On Friday, September 24, 1999, Carol Browner of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to limit the dumping of bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs). BCCs are known to accumulate within living organisms and can move up the food chain, eventually affecting humans. Common BCCs include mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, DDT, dioxin, and mirex. The proposed plan would abolish the creation of new "mixing zones," or areas where chemicals are mixed with water and distributed into the Great Lakes. The plan would also phase out existing mixing zones over the next ten years. While Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have already stopped the use of mixing zones for disposal of toxic chemicals, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania still continue the practice. The proposal must wait through a 60-day period of public comments before it can be ratified. This week's In The News focuses on the EPA proposal and includes information on the ecology and chemical pollution of the Great Lakes.