Environmental Hormone Mimics and Their Serious Health Threats
Chemicals affecting human health have been a problem for the past
years and have still been a growing problem for our society. Issue 10
is concerned about this problem. It is pointing out the major harms
and the reasons for this problem. First, it is talking about the
argument that is against these chemicals. After this, an argument that
says these specific chemicals do not necessarily have an affect in
human health is discussed. What I really find distrusting is the
numbers and the facts given in each argument were different.
First argument gives examples and facts from experiments. The
exponential growth in the industrial use and marketing of synthetic
chemicals (xenobiotics) have been affecting human health greatly.
Their effects were seen far from their introduction sites and their
harm was great (Pg184, 1st paragraph). "Scientists also have
postulated a relationship between these chemicals (endocrine
disruptors) and abnormalities and diseases in humans" (page 186, 1st
paragraph). Even though their argument seems based on commonsense
(chemicals interrupt human systems), they do not seem to rely on
scientific data very much; they seem to gather data based on their
conclusion whereas they should draw a conclusion based on their data.
For example they are giving examples of animals such as mice,
mollusks, river fish, alligators, and some bird species and talk about
how some chemicals affect their natural systems. However, humans and
animals are not exactly the same and they are still uncertain about
the chemicals' effects (pg190). Sheldon Krimsky is even accepting the
fact about uncertainty; "A single chemical can have multiple effects
on an organism that act through several mechanisms, not all of which
involve hormone receptors"(pg189, 3rd paragraph). Complexity is
another factor making this argument weak. Three reasons are given to
support that it is hard to create a link between breast cancer and
these chemicals in page 191, 5th paragraph. The argument also talks
about policies and programs regarding these chemicals. Even though
they have drawbacks the argument seems to fully support the new
Now that I am halfway through Sandra Steingraber’s book, Living Downstream, I feel that I have a pretty strong idea as to what her main point is (or the theme): there are many pesticides and chemicals that are in our environment that are linked to cancer many health issues, but more specifically cancer. Furthermore, her main message is to say what we don’t know about our environment and the chemicals in the air could be killing us. She focuses on the changes between back then and now, and the different carcinogens that have been put into the environment over time.
The rhetorical occasion of this excerpt is to inform others about the dangers of chemicals on earth’s vegetation and animal life.
The article relates to the environment. He was awarded a Knight Public Journalism Fellowship for Center for Disease Control Foundation. He was also trained at the U.S Centers for Disease Control. It is clear that Walsh knows exactly what he is talking about. The author demonstrates a higher level of expertise because he is a senior writer for TIME. One will be inclined to listen to experts when seeking information. Walsh presents a fair argument because he mostly talks the drawbacks that the audience will find interesting. When Walsh states “There are more than 1,200 pesticides currently registered for use in the U.S.; nobody pretends that the number will be coming down” it displays more of a negative side. The author’s tone of voice contributes to his credibility because he is knowledgeable. Because of the writer dealing with the controversial topic, the audience are willing to listen to him and will consider him to be honest and
They alleged that the birth defects had been caused by the mothers' ingestion of Bendectin, a prescription anti nausea drug marketed by Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2012). Merrell Dow contended that Bendectin did not cause birth defects in humans and that the petitioners would be unable to come forward with any evidence to prove otherwise. To support this claim, Merrell Dow submitted an affidavit from Steven H. Lamm. Steven H. Lamm was a physician and an epidemiologist. He was well credentialed expert on the risks from exposure to various chemical substances. Doctor Lamm stated, in the affidavit, that he had reviewed all the literature on Bendectin and human birth defects. This involved more than 30 published studies of over 130,000 patients. He states that no study had found Bendectin to be a human teratogen, or a substance capable of causing malformations in fetuses (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2012). To rebut this testimonial evidence, the petitioners wanted to have eight of their own experts, who all had impressive credentials, submit their findings on Bendectin. They all concluded that tests that were done on animals, both live and in vitro, showed that there was
When these “messages in bottles'; reach their appointed destination, the binding into the receptor site causes a cascade of reactions to occur. It is these reactions that are vital in maintaining our homeostasis. Many times the binding of the receptor site causes a direct expression of a certain gene. This is where endocrine disrupters can exert major damage. In addition to gene expression, endocrine disrupters cause havoc in many other areas of the body. What exactly are endocrine disrupting chemicals?
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
middle of paper ... ... clearly shows that vaccines are more likely to harm someone than to prevent them from disease. Also, autism has increased immensely ever since children have been greatly exposed to mercury. Autism has increased by 500 percent since 1992.
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).
During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems including cancer, decreased fertility, and abnormalities in newborns.
Her audience is anyone who cares about the world we live in and its long term health. “The world we live in” is a vast category, which includes our entire ecosystem as well as animals and humans. The essay also targets producers and users of chemicals and pesticides used for insect and pest control. In “The Obli...
This essay will review the Endocrine system, its components and its functions. It will also look into how the assessments that practitioners perform on patients relate to the chosen system, and discuss any ethical and practical issues that may arise. I will also go into a brief explanation of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, and how they interact with the endocrine system.
The human body, known for being the most complicated work of cells, tissues, systems and organs is a fascinating masterpiece; inside the human body, we have twelve major organ systems. One of those systems is the Endocrine system; it is responsible for the coordinating many of the bodies’ functions. The endocrine system is made of many organs, one of them is the thyroid gland, it is responsible for manufacturing hormones with help regulate metabolism. Metabolism more commonly known as the chemical process in which an animal or human uses water and food to heal, grow and make energy. When the thyroid produces too much hormones, it can cause an issue leading to Hyperthyroidism and when insufficient hormones are produced it leads to Hypothyroidism. Thyroid problems can lead to Hashimoto’s Disease, Thyroid Nodules, and Graves’ Disease.
In modern society, humans constantly pollute the environment by using cars, technology, food packaging, and a countless amount of other products. Despite understanding how causing mass amounts of pollution can harm, often there are minimal attempts to correct polluting behaviors, at least until it poses an immediate threat to humans. The idea that the environment is suffering due to our mass consumption through instances of climate change and pollution, is not nearly enough motivation to stop the use of things that may be harmful. In order to address pollution in any respect, there must be an immediate threat to the health and well-being of humanity. Rachel Carson highlights this idea in her
The endocrine system is a collection of glands in the body that help to control bodily metabolic activity by producing endocrine secretions. Although there are many glands in the endocrine system the main glands include the pancreas, ovaries, testes, kidneys, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal glands, pineal gland, gastrointestinal tract, hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
Wildavsky, A. (1995). But is it true? A citizen’s guide to environmental health and safety issues. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.