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Autoimmunity and Chemical Exposure

© Keri

Industrial and naturally occurring chemicals can mimic the body's hormones creating havoc. Since World War II, synthetic chemical production has risen dramatically. These industrial chemicals from plastic to pesticides have helped to create our modern world and at the same time they have left an indelible mark on our bodies and those of our children.

Chemicals like heavy metals, dioxin, furan, PCBs, DDT and other pesticides were released into our environment in the last half of the twentieth century. These chemicals are known to act on the fetal development of animals and have been banned in many countries. However, banning the current use did not undo the problem. These chemicals are stored in body fat and are passed through the food chain. More over, some of these chemicals continue to be used in developing countries including Mexico. With the recent North American trade agreements, goods contaminated with these chemicals may be sold in the US and Canada.

These modern chemicals seem to mimic hormones. Hormones are the messengers of the endocrine system. The pituitary gland controls the timing and the release of appropriate hormones throughout the body. These hormones travel throughout the body telling cells what to do and when to do it.

In the fetus, hormones perform complex developmental tasks that require the precise dosage and timing. They tell tissues whether to become male or female reproductive organs, nerve cells, skin cells, eyes or toes. Through a series of complex messages on the cellular level, hormones tell the fetal cell what it will be when it grows up.

But, what if an imposter interferes with this carefully orchestrated plan? There are more than fifty of these endocrine-disrupters in our environment. Some are pesticides like DDT; others like PCB and dioxin are used in or created as by products in the manufacture of everyday materials such as paper and plastic.

Scientists do not fully understand how and why these chemicals mimic hormones. It is apparent that some of them cause damage during fetal development. For example, DES (diethylstilbestrol) a synthetic estrogen widely prescribed from 1945 to 1971 to prevent miscarriage has left a lasting imprint. In daughters who were exposed in utero, it has been linked to some immune disorders, genital abnormalities, an uncommon cancer of the vagina and cervix, ectopic pregnancies and premature birth. Sons of women who took DES may have lower sperm counts and genital abnormalities.

One study found that children of women with high "normal" levels of PCB had lower neurological scores. Children of women who during their lifetime had eaten at least 40 pounds of fish from Lake Ontario contaminated with PCBs, dioxin, hexachlorobenzene, DDE, mirex and other chemicals tested worse on several scales than those whose mothers ate little or no fish. In a test measuring the neurological intactness of newborns, these babies showed greater numbers of abnormal reflexes and stress responses.

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