&OCS on 30 March 1993 



Ocean Disposal of Contaminated Dredge Material 



Question from Chairman Ortiz - Regarding the Port 

 Elizabeth/Port Newark permit, what were the standards that you 

 used to measure dioxin contamination? How were these standards 

 decided upon? 



ANSWER Mr. Rees: The procedures developed by the Corps and EPA 

 for the evaluation of the ocean disposal of dredged material 

 reguire that, in the absence of an otherwise defined standard, 

 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards should be used. 

 In the case of dioxin, the FDA recommends that fish tissue 

 containing between 25 and 50 parts per trillion be suitable for 

 restricted human consumption. Based on this information, the 

 standard for dioxin contamination for evaluation of the Port 

 Elizabeth/Port Newark permit reguest was set at 25 parts per 

 trillion. EPA subsequently revised the standard to 10 parts per 

 trillion to be consistent with the State of New York standards. 



