Dioxins are environmental pollutants. They belong to the so-called “dirty dozen” - a group of dangerous chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Dioxins are of concern because of their highly toxic potential. Experiments have shown they affect a number of organs and systems. Once dioxins enter the body, they last a long time because of their chemical stability and their ability to be absorbed by fat tissue, where they are then stored in the body. Their half-life in the body is estimated to be 7 to 11 years. In the environment, dioxins tend to accumulate in the food chain. The higher an animal is in the food chain, the higher the concentration of dioxins. The chemical name for dioxin is: 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo para dioxin (TCDD). The name "dioxins" is often used for the family of structurally and chemically related polychlorinated dibenzo para dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Certain dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with similar toxic properties are also included under the term “dioxins”. Some 419 types of dioxin-related compounds have been identified but only about 30 of these are considered to have significant toxicity, with TCDD being the most toxic. Sources of dioxin contamination Dioxins are mainly by-products of industrial processes but can also result from natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires. Dioxins are unwanted by-products of a wide range of manufacturing processes including smelting, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp and the manufacturing of some herbicides and pesticides. Effects of dioxins on human health Short-term exposure of humans to high levels of dioxins may result in skin lesions, such as chloracne and patchy darkening of the skin, and altered liver function. Long-term exposure is linked to impairment of the immune system, the developing nervous system, the endocrine system and reproductive functions. A great deal of attention has been paid to developmental effects of dioxins. Studies in humans have focused on exposures to the fetus during pregnancy and exposures to infants as a result of breastfeeding. Exposures to chemical mixtures that include dioxins during pregnancy have been associated with subtle developmental changes. The health effects include changes in liver function, thyroid hormone levels, immune cell levels, and decreased performance in tests of learning and intelligence. While breast milk may contain dioxins, the nutrients and nurturing of breastfeeding appear to offer unique protection from dioxins' adverse effects on the nervous system such that breast-fed babies outperform bottle-fed babies on tests of learning. Higher exposures during pregnancy are linked to decreases in infant size and weight, delayed physical development, and changes in population sex ratios at birth. Effects of dioxins on Animal Health Animal studies have shown that exposure to dioxins cause a broad range of health effects, with the severity of the effect depending on dose, age, gender, and species. The observed health effects include changes in the level or activity of enzymes and hormones, organs weight changes, altered reproduction and normal development of offspring, and immune dysfunction. High doses cause a failure of animals to grow, called wasting disease, which is fatal. Low doses cause small changes in cell function-such as changes in levels of thyroid hormones or enzyme activity. Doses to the fetus or young animal may also delay or harm development of tissues and the nervous system. These harmful effects include prenatal mortality; mineralization defects of teeth; cleft palate; changes in genitalia, sex organs, and glands; delayed sexual maturation; growth retardation; and functional changes in learning and sexual behavior (demasculinization). Effects on reproduction include decreased fertility, endometriosis, decreased litter size, shortened gestation, changes in male sex organ weights and morphology, and decreased spermatogenesis Sensitive groups Some people or groups of people may be exposed to higher levels of dioxins because of their diet (such as high consumers of fish in certain parts of the world) or their occupation (such as workers in the pulp and paper industry, in incineration plants, and at hazardous waste sites). Take Action Help save the Northumberland Strait from a proposed effluent pipe that will contain Dioxins. https://www.friendsofthenorthumberlandstrait.ca/send-a-letter-in-one-minute