The Effects Of Environmental Hormones On Public Health And The Environment

Also depicted in this paper is the type of cancers caused by each chemical and other related health problems associated with each chemical. Finally, the role of government agencies such as FDA, EPA and OSHA in preventing excessive amount or zero amounts of toxic chemicals from entering the environment will be discussed. The last paragraphs will enumerate the inferred conclusion from my research on Agent Orange, DDT and Benzene.

What has been brought to light in recent years is the effects of these chemicals on the body’s immune response. By introducing these toxic chemicals into the body, the potency of the immune system is compromised. More commonly than not, the body’s magnificent defense system will kick in and destroy foreign invaders but all it can take is an overwhelming amount of chemicals to slow or even shut down the body’s response systems. A large amount of these types of chemicals introduced into the body at one time would be considered acute toxicity and could even cause death. Additionally, a small amount of these poisonous substances brought into the body over a long period would be considered chronic toxicity and can have detrimental effects on the body’s natural response (Hoernschemeyer 55-57). This information is startling enough to want to make a change from conventionally grown food to pesticide-free organic

While there are studies that indicate that DDT can cause health problems such as reduced male fertility, genital birth defects, breast cancer, diabetes, and endocrine disorders (World Wildlife Fund, 1999), many of these studies are weakened by factors such as their age or their biases, due to funding from pro-ban organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the World Wildlife Fund, combined with the lack of conclusive support from more neutral research. Furthermore, one particular paper mentions that methodological errors undermine many studies on the health impacts of DDT (Beard, 2006), and asserts that “it is still too early” to assess DDT’s role in a number of diseases. Chris Curtis, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, also stated that there is “no convincing evidence that DDT … has caused any harm to humans” (Cone, 2009).

Some research studies show that these chemicals are also the cause of birth defects in children. With the increase in the use of these chemicals, there will be an increase in birth defects. According to research done by the University of California, pregnant mothers who live within a mile away from crops that are sprayed with pesticides are more likely to develop autism in their babies. If the use of pesticides continues to grow, one day the human race with completely diminish.

Pesticides and preservatives are not only harmful to human beings, but they are also harmful to our environment and ecosystems. Pesticides used in organic farming may run-off and contaminate nearby bodies of water. If enough contaminated run-off from pesticides and artificial fertilizers get into water, it is able to poison animals and fish that live there. According to Raloff, recent studies have demonstrated that exposure to hormones has a substantial effect on the gender and reproductive capacity of fish, throwing off the natural cycle, (1). This is not only harmful to the animals that live there, but if enough fish are dying because of poisoned run-off, the fish industry could suffer and it will affect humans as well. The same chemicals that poison bodies of water could seep into our groundwater and affect the well water we drink and use daily. This does not happen with organic farming, because no chemicals are ever sprayed on the fields and there is much more run off because of tilling practices.

The decisions that Gina McCarthy, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, makes have a direct impact on the health of the nation. Gina and her agency ensure the safety and cleanliness of the environment through standard setting, monitoring levels of chemicals and pollutants, and making sure these standards are enforced throughout all levels of industry. One group of industrial chemicals that have been receiving attention recently are the environmental endocrine disrupters (EED), such as DDT and Bispehnol A, that can be found in a wide range of products that Americans use in their everyday life. From household cleaners, food and beverage containers, beauty products, and even children’s toys, these chemicals are widely

Andrew Campbell points out that, “Another study looked at why some agricultural workers who use glyphosate have pregnancy problems and showed that it is toxic to human placental JEG-3 cells within 18 hours of exposure in concentration lower than those in agricultural use-- and that effect increases with concentration and time with roundup adjuvants” (1). This illustrates the damage that glyphosate, which is a pesticide, can cause. It can hurt pregnant women and their unborn child in less than a day. Michael Pollan “Those chemicals have been proven to cause cancer damage nerve cells, and disrupt your endocrine system-- your hormones. These poisons are routinely found in non-organic produce and meat” (133). This proves how non-organic food, or foods with GMOs, cause trouble in cells and hormones. The destruction the pesticides do on body systems can mess up the whole system.

Frequent reports in the mainstream news media present conflicting evidence about the safety of human exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in a variety of consumer products. Some groups claim that exposure to even low doses of BPA -- which is considered to be an endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC) -- leads to ailments including cancer and diabetes, and can trigger autism and other neurobehavioral disorders. The opposing viewpoint holds that each exposure is so minimal that the lifetime risk to human health does not warrant a ban on what is otherwise considered to be a commercially useful chemical. An examination of the science on both sides of the controversy leads to the suggestion that exposure to BPA through consumer

Several environmental toxicants including heavy metals, solvents, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) modulate the normal

It is written by environmental zoologists Theo Colbum and John Peterson Myers, and science journalist Dianne Dumanoski. Of course, these authors are well qualified by education and experience to write such an extremely timely and thought-provoking book that is far more that just "a scientific detective story", as it claims. The book traces many highly disturbing effects of the widespread use and global distribution of specific modern synthetic chemicals which, even in exceptionally low amounts, may acutely disrupt and impair standard and expected hormone function. This is not something we can take lightly, for hormones orchestrate many things: they are the vital chemical messengers in our bodies; they orchestrate crucial stages of growth and development; and, most importantly, they form specific features of sexual differentiation to brain organization and maturation. Granted, these are not exactly well-known issues that beg the attention of the common passerby; rather, the prominence of these issues are often ignored or concealed by the US Food and Drug Administration, which takes no action to curb the use of drugs that manifest such chemicals. But why is this? OSF suggests that administrations like the FDA ignore hazards like these because most of these chemicals have no observable effects on adults. However, at relatively low levels of contamination, they may have calamitous consequences to the unborn; in  animals, they can result in disorientation of nesting and mating; and in humans they have been linked to low sperm counts and learning and behavioral

In the year 2011 there were many reports in the media regarding bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to adverse health effects like cancer, infertility, diabetes, obesity and ADHD (Newbold, 2009)

If the pollutants are altering body cells certain parts of the body may not grow properly and more fat would be produced where it doesn’t belong. When these “…chemicals [are present] in the mom’s blood, such as DDE (a by product of the now widely banned pesticide DDT, which lingers in the environment decades later, and is still found in small amounts in many foods such as meat, dairy, and fish)” can alter the development of the fetus and cause problems later in life (1). The children of whom mothers’ had this chemical in their blood while pregnant are even more at risk for obesity without even having bad eating habits. Equally important are the affects it has on children's health and learning.

It is also shown that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and birth defects among children (“Pesticides”).

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

In 1984, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) evaluated the safety of methyl, propyl, and butylparabens, stating that they were “safe for use in cosmetic products at levels up to 25%,” which is a generous limit, considering the approximate level for parabens ranges from .01 to 3%. However, there are still claims that parabens do more harm than good. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported in December of 1999 “the chemical preservatives called parabens—methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl—displayed estrogenic activity in several tests.” Essentially, they found that parabens have the capability to mimic the body’s own hormones, which can lead to disruptions in the endocrine system, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, and immunotoxicity. Even though parabens occur naturally in low levels in foods, like strawberries, blueberries, onions, carrots, etc, they are metabolized when consumed, making them less estrogenic. Yet, when the