> Environmental and Health Concerns > Herbicides and Pesticides

Toxic Environment, Toxic Bodies
by author Karen Jensen, ND

Insidiously hidden in food, water and air, endocrine-disrupting chemicals can affect us without our knowledge. Persistent organic pollutants? Endocrine disruptors? You may not know what these are, but chances are you’re being affected by them.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are found in industrial chemicals and pesticides, and 7,000 are registered for use in Canada. These pollutants do not break down for years, decades or never and are found in our air, water and food supply. To date,about 60 have been identified as endocrine disruptors that interfere with normal hormone functioning. Scientists worry about the effects these have on our bodies, which makes awareness and taking protective measures incredibly important.

The Tale of Lake Apopka

In the early 1970s, scientists began counting alligators in Lake Apopka, Florida, an ideal place to hatch baby alligators. In the early 1980s, they would often see up to 2,000 alligators a night. However, by the late 1980s, they were finding at most only 150 per night. What could be going on? It was then realized that metabolites of DDT had spilled into Lake Apopka in the 1980s. The chemical not only created serious problems in the sexual development of male alligators, but it also interfered with the healthy development of female alligators. The result? No more baby alligators. The alligators were living in a sea of gender-bending chemicals–but then, so are we.

Beyond Alligators: What’s Happening in Canada

Pesticides are found in ecosystems considered pristine and far from active pesticide use. The highest levels of alpha, beta and gamma betahexachlorbenzenes (HCH) in the world’s oceans are found in the Canada Basin and Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and the infamous DDT is still widespread in the Arctic. Osprey eggs in the Queen Charlotte Islands, polar bear fat in the Arctic, and blubber of whales in all oceans of the world are contaminated with pesticide residues. The breast milk of Inuit women contains much higher pesticide levels than milk of women in southern Canada.

The breast milk of women from Quebec’s Gaspé and Hudson Bay regions is also among the most toxic in the world, containing 25 times more POPs than the World Health Organization considers acceptable. A study by Greenpeace analyzed the levels of POPs in human tissue and noted Canadians have the highest levels in the world of three types of POPs: dioxin, PCBs and chlordane. Other common POPs include: DDT and DDE, HCH, tributyltin and dieldrin.

What goes around comes around: organic pollutants and other banned substances are making their way into our lives due to the melting of glaciers. However, it is not just older banned substances that are of concern. The production and use of new organic chemicals, including new generation pesticides, are identified as potential threats. A renowned Columbia ice-field scientist, the University of Alberta’s D. Schindler, says, “Every day I see new environmental mistakes being made in a very cavalier fashion.”We cannot escape our past. However, we can learn from it.

How do Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Affect Hormones?

Environmental chemicals enter us when we eat, drink or breathe, and are distributed throughout the body by the blood. Chemicals not removed efficiently by detoxification pathways accumulate in the body; those that are fat-soluble accumulate in fat stores. Fat stores are mobilized and enter blood circulation during stress, malnutrition, pregnancy or perspiration. Our bodies’ own hormones are modified by hormone-binding substances (SHBG) that reduce their activity. However, endocrine-disrupting chemicals bind far less to these substances, leaving more free chemicals available to modify our natural hormone metabolism.

There is an ever-growing body of evidence to support the negative effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the human hormonal system. In 1994, the research of a Danish endocrinologist indicated that sperm counts in men in the United States and 20 other countries have decreased by an average of 50 percent and testicular cancer rates have tripled since 1938.

Dr. Karen Jensen graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1988 and practises in Vancouver, BC. She is a regular guest on national radio and television shows and writes extensively for health magazines across Canada. She is co-author of No More HRT: Menopause, Treat the Cause (Health Venture Publications, 2002) and The Complete Athlete (alive Books, 1998) and participated in the video production "Choices" with Steven Covey and others. Phone: 604-742-0800. Web site:drkarenjensen.com.

Source: alive #251, September 2003