Dioxins are toxic organic substances with the ability to accumulate in human tissues. Their main source is the incineration of municipal, industrial and medical waste. These compounds disrupt the work of the endocrine system and are carcinogenic. They can also be used as biological weapons. It was the dioxins that were used in the attempt to poison the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko. What are the consequences of dioxin poisoning?

Contents:

  1. Dioxins - Toxicity Assessment
  2. Dioxins - mechanism of toxic action
  3. Dioxins - effects on the human body
  4. Dioxin exposure routes
  5. Acute dioxin poisoning - antidote
  6. Dioxins as a biological weapon

Dioxinsare common chemicals in our environment. They are toxic and have a long disintegration time. Substances from this group can survive in the tissues of the human body for up to 30 years.

Dioxins have been the subject of much scientific research over the past decades. The interest in these chemicals stems from their harmful effects, to which most of the population is exposed almost every day.

Dioxins in the environment are present in very low concentrations. These quantities are so small that their existence was only discovered in the 1950s. Previously, it was impossible due to the lack of appropriate research methods.

From a chemical point of view, these compounds are derivatives of oxanthrene, i.e. dibenzo-1,4-dioxin. They are classified as organic substances with aromatic groups.

All dioxins are hydrophobic in nature, meaning they are insoluble in water. At the same time, they show a high affinity for fats, including those found in the human body. Therefore, these toxic compounds can accumulate in our tissues.

Dioxins - Toxicity Assessment

Among the dioxins we can distinguish polybromic and polychlorinated forms. Both of these types are most toxic. However, there are many more types of dioxin derivatives.

The degree of harmfulness of a given molecule depends on the number and place of substitution of bromine or chlorine atoms in the chemical structure.

For the most toxic substance of this oneThe group is considered to be 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, often abbreviated as TCDD.

It was this compound that was responsible for the harmfulness of the "Agent Orange" preparation used by the US military during the Vietnam War.

The group of dioxins includes both compounds of very high and low toxicity.

In order to more efficiently describe the harmfulness of specific substances, a special scale has been introduced, using theTEFfactor (toxicity equivalent factor). It is determined based on the results of in vivo and in vitro tests, compared with the data for TCDD, i.e. the highest toxic dioxin.

Animal studies show that different species may react completely differently to the same doses of a specific dioxin.

There are also clear relationships between the sex and age of the body and the harmfulness of a given substance.

For example, the dose that causes the death of a guinea pig is 0.6 μg / kg 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Killing a hamster requires 5,000 times the same amount of the same substance.

This makes it difficult to carry out tests that would have a measurable impact on the human body.

Dioxins - mechanism of toxic action

Dioxins are compounds that slowly but steadily accumulate in our bodies. By accumulating in tissues in high concentrations, they are carcinogenic and genotoxic. This means that persistent exposure to these substances can lead to cancer.

These substances are structurally similar to human steroid hormones. Therefore, they strongly affect the following organs:

  • thyroid
  • female and male gonads
  • uterine endometrium

Dioxins destabilize the endocrine system. They also trigger abnormal immune responses. Chronic skin allergies may be the consequence of contact with these substances.

Dioxins disturb the balance also at the cellular level, inhibiting the synthesis of nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates.

The toxicity of these compounds stems from their ability to bind to the intracellular receptor - mediated by interaction with a specific intracellular protein, the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor.

It is an important factor regulating transcription, and thus the activity of many genes. By affecting it, dioxins affect a number of other regulatory proteins at the same time.

Dioxins - effects on the human body

Dioxins are considered highly toxic substances. The consequences of the influence of these compounds on the human bodyorganism are:

  • reproductive problems
  • developmental disorders
  • damage to the immune system
  • hormonal problems
  • cancer

Dioxins are a large group of compounds with various toxicity. Accurate assessment of the impact of individual substances, due to the previously described reasons, is quite difficult.

Currently, scientists suspect that they are also responsible for:

  • liver damage
  • hemu metabolism disorders
  • abnormal blood lipid levels
  • thyroid disorders
  • diabetes
  • immune disorders

Animal studies show that the harmful effects of dioxins may be much stronger in relation to children than in adults. This is due to the ability of these substances to interfere with developmental processes. It is all about proper tooth formation and sexual development.

Dioxin exposure routes

The main source of dioxins in the human environment is the burning of industrial, municipal and medical waste. These toxic compounds are produced both as a result of illegal waste disposal and in incineration plants controlled by appropriate institutions.

Dioxins reaching our body, however, can come from many different sources. They are often produced as industrial by-products.

Production is of great importance here:

  • paper
  • pesticide
  • herbicides

These toxins, however, may be of natural origin.

Dioxins can be formed during volcanic eruptions or forest fires. They can arise as a result of natural processes. For example, during volcanic eruptions or forest fires.

Dioxins get directly into our body through inhaled air or consumed water and food. They can come from both meat and plant foods. These toxins enter food from the environment contaminated with them at various stages of production.

Dioxins are highly lipophilic. For this reason, their highest concentrations accumulate in foods containing a lot of fat, such as:

  • meat
  • cheeses
  • milk
  • various types of dairy products
  • fish

Large-scale dioxin food poisoning happened in the Japanese town of Yusho in 1968. The oil was contaminated, and the toxic compounds were polychlorinated biphenols. The number of victims is estimated at over 1,800 people. The most serious symptoms of poisoning were acute hepatitis and chloric acne.

Cause of poisoning highdose of dioxins are usually situations related to work in industry. The second common cause is incorrect pesticide use and accidents related to pesticides. The latter may become the cause of local ecological disasters.

Acute dioxin poisoning - antidote

In the case of acute dioxin poisoning, olester is given as an antidote. It is a non-digestible fat substitute in which dioxins dissolve very well. Its use is aimed at accelerating the expulsion of the toxin from the patient's body.

Dioxins as a biological weapon

The toxic properties of dioxins are sometimes used on purpose. These substances were used in the unsuccessful attempt on the life of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko. Studies have shown that the concentration of dioxins in his blood, after an attempted poisoning, exceeded the norm by 20,000 times. The consequences of the action of these toxins were very serious skin changes that lasted on the president's face for almost 5 years.

Dioxins were used during the Vietnam War by the US military. However, it is believed that this was an unconscious action. In order to prevent the Vietnamese from hiding in the jungle, the Americans carried out large-scale spraying to eliminate vegetation.

They used defoliants, often called "rainbow herbicides". Unfortunately, one of these agents was "Agent Orange", which contained in its composition TCDD, which is the most toxic to humans dioxin. Officially, the preparation was not supposed to contain this substance. However, it was formed during its production and was a kind of pollution.

The consequence of using "Agent Orange" during the Vietnam War were various chronic diseases among soldiers who survived it and had contact with this preparation. There were also frequent cases of birth defects in the children of these people. These diseases and disorders originated precisely from the toxicity of TCDD.

About the authorSara Janowska, MA in pharmacyPhD student of interdisciplinary doctoral studies in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences at the Medical University of Lublin and the Institute of Biotechnology in Białystok. A graduate of pharmaceutical studies at the Medical University of Lublin with a specialization in Plant Medicine. She obtained a master's degree defending a thesis in the field of pharmaceutical botany on the antioxidant properties of extracts obtained from twenty species of mosses. Currently, in his research work, he deals with the synthesis of new anti-cancer substances and the study of their properties on cancer cell lines. For two years she worked as a master of pharmacy in a pharmacyopen.

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