Health Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants are chemicals that were developed as insecticides or for industrial purposes. They linger for many years in water and soil and can be transmitted through air. When absorbed, they are retained in the fat of birds, animals and humans. In high enough concentrations, the pollutants can cause a broad range of serious health risks, ranging from developmental problems to cancer.

Names of POPs

• There are many types of POPs. They include:
  Toxaphene
  Chlordane
  Aldrin and Dieldrin
  Mirex
  DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)
  HCH (hexachlorocychlohexane)
  PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
  HCB (hexachlorobenzene)
  Dioxins and Furans

Health Risks

• Fish, birds and animals with high concentrations of POPs were found to develop cancers and have serious developmental mutations and high death rates.

  The kids.health.org Web site reports that exposure to POPs has been linked in humans to:

  birth defects (low birth weight, impaired intelligence).
  immune system disorders.
  developmental disorders in children.
  reproductive health disorders.
  endocrine and nervous system abnormalities.
  cancers.

  For example, people who worked with dioxin had higher rates of rare liver cancers and malignant melanomas than those who didn't, the Food and Drug Administration said.

  Exposure to heavy amounts of dioxin have caused chloracne, a serious skin disease that trigers the development of acne-like lesions on the face and upper torso, the Environmental Protection Agency warns. Skin rashes and discoloration, excessive body-hair growth and liver damage have also been documented, as have higher cancer rates among people who worked with the chemical, the agency said. Animal studies point to a higher risk of reproductive and developmental effects on humans.

  Rates of testicular cancer, genital abnormalities and low semen quality in Danish men were four times higher than in neighboring Denmark. This finding caused researchers to analyze women's breast milk for POPs. They "found significantly higher levels of pesticides, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Danish breast milk," a February 9, 2010 Natural News article reported.

Risk of Accumulation/Transmission

• "POPs work their way through the food chain by accumulating in the body fat of living organisms and becoming more concentrated as they move from one creature to another, an EPA report that was updated in 2009 explains. Mothers can pass POPs on to their children in the womb and through breast milk, causing a significant danger of low birth weight, impaired brain development and abnormal effects on infant behavior.

  Alaskan natives and other populations that rely heavily on local hunting and fishing and eat all or most of the food they hunt or catch are more likely to eat high amounts of POPs than other populations, the Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada Web site points out.

  Because use of these chemicals have been phased out in this country, the risk of their accumulating in the food chain is diminishing, this source added.

Ways to Avoid Exposure

• The kids health.org Web site has a long list of suggestions for ways to reduce POP exposure. They include:

  Buy organic produce, fish and meat, to reduce exposure to POPs in pesticides.

  Limit your daily intake of meat, dairy products and "fatty or predatory fish" and remove skin and fat from these food sources, which is where ingested POPs accumulate.

  Buy food when possible from local farmers to avoid exposure to pesticides that are banned in the United States but may still be used abroad.

  Avoid use of plastic containers that contain PVCs, the production and destruction of which creates dioxins. They'll be marked with "PVC" or a "recycling 3" logo on such containers. (See Reference 3 for more tips.)