Impacts on health & environment

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Ukrainian Presidential Candidate Viktor Yuschenko before and after high levels of dioxin poisoning.

Effects on wildlife included:

+ Reproductive failure and population decline

+ Abnormally functioning thyroids and other hormone dysfunctions

+ Males and females changing toward the opposite sex

+ Compromised immune systems

+ Tumours and cancers

+ Behavioural abnormalities

+ Gross birth defects

There is also now substantial evidence of the detrimental impact POPs are having on humans and unsurprisingly the effects are similar to those on wildlife:

+ Multiple cancers and tumours

+ Learning disorders

+ Immune system changes

+ Reproductive problems such as infertility

+ Shortened lactation periods in nursing mothers

+ Various diseases such as endometriosis

+ Increased incidence of diabetes

While persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may be taken in via the air and water, the most important route of exposure of POPs to humans is their food. In particular, fatty foods like meat, fish and dairy products contain high levels of POPs. POP pesticide residues can also be found on vegetables and fruit that has been sprayed.

Many POPs damage the immune system of the life forms they attach themselves to. Some POPs are also known to mimic hormones, disrupt endocrine systems and affect fertility in humans and wildlife. By decreasing fertility, POPs can threaten entire populations of life forms.

These health impacts show just how harmful many POPs and, in particular, the 'dirty dozen' can be. Even POPs that have been banned years ago are still prevalent in our environment, for example POPs are found even in Adelie penguins in the remote Antarctic.

Recorded POPs impacts on humans and wildlife

Research on environmental and health effects from dioxins show some effects are already occurring in the general population. Studies show the following:

• In fish, birds, mammals and humans, the developing foetus/embryo is very sensitive to toxic effects of dioxins. Developmental effects in humans, seen after high accidental/occupational exposure to dioxins include pre-natal mortality, decreased growth, organ dysfunction, and effects to the both female and male reproductive system.
• Because dioxins are very chemically stable, and don't break down easily in the environment, they are often found in high concentrations in sediments, sludges and dusts. Because most dioxins accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals they are particularly evident in aquatic, bottom dwelling organisms that are continually in contact with sediments, and in filter feeders that ingest particulate matters suspended in water.
• People with a higher than average exposure to dioxin, say through a high fish diet, are more at risk from dioxin effects, including reduced sperm count, weakened immune systems, and endometriosis in women.
• The health of workers in particular industries is threatened because they are exposed to high levels of POPs during their work. For example, Indian men who worked with organochlorine pesticides, such as DDT, were found to have decreased fertility and a significant increase in stillbirths, neonatal deaths and congenital defects in the children born to them.
• In industrialised countries, levels of dioxins in breast milk often result in nursing infants having dioxin intakes far in excess of the "tolerable daily intake" proposed by the World Health Organisation.
• Infant deaths downwind of incinerators - a primary source of dioxins and furans - have been reported as 40 to 70 per cent higher than average.
• Animal experiments have shown that exposure to very low doses of dioxin during an extremely short critical period during gestation is sufficient to cause detrimental health effects on the foetus.

Examples of POPs in food include:

• In June 1999, Belgian chickens were exposed to dioxin-contaminated feed leading to a European Union ban on Belgian egg and poultry products, that later spread to North America and Asia. The cost to Belgium and the European Union (EU) as a result of the global import restrictions has been estimated at US$3 billion.
• In March 1998, the discovery of dioxin contamination of milk in Germany led to a ban on importing Brazilian citrus pulp into the EU. Britain and other EU countries had significant stocks of citrus pulp pellets, used in cattle feed, which had to be destroyed.
• In September 1997, leaked French agriculture ministry statistics showed alarming levels of dioxins in Brie, Camembert and butter from northern France.
• In June 1997, the UK Ministry of Agriculture Fishery and Food reported "relatively high concentrations" of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in fish oil dietary supplements such as cod liver oil.
• In November 1996, a severe fire in the production hall of a metals processing plant in Lingen, north-west Germany led to animal and vegetable products grown up to 2.5km away being contaminated.