Dioxin What?

I originally set up this blog to identify and explain or discuss the harmful environmental hormones that are polluting the air, water and soil. Additionally, I wanted to explore how they get absorbed into our bodies through exposure, eating, drinking, by touching the products that contain the harmful chemicals or come into contact with it directly and indirectly.    There was overwhelming evidence that these chemicals are in our bodies; they do exist.  

My concern has increased as it is more and more evident that policy-makers, governments, legislators, and decision makers are not 100% against the things that harm us.  Rather than finding support in banning these harmful chemicals I am finding more and more large chemical companies and industries spending lots of money in order keep strict regulations from get passed.    That is just my opinion after reading several articles and research studies. 

Hhhhmmmmmm!  I wonder.   Call me crazy, well, to put it bluntly I don't see the legitimacy of it taking from the mid 1990's until 2012 for the EPA to release its "Dioxin Report". 27 years to be exact. The following is a short quote from a bit of information I found at http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Behind%20Closed%20Doors-082808.pdf

      "Every American has dioxin in their body. According to the EPA, about ninety percent of the American public’s exposure results from ingestion of common foods, mostly dairy and meat products. Dairy cows and beef cattle absorb dioxin by eating contaminated feed crops. The crops become contaminated by airborne dioxins that settle onto soil, water, and plants. Dioxin then accumulates in the grazing animals that eat these crops. People ingest dioxin when they eat meat, dairy products, and eggs. Some exposure also results from eating dioxin-contaminated fish. Dioxin gets into our food supply from emissions from garbage, medical and hazardous waste incinerators, the bleaching of paper, and the manufacture and disposal of
chlorinated plastics and pesticides. Dioxin can result in serious health problems including cancer, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, weakened immune system, infertility, birth defects, and endometriosis (CHEJ, 1999; USEPA, 2000)."

This is probably one of the most toxic carcinogens and should be avoided at all costs. To learn more about dioxin and how it is dangerous to humans and to learn more about PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which are highly toxic chemical compounds you can watch this film now.

Does dioxin cause cancer?

Yes. The EPA report confirmed that dioxin is a cancer hazard to people. In 1997, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) -- part of the World Health Organization -- published their research into dioxins and furans and announced on February 14, 1997, that the most potent dioxin, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, is a now considered a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning that it's a known human carcinogen.
Also, in January 2001, the U.S. National Toxicology Program upgraded 2,3,7,8-TCDD from "Reasonably Anticipated to be a Human Carcinogen" to "Known to be a Human Carcinogen." See their reports on dioxins and furans from their 11th Report on Carcinogens (find related documents under 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and Furan). Finally, a 2003 re-analysis of the cancer risk from dioxin reaffirmed that there is no known "safe dose" or "threshold" below which dioxin will not cause cancer.
A July 2002 study shows dioxin to be related to increased incidence of breast cancer.

What other health problems are linked to dioxin exposure?

In addition to cancer, exposure to dioxin can also cause severe reproductive and developmental problems (at levels 100 times lower than those associated with its cancer causing effects). Dioxin is well-known for its ability to damage the immune system and interfere with hormonal systems. Dioxin exposure has been linked to birth defects, inability to maintain pregnancy, decreased fertility, reduced sperm counts, endometriosis, diabetes, learning disabilities, immune system suppression, lung problems, skin disorders, lowered testosterone levels and much more. For an detailed list of health problems related to dioxin, read the People's Report on Dioxin.

How are we exposed to dioxin?

The major sources of dioxin are in our diet. Since dioxin is fat-soluble, it bioaccumulates, climbing up the food chain. A North American eating a typical North American diet will receive 93% of their dioxin exposure from meat and dairy products (23% is from milk and dairy alone; the other large sources of exposure are beef, fish, pork, poultry and eggs). In fish, these toxins bioaccumulate up the food chain so that dioxin levels in fish are 100,000 times that of the surrounding environment. The best way to avoid dioxin exposure is to reduce or eliminate your consumption of meat and dairy products by adopting a vegan diet. According to a May 2001 study of dioxin in foods, "The category with the lowest [dioxin] level was a simulated vegan diet, with 0.09 ppt.... Blood dioxin levels in pure vegans have also been found to be very low in comparison with the general population, indicating a lower contribution of these foods to human dioxin body burden." In EPA's dioxin report, they refer to dioxin as hydrophobic (water-fearing) and lipophilic (fat-loving). This means that dioxin, when it settles on water bodies, will rapidly accumulate in fish rather than remain in the water. The same goes for other wildlife. Dioxin works its way to the top of the food chain.
Men have no ways to get rid of dioxin other than letting it break down according to its chemical half-lives. Women, on the other hand, have two ways which it can exit their bodies:

• It crosses the placenta... into the growing infant;
• It is present in the fatty breast milk, which is also a route of exposure which doses the infant, making breast-feeding for non-vegan/vegetarian mothers quite hazardous.

For the full article please follow the link: 

http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/

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