0425 RESOLUTION NO. 425 (8 -90)
A RESOLUTION ASKING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE EDITOR OF THE FAMILY
CIRCLE MAGAZINE REGARDING THE BASIS FOR A RECENT ARTICLE WHICH
INACCURATELY INDICATES THAT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL INCIDENCE OF
HEALTH PROBLEMS EXISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
II WHEREAS, an article in the April 24, 1990 edition of Family
Circle Magazine entitled "Cluster Diseases: Is Your Family at
Risk ?" included a list of seventeen United States "Cities at
Risk" which allegedly have a higher than normal incidence of
health problems, and
WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas was listed as
number ten on the list of "Cities at Risk "; and
WHEREAS, the apparent basis for the list of "Cities at Risk"
was "newspaper accounts, citizen complaints, and government
reports "; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge the presence of dioxin at three
"Superfund" sites in or near our city; and
WHEREAS, the National Center for Disease Control has deter-
mined in a recent study that there is not any evidence to support
the contention that exposure to dioxin increases the incidence of
II cancer in humans; and
WHEREAS, the National Center of Disease Control has declined
invitations to perform in -depth health studies in the City of
Jacksonville because they found no basis for doing so; and
WHEREAS, the Arkansas State Health Department performed a
health study involving comparisons of detectable levels of chemi-
cals found in fluid samples from children in Conway and
Jacksonville which showed no evidence of elevated levels of che-
mical exposure in the Jacksonville children; and
"j WHEREAS, the medical doctors in our community have
repeatedly stated that they have not seen any evidence at all of
1. dioxin related health effects in Jacksonville: and
WHEREAS, medical doctors from Mount Sinai Hospital in New
York came to our community over ten years ago to study health
effects of dioxin exposure and have never reported that they
found any adverse effects; and
WHEREAS, the population of our city is approximately in,nnn
and growing steadily because no chemical - related health problems
exist here; and
WHEREAS, new commercial development continues to be strong
in Jacksonville. Investors are confident in the future of our
city because they, too, are aware that no health problems exist
here; and
WHEREAS, apartment rental occupancy rates continue to be
high in Jacksonville in spite of baseless statements in various
media which inccurately portray our city as one which has inor-
dinate health problems; and
WHEREAS, we, the City Council of the City of Jacksonville,
Arkansas know of absolutely no scientific evidence available
anywhere which indicates any correlation between the presence of
dioxin and adverse health effects in our city: and
WHEREAS, many men and women in Jacksonville have spent
countless years working to make our city a better place to live
•
i �
and feel very strongly about anyone who slanders it without
having any factual basis for doing so; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of the citizens of Jacksonville
expect and deserve accurate and factual information about their
community when they read articles in newspapers and magazines:
and
WHEREAS, every property owner in our city is adversely
affected when people across the country read articles in a
national publication which falsely portrays our community as
having "clusters" of health problems (or any health problems, for
that matter).
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS, THAT:
Section 1. The Editor of the Family Circle Magazine is
hereby requested to do one of the following:
A. Present scientific evidence that proves that there
is, in fact, a direct correlation between the pre -
sence of dioxin in our community and the "cluster
Ii diseases" referred to in the referenced article,
or
B. Acknowledge that standards of journalism allow you
to print detrimental articles about health con -
ditions in our community without regard to factual
or scientific evidence, or
C. Apologize to the citizens in this community for
making a very serious error in judgment by not
doing proper research before the article was writ-
.
ten.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS /9'i DAY OF APRIL, 1990.
CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS
BY: 1 0.� v� _ !
TOMMY SWAI , MAYOR
ATTEST:
° --
LULA M. LEONARD, CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
K ITH VA GHAA, CITY ATTORNEY
- 2-
.