Dioxins are toxic chemicals that are often produced as by-products of other materials. They are fat-soluble and can be stored in human fat deposits. Dioxins have been linked to cancer, heart disease, developmental complications, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and disrupted reproductive functions. They harm normal body functions by mimicking the way hormones work and modifying DNA. Dioxin pollution increased with the rise of synthesized pesticides in the 1960s.
Dioxins describe a small family of hazardous and toxic chemicals that occur infrequently in nature, but are commonly produced as by-products of other materials. A rise in synthesized pesticides in the late 1960s first brought attention to the possible poisonous effects of dioxin on factory workers. By the time researchers linked dioxins to cancer, these chemicals had leaked out and become part of widespread environmental pollution.
Chemically, a dioxin molecule has chlorine atoms attached, at specific points, to a backbone of oxygen and carbon atoms. You could say that chlorine binds at strategically placed ranges, as some of their locations result in a less toxic chemical than others. However, all molecules arranged in this way, otherwise known as trichlorophenols, are referred to as dioxins. In its raw form, dioxin has the appearance of whitish crystals resembling granulated sugar, but unlike sugar it does not dissolve in water. It is fat soluble, so it can dissolve and be stored in human fat deposits.
Low amounts of dioxins are naturally present in high temperature combustion, such as in intense forest fires. However, the amount of dioxin in the environment skyrocketed as chemists embarked on the new era of pesticide manufacturing in the 1960s. Strong defoliants, such as Agent Orange, have created dioxin as an unintended byproduct. Initially, only workers exposed to high levels of dioxin showed increased cancer rates.
Soon government environmental and health agencies became interested in the dangers to different populations and their levels of exposure. Initial studies focused on populations with high-risk jobs, such as waste incinerators and herbicide manufacturers, found a well-established cancer risk, increased incidence of heart disease, developmental complications, diabetes, compromised immune systems, and possibly disrupted reproductive functions. However, this small group hinted at possible problems in the larger population who have been shown to have low levels of dioxins in fat deposits, usually from consuming polluted food.
As far as biologists know, dioxin harms normal body functions by mimicking the way hormones work. This means that dioxin penetrates cell walls and modifies DNA so that DNA sends unpredictable messages. These messages result in impaired production of enzymes and proteins, rather than their proper regulation by hormones. Scientists still don’t fully understand the relationship between altered DNA and diseases like cancer, but they are concerned about the toxic effects of dioxin in food supplies and support continued research.
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