There has been great public concern that adverse reproductive health effects may be associated with dioxins in emission gases from municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerators. Dioxin, the name loosely assigned to a class of chemicals referring to 210 dif-ferent PCDD (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins) and PCDF (dibenzofurans) congeners, has been shown to be a carcinogen, a teratogen, and a reproductive toxicant in animals.1 In Japan, it is
estimated that more than 90 percent of exposure to dioxins in daily life comes from food, primarily fish, in the general human population.1 However, it seems to be natural to consider that individuals living around the MSW incinerators are exposed to dioxins coming from emission gases more than those living far from the incinerators. Up to the present, it remains to be determined whether individuals living near the MSW incinerators are exposed to dioxins at doses sufficient to produce adverse reproductive health effects.2