Hormonal Mimics
Every day we interact with various chemicals that may be more or less harmful. One of such chemicals is hormonal mimics.
Hormonal mimics are a class of chemicals that interfere or mimic the action of hormones causing the disruption of the functioning of an organism. Since they interact with the endocrine system, they are called endocrine disrupters.
Scientists claim that there are for about 45 chemical compounds that are hormonal mimics such as herbicides, insecticides (atrazine and chlordane), fungicides, industrial wastes (polychlorinated biphenyl, dioxin) and compounds found in plastics (phthalates, styrene).
They get into the environment with herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fumigants that are used in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food additives, contaminated food, plastics, and industrial waste.
Organochorine pesticides (DDT, chlordane) degrade slowly, bioaccumulate and biomagnify through food chain. Moreover, they are soluble in lipids. Dioxin is a contaminant in herbicides and food preservatives. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) are contaminants in commercial products such as PCBs and chlorophenols that are extremely toxic. Lubricants, antifreeze, heat conductors, plasticizers may include PCBs that degrade slowly, solve in fats and oils and can bioaccumulate to high concentrations. Thus, endocrine disrupters not only affect humans and are toxic but also pollute the environment.
The concept of endocrine disrupters is closely connected with the concept of the endocrine system. The system of glands releases hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones regulate different essential functions of human organism. It means that hormonal mimics can affect it on the cellular level. They influence various parts of the body. Firstly, they can interfere or mimic hormonal functions. Secondly, endocrine disrupters can reduce the production of hormones or even speed up hormonal metabolism.
Each day consuming food I do not know whether it contain hormonal mimics and other dangerous chemicals or not. Therefore, the amount of endocrine disrupters that gets into fatty foods makes me worry. Many of them are long-lived and accumulate in the animals’ fatty tissue.
From now on, I will try to buy uncontaminated organic food and avoid using plastic containers.
