On 8/6/2011 9:05 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
jay wrote:

Wirgin explains, it was a surprise that they could accumulate such
hefty contamination without becoming poisoned. His team now reports
that the tomcod’s protection traces to a single mutation in one gene.
The gene is responsible for producing a receptor protein needed to
unleash the pollutants’ toxicity.

Great news! Now that we know the gene, we can get it too.
Dioxin won't be considered a toxin anymore.

There was one incidence of a public report stating that the early
tests for DDT didn't distinguish between DDT and PCB's, and that's
what led to the entire "silent spring" debacle.

And of course what people miss completely is that PCB's were
outlawed at the same time that DDT was, so the effect on birds
could have come from either, or both, being reduced. I doubt that
anyone will ever own up to this mjor error after so many years
of condemning DDT.