Toxic Bodies: Endocrine Disruption, Our Imperiled Future

By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.

Toxic Bodies: Endocrine Disruption, Our Imperiled Future

I hear a voice,
the cry of a wounded animal,
Someone shoots an arrow at the moon,
A small bird has fallen from the nest.
People must be awakened,
Witness must be given,
So that life can be guarded.
--W.S. Rendra, a celebrated Indonesian poet

Human and animal growth, sexual development, social behaviors and metabolism are regulated by the endocrine system, a collection of glands that produce hormones which are vital for normal bodily functions.

One hundred human hormones have been identified and few of us even think of these chemicals coursing through our bodies that keep us well. Yet, these critical systems are being corrupted by the billions of pounds of toxic substances we have been putting into our air, earth and water since before the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s.

On July 10, 1997 a fire at a PVC plant in Hamilton, Ontario released large amounts of endocrine disrupting chemicals into the air. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace)

Endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in just about every member of modern society, including indigenous populations from the Arctic to the equator who are usually considered sheltered from the technological world. And because they remain in the body, these chemicals are passed from generation to generation.

This is not new information. In 1991, a group of 23 scientists released a report detailing the harm being caused by this toxic onslaught. They expressed grave concern that many synthetic industrial chemicals can interfere with hormones in wildlife and humans.

Skewed hormonal messages during development can lead to permanent impairment such as this cormorant with a crossed beak. (Photo courtesy WWF Canada)

On May 30, 1996, another statement was issued by an international group of scientists expressing great concern about the effects of hormone disrupting chemicals on the brain and central nervous system.

This new statement resulted from a workshop in 1995 at Erice, Italy. You probably never heard about it. Except for a small article in the "Los Angeles Times" and the "Sacramento Bee," the information was virtually ignored in the United States. Some have suggested it was consciously and purposely ignored since the economic and social implications of acknowledging that we are killing ourselves with our progress are staggering.

The illnesses created by these toxic chemicals that pervade our lives include sterility, changes in sexual behavior and impaired immune system function.

The thyroid is particularly susceptible to disruption by these chemicals, resulting in cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, seizures and other permanent neurological ailments.

Swimming beach in proximity to industry at Calumet Park, Illinois (Photo by David Riecks courtesy Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant)

Many scientists today believe that every pregnant woman in the world has endocrine disruptors in her body that are transferred to her fetus. Measurable concentrations of endocrine disruptors are also in mother’s milk.

Even those of us who try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by not eating meat or processed foods are affected. For example, although DDT has not been used in the U.S. since 1972 (it is still used by other nations), DDE, a toxic chemical that results from the breakdown of DDT in the environment, is found in almost ALL living tissue.

Chemicals and their byproducts do not observe political boundaries and can persist for thousands - and sometimes millions - of years.

This is not just a phenomenon that is affecting urban populations. A new group of scientists convened on June 22 to 25 in Blue Hill, Maine to examine endocrine disruption on the marine environment. In their final workshop session, many disturbing consequences were revealed:

• There is a strong association between breast cancer and exposure to dieldrin, a pesticide used for termite control.

• Pthalates, chemicals found in plastics, cologne, hair sprays and cosmetics, are potentially cancer causing.

• The increased incidence of middle ear infections in Inuit infants is associated with their high consumption of organochlorine pesticides found in whale and seal blubber, a major component of their diet.

• The widespread effects on brain functions of Faroe Islands children may be associated with prenatal exposure to mercury compounds found in pilot whale meat. This is a sad, but ironic, consequence of the brutal pilot whale slaughter conducted each year by adults and children alike in that Danish protectorate in the North Atlantic.

As much as we try to deny it, a major consequence of progress is now generally agreed to be the systematic destruction of the ability of humans and animals to survive. This realization should be the number one item on all agendas but sadly, it won’t even be carried as a filler story in most newspapers. This is no surprise.

The only real solution is to redesign nearly all industries, eliminate immediately the use of most classes of pesticides, and redirect massive amounts of funding into cleanup activities.

It is sad that our political and economic leaders will see such suggestions as a threat. If we made the necessary investments, environmental cleanup and industrial redirection could become the number one type of stock traded on the stock exchanges. People could still get rich, but they would do so from cleaning up and benefiting the world instead of trashing it.

As individuals, though, we cannot wait for legislative action. This information makes it all the more critical that we stop eating chemicals found in meat and processed foods and try to minimize our exposure to this onslaught of chemicals by eliminating any pesticide and toxic chemical use at home. If we are to have a future, we have no choice.

RESOURCES

1. Read about the 1991 report on endocrine disrupting chemicals at http://www.neosoft.com/~ghasp/toxics_report/chembrn.htm and the complete statement from the 1995 Erice conference at http://www.pmac.net/erice.htm

2. The progress of the 2000 Endocrine Disruptors in the Marine Environment conference can be followed at http://www.meriresearch.org/accw.html

3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been tracking the problem. See their (slow) progress at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/ and http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/3file.htm

4. Read a disturbing report by Mother Jones magazine about why the U.S. does so little about environmental toxins at http://www.mojones.com/mother%5Fjones/MJ94/castleman.html

5. See a comprehensive report on breast cancer risk by the World Resources Institute at http://www.wri.org/wri/wri/wri/health/med%2De%2Dbr.html

6. For some key references about pesticides as endocrine disruptors, visit http://www.pmac.net/endodisr.htm

7. See the World Wildlife Fund’s report on endocrine disruptors for the impact on wildlife at http://www.worldwildlife.org/toxics/progareas/ed/

8. Read about the dangers to Faroe Islands children.

9. Find out who your Congressional representatives are and email them. Demand that they make the issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals a top priority. If you know your Zip code, you can find them at http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html or you can search by state at http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html. You can also find your representatives at http://congress.nw.dc.us/innovate/index.html

[Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and the Manager of Discovery Park for the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. He can be found Seattle, looking out the window at a beautiful sunny day and awed by the chemical onslaught all around us. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his web site at www.healingourworld.com]