ENVIRONMENTAL ESTROGENS

• Introduction

• Endocrine System

• Environmental Estrogens

• Recent reports

• Conclusion

Endocrine System• is a complex network existing in all animals

with backbone.

• Is responsible for the transmission of messages and chemical signals from glands to cells(hormones and receptors)

• in order to accomplish several body functions

• general pattern: signal received, hormonal response and reaction.

Environmental Estrogens

• Are substances, synthetic chemicals or natural plant compounds, that act or may act as if they were natural hormones called estrogens

• They can mimick, block or cancel out estrogens effects

RECENT REPORTS

LINDANE

• April 15, 1999

• a report prepared by the Austrian Government suggests a ban on lindane

• lindane is a power insecticide used in farming - including as spray on apples, wheat and maize - and timber treatment

• In 1997, in the UK, 100,000kg were used in agriculture.

Harmful effects

• Category 3 carcinogenic substance

• hormone disruption• behavioral changes

• nervous system damage

• immune system damage

• birth defects

DATA• It wasn’t collected health and environmental

data before its use was approved, and is still not available.

• There’s no data available to set a safe level of exposure for lindane.

• Lindane is already banned in Sweden, Denmark and France (in agriculture)

• A number of studies have suggested a link between lindane and breast cancer

DIELDRIN• December 4, 1998

• a report prepared by Danish researchers (Center for Preventive Medicine in Glostrup, Denmark) links Dieldrin to breast cancer

• women with the highest traces of the pesticide Dieldrin in their blood were twice as likely as women with the lowest levels to develop breast cancer

DIOXINS

• October 16, 1998

• Declining sperm counts in men has been correlated with dioxin in several studies in INDIA

• endometriosis affects 10% of women in their reproductive years, was observed at very low doses of dioxin ingestion

CONCLUSION

• Scientists acknowledge that the real difficulty in the area of endocrine disruption is interpreting data

• We have human effects “ LOOKING FOR A CAUSE” .