Defining Dioxin
A group of chemicals related to chlorine and benzene are called Dioxins. Federal government classifies them as Carcinogenic compound. Chemical compounds of dioxins share a similar biological characteristics and chemical structures. There are hundreds of toxic compounds and each one is the member of three close related families. A chemical in the first group 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenp-dioxin or 2, 3, 7 8, TCDD is one of the most studied and highly toxic chemical as found in animal studies. It may lead to cancer in human beings and may affect their skin.
Dioxins are manufactured only for the research purposes not for the general use. They are formed during the chlorine bleaching process of paper and pulp. The chlorination of waste and drinking water at water treatment plants also result into the formation of dioxins. The emission from the industrial incinerators and municipal solid waste also releases dioxins.
Affect of Dioxin on Health
The people who are exposed to excessive 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD are at highest risk of serious skin disease called Chloracne. In this disease, a person develops acne like sores on face and upper part of the body. Skin discoloration, skin rashes, liver damage and excessive body hair are few other effects of 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD exposure. Symptoms like change in urine and blood indicating liver damage are also seen in people.
Experiment conducted on few animal species determined that 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD is harmful and may even lead to death in just a single exposure. Lower level exposure of dioxin causes health problems like disruption of endocrine system, liver damage and weight loss. Chemical 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD, in many animals, lowers the system’s ability to fight viruses and bacteria and weakens the immune system. In some other animal studies, it caused birth defects and reproductive damage. The exposure of dioxin to pregnant animal species leads to miscarriages. When the offspring of animals are exposed to dioxin during pregnancy suffered from severe birth defects including kidney defects, weakened immune responses and skeletal deformities.
Dioxin Affecting Children
Few researches are conducted focusing the effects of dioxin exposure on children. Children who are exposed to high levels of dioxin suffered from Chloracne.
Measures to reduce the risk of dioxin exposure
Parents should restrict their children playing in or near hazardous waste sites. They should be discouraged from putting any toy or dirt in their mouth. People who are working near waste sited should wash their hands properly before eating or cooking. Young children and new mothers should not eat anything from the proximity of hazardous waste sites.
Way to Know Whether you are Exposed to Dioxin
To measure CDD level in body fat, breast milk and blood some tests are available. However, these tests are not routinely available. Majority of the people have low level of dioxins in their blood and body fat. Dioxins stay in body for a long time but these tests cannot determine when the dioxin exposure occurred.
Recommendations to protect human from Dioxin Exposure
A limit of 0.0003 microgram of 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD per liter of drinking water has been set by Environmental Protection Agency. More than 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD of dioxin should be reported to Environmental Protection Agency. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests to avoid eating shellfish and fish .