Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known.
A report released for public comment in
September 1994 by the US Environmental
Protection Agency clearly describes dioxin as a serious public health threat. The public health impact of dioxin may rival the impact that DDT had on public health in the 1960's. According to the EPA report, not only does there appear to be no "safe" level of exposure to dioxin, but levels of dioxin and dioxin-like chemicals have been found in the general US population that are "at or near levels associated with adverse health effects." The
EPA report confirmed that dioxin is a cancer hazard to people; that exposure to dioxin can also cause severe reproductive and developmental problems (at levels 100 times lower than those associated with its cancer causing effects); and that dioxin can cause immune system damage and interfere with regulatory hormones.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer
[IARC] --part of the World Health Organization
--announced February 14, 1997, that the most potent dioxin, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, is a now considered a Class 1 carcinogen, meaning a
"known human carcinogen."
Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. The most toxic compound is
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD.
The toxicity of other dioxins and chemicals like
PCBs that act like dioxin are measured in relation to TCDD. Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching. Dioxin was the primary toxic component of Agent Orange, was found at Love
Canal in Niagara Falls, NY.
(http://www.enviroweb.org/issues/dioxin/index.html)
The major sources of dioxin are in our diet. Since dioxin is fat-soluble, it bioaccumulates up the food chain and it is mainly (97.5%) found in meat and dairy products (beef, dairy products, milk, chicken, pork, fish and eggs in that order... see chart below). In fish alone, these toxins bioaccumulate up the food chain so that dioxin levels in fish are 100,000 times that of the surrounding environment. The most conspicuous source of dioxin pollution is from paper mills which may pollute nearby streams with wastewater. Fish living downstream from paper processing plants hav... ... middle of paper ...
...given or sold to farmers as a soil treatment, or is discarded into pits or is piled on the ground near cement kilns in an uncontrolled fashion.
Many U.S. soldiers came in contact with dioxin when it was used in the Vietnam War as a defoliant under the name of Agent Orange. Now many of these soldiers are showing signs of or have cancer. Many of these soldiers have passed on this dioxin poisoning to their children. For years, Vietnam Veterans have claimed that their exposure to Agent Orange has resulted in illness and death. The United States government and the
Veterans Administration has consistently taken the position that adequate information does not exist to demonstrate a relationship with Vietnam service, Agent Orange exposure and any illness or disease. In conclusion I feel that dioxins are very harmful and not needed in society today. I also feel that more steps need to be taken towards getting rid of dioxins and monitoring where illness related to dioxins are located. I also feel that many of the men in the Vietnam War are getting sick and dying as a result of dioxins that were used in Agent
Orange. The EPA should make sure that dioxin levels are to high in any one area.
This last process is significant not only because it brought dioxin the current notoriety but it also is a chemical process used to make products that were used and are still been used in many applications. These applications include pesticide, herbicide, defoliating agent such as Agent Orange, cleaning agent and electrical insulation. Consequently, human exposure to dioxin is not a recent phenomenon and the dangers of dioxin are not unknown. Only in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War, has the media concentrated on the dangers and impact of dioxin.
The authors of each supporting article help prove my claim of neglect by the Department of Veteran Affairs and public for the Vietnam veterans exposed to the herbicide, Agent Orange, as well as the herbicide causing the veterans physical and psychological distress. The credibility of the articles is supported not only by the authors’ credentials but also in the reoccurrence of facts in each article. For example, concerning the disregard by the Department of Veteran Affairs of stated illness by Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, the authors of “Agent Orange Exposure and Attributes Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans” argue “the DVA assumption is inconsistent with the scientific principles governing determinations of disease causation” (Cecil and Young, 2011). Supporting this claim, the authors of “The Use of Epidemiological Evidence on the Compensation of Veterans” argue regarding the process of Veteran Affairs connecting illnesses to Agent Orange “the current process for making presumptions is regarded by some key stakeholders, particularly the veterans service organizations and the veterans themselves, as flawed; its
Almost thirty years after the last troops were pulled out of what was then South Vietnam, its effects are still felt in today’s society. It is hard not to find someone who’s life has not been affected because of this war. One of the most controversial decisions made in the war was to use chemicals to fight the enemy. The most boradly used chemiucal was called Agent Orange. Some people agreed with the use of Agent Orange. They saw it as a very viable weapon that needed to be used in order to keep the Communist from taking control of South Vietnam and subverting their democratic government. Many others disapproved of its use. They knew, correctly, that it would severely devastate the landscape of Vietnam and would forever ruin the land for agricultural use. They also knew of the harmful effect it would have once adults and children came in contact with the harmful chemicals that form the chemical make up of Agent Orange. Once the first bombs carrying Agent Orange were dropped there was no going back. For some people the use of Agent Orange changed their whole opinion of the war and what we were really fighting for. Pictures showing burns and disfigurement were soon to hit the presses. Once the American public could see exactly what was happening and how the civilian life was being treated impacted many people so much that they could no longer support what the United States was doing over in Vietnam. The goal of this paper is to show how the use of Agent Orange changed many people’s perspective of the war in Vietnam.
Schecter, Arnold, et al. "Recent Dioxin Contamination From Agent Orange in Residents of a Southern Vietnam City." FFRD. N.p., May 2011. . Rpt. in JOEM. Vol. 43. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. 5. FFRD. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.
Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying “the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease”. Some say they will not do research because it is another thing “...that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans” (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange.
Chemical pollution into the environment can cause both genotypic and phenotypic changes in many organisms, including humans. More specifically, environmental pollutants like BPA can act as xenoestrogens (estrogen imitators), ultimately affecting hormonal activity and production in an organism. This alteration in activity and production can be termed as endocrine disruption. The endocrine system regulates a variety of processes responsible for growth and development, including gonadal formation and function, digestion, metabolism, sex differentiation, and embryonic development (reviewed by Flint et al., 2012). Chemicals that interfere with the function or structure of the endocrine system can be defined as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007).
According to Agent Orange Record (n.d.) “The Vietnam Red Cross estimates that 3 million Vietnamese have been affected by Agent Orange, including 150,000 children born with birth defects.” The birth defects often show as face disfigurations or limb disfigurations, and veterans encounter different cancers such as Soft Tissue Sarcoma, respiratory cancer, and prostate cancer. There are other diseases associated with Agent Orange as well, such as Parkinson’s disease, Ischemic heart disease and AL Amyloidosis. Many veterans in America and Vietnam still suffer from symptoms related to Agent Orange, and there are countless birth defects that clearly relate to Agent Orange, however there is still little research about cures and treatments for the problems that they run into. There have been few studies around toxicology and Agent Orange, but most of it has fizzled out to nothing because there is so little knowledge and funding. The most recent method used in Vietnam to cure Agent Orange symptoms is known as detoxification. Detoxification consists of taking various vitamins and mineral, strenuous exercise, and sweating in a sauna. These efforts are aimed towards purging the body of dioxin through sweat and other excrements, in turn removing the negative effects, but it is only an acute study, and they have not been able to monitor any major results. However, Dr. Marcella Warner, a research epidemiologist who studies
Evidence provided to support these claims of human and wildlife harm is largely from laboratory studies in which large doses are fed to test animals, usually rats or mice, and field studies of wildlife species that have been exposed to the chemicals mentioned above. In laboratory studies, high doses are required to give weak hormone activity. These doses are not likely to be encountered in the environment. However the process of bioaccumulation can result in top-level predators such as humans to have contaminants at levels many million times greater than the environmental background levels (Guilette 1994). In field studies, toxicity caused by endocrine disruption has been associated with the presence of certain pollutants. Findings from such studies include: reproductive disruption in starfish due to PCBs, bird eggshell thinning due to DDT, reproductive failure in mink, small penises in alligators due to DDT and dicofol (Guillette 1994, Colburn et al 1996). In addition, a variety of reproductive problems in many other species are claimed to be associated with environmental contamination although the specific causative agents have not been determined. One recent discovery that complicates the situation is that there are many naturally occurring "phytoestrogens", or chemicals of plant origin that exhibit weak estrogenic properties.
Health effects are prominent in Vietnam veterans but denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As reported in the American Legion Magazine, “The defoliant also is believed to have poisoned many people who handled it or passed through sprayed locations. After the war, a conspicuous percentage of veterans contracted various cancers or diabetes, and birth defects occurred at high rate among their children, VA compensation and care were denied (Carroll).” Denial of these severe diseases and unnatural occurrences by the VA could be construed as a cover-up for the government’s mistake or a truthful disconnect of Agent Orange and the diseases. Research has shown, “Dioxin has been found to be a carcinogen associated with Parkinson’s disease,
“ Dioxin is a persistent organic pollutant that is toxic over many decades, is not water-soluble and does not degrade easily. Clinging to soil particles carried by water runoff from spills or sprayed areas”
Air pollution is caused by many things such as car fumes, burning of fossil fuels,
“ Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” Pollution is caused by variety of things such as the burning of fossil fuels, as well as oils, natural gases, and gasoline to produce electricity and power our vehicles. The earth is mostly made of 70% of water which leaves us 30% of land. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It surrounds the islands and continents of North and South America, Australia, Antarctica, and Asia. Water pollution is an appalling problem we have in the Pacific Coastal region that can affect all who lives by it. Because the Pacific Ocean has huge amounts of garbage pollution, that is not all that is polluting our oceans. A simple car wash does lead
Hazardous materials are in almost every community placing everyone at some level of contact with various chemicals almost daily as they exist throughout the community and in our households. Chemicals are used for a variety of purposes such as in the water purification process, by farmers to produce a higher crop yield and are used in households and almost every business. Not all chemicals are hazardous but most pose some level of risk to people...
When products of any type are broken down, the chemicals witch make up those items are released. The disposal of medical waste contaminated with communicable disease agents, such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B, is becoming a growing concern here in America (Johnson, 1). When medical waste is disposed of, the air becomes saturated with harmful chemicals such as arsenic, lead, copper, and dangerous compounds known as dioxins (Waste 149). Dioxins, or chlorinated dioxins, are really badly toxic substances which affect both humans and animals when released into the Earth’s atmosphere. The effects of these dioxins have been witnessed in animals and also humans. According to an article by scientist Rachel Cohn, a suppressed immune system, birth defects, and death have all been seen in animals exposed to dioxins (Rachel). “Human exposure to dioxins has been found to cause liver damage, as well as risks for developing forms of cancer.” (Rachel). A highly toxic metal known as cadmium is also a run off of medical waste disposal. This waste product is severely harmful to humans as it has been reported to affect liver, kidney, and cardiovascular functioning. Cad...
Efforts to improve the standard of living for humans--through the control of nature and the development of new products--have also resulted in the pollution, or contamination, of the environment. Much of the world's air, water, and land is now partially poisoned by chemical wastes. Some places have become uninhabitable. This pollution exposes people all around the globe to new risks from disease. Many species of plants and animals have become endangered or are now extinct. As a result of these developments, governments have passed laws to limit or reverse the threat of environmental pollution.