Health risk from dioxin eggs

Consequences of a dioxin poisoning by contaminated eggs: From disorders of the hormone balance to cancer

04/01/2011

The term dioxin is used as a collective term for chemically similar substances, which are usually produced as by-products in the production of organochlorine chemicals or combustion reactions. The long-lived organic pollutants are hardly degraded in the environment and accumulate in living organisms via the food chain. In total, there are 75 species of dioxins that were originally absent in nature and 135 are known to be dioxin-related furans. The most dangerous one for humans is the so-called Seveso poison, dioxin TCDD, which was released in large quantities in a chemical accident in 1976 north of Milan (Italy) - with fatal consequences for humans and the environment. The area of ​​four communities was directly affected at that time. Among them Seveso, the village, which later went down in history as namesake for the disaster and the dioxin TCDD.

Dioxin is mostly absorbed through the diet
Dioxins are mainly absorbed by humans via animal foods (fish, meat, eggs, dairy products). About 90 to 95 percent of dioxins enter our bodies via food, with about two-thirds being absorbed via meat and dairy products. The dioxins, for example, escape into the food cycle by escaping into the air during combustion processes in metal industry plants, waste incineration plants or private fireplaces and subsequently spreading over a wide area. With the significantly improved flue gas cleaning in waste incineration plants in recent years, dioxin emissions in this country have declined sharply. In general, dioxins are formed in a large number of combustion processes. For example, dioxin is also found in cigarette smoke.

Dioxins accumulate in the body
The long-lasting compounds accumulate over time in fat, liver and skin tissue of the human organism and are degraded only very slowly. A variety of health problems can be caused by the dioxin load. Disorders of the immune system, nerve conduction and the hormone balance, as well as immunotoxic effects due to changes in the thyroid gland and damage to the skin - the so-called chloracne - have long been known as possible consequences of excessive exposure to dioxins. The chloracne is regarded as the leading symptom of severe acute dioxin intoxication and is caused by skin contact with dioxins or by dioxin concentrations of more than 800 ng / kg in the blood. Severe poisoning (dioxin TCDD), which not only brings with it the aforementioned health risks, but is also classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization (WHO), is still the most dangerous for humans. Dioxin is particularly dangerous for children, and eating one or two dioxin-contaminated eggs can have serious health consequences.

Dioxin loaded foods do not consume
In the case of acute dioxin poisoning, there is no known possibility of rapid detoxification since the substances are stored in the tissue of the body and even a blood wash can only achieve a minimal reduction of the dioxin load. So special caution is especially necessary when eating. Potentially dioxin contaminated foods should not be consumed in any case. (Fp)

Also read:
Lidl: Dioxinfund in organic eggs
Examination for dioxin eggs also in Berlin

Picture: siepmannH