Tambahan informasi ini dari milis idi (ikatan dokter indonesia). maaf dalam bhs. aslinya >From: "Oey, Sian (kem)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [idi-l] FW: sekilas info tentang dioxin >Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 08:20:25 +0700 > >info dari seorang teman di Kuala Lumpur >mungkin berguna, >salam > > > > What Is Dioxin? > > > > > > Dioxin is the name generally given to a class of super-toxic chemicals, > > the chlorinated dioxins and furans, formed as a by-product of the > > manufacture, molding, or burning of organic chemicals and plastics that > > contain chlorine. It is the nastiest, most toxic man-made organic > > chemical; its toxicity is second only to radioactive waste. Dioxin made > > headlines several years ago at places such as Love Canal, where hundreds > > of families needed to abandon their homes due to dioxin contamination, >and > > Times Beach, Missouri, a town that was abandoned as a result of dioxin. > > > > > > Dioxin - An Unprecedented Threat > > > > > > We now know that dioxin exhibits serious health effects when it reaches >as > > little as a few parts per trillion in your body fat. Dioxin is a >powerful > > hormone disrupting chemical. By binding to a cell's hormone receptor, it > > literally modifies the functioning and genetic mechanism of the cell, > > causing a wide range of effects, from cancer to reduced immunity to > > nervous system disorders to miscarriages and birth deformity. Because it > > literally changes the functioning of your cells, the effects can be very > > obvious or very subtle. Because it changes gene functions, it can cause > > so-called genetic diseases to appear, and can interfere with child > > development. There is no "threshold" dose - the tiniest amount can cause > > damage, and our bodies have no defense against it. > > > > Unfortunately, according to the EPA, much of the population of the U.S. >is > > at the dose at which there can be serious health effects. How did this > > happen? For about 40 years we have seen a dramatic increase in the > > manufacture and use of chlorinated organic chemicals and plastics. For > > chemicals, it was insecticides and herbicides (weed killers). For > > plastics, it was primarily polyvinyl chloride (PVC). From phonograph > > records to automobile seat covers to wire insulation to shampoo bottles >to > > handbags to house siding to plumbing pipes to wallpaper, we are >literally > > surrounded by PVC. When these chemicals and plastics are manufactured or > > burned, dioxin is produced as an unwanted (but inevitable) by-product. > > > > Dioxin had been a little-known threat for many years near factories that > > produce PVC plastic or chlorinated pesticides and herbicides, and where > > those pesticides and herbicides have been heavily used, such as on >farms, > > near electric and railway lines, apple orchards, paper company forests. >It > > became better known when Vietnam War veterans and Vietnamese civilians, > > exposed to dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, became ill. It has been a > > hazard downstream of paper mills (where chlorine bleach combines with > > natural organics in wood pulp and produces dioxin). > > > > Several towns and cities have become contaminated as a result of >chemical > > spills or manufacturing emissions, some that needed to be evacuated. >Love > > Canal (Niagara Falls, N.Y), Seveso (Italy), Times Beach (Missouri), > > Pensacola (Florida), and the entire city of Midland, Michigan have high > > concentrations of dioxin. Bizarre health effects, such as cancer, spina > > bifida (split spine) and other birth defects, autism, liver disease, > > endometriosis, reduced immunity, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other >nerve > > and blood disorders have been reported. > > > > But in the last 20 years we have begun to burn household and industrial > > trash and medical waste in mass-burn incinerators. The result - given >that > > we have disposable vinyl plastic all around us - has been a dramatic > > increase in dioxin contamination everywhere in the U.S. Dioxin, formed > > during burning, is carried for hundreds of miles on tiny specks of >fly-ash > > from the incinerators. It settles on crops, which then get eaten by >cows, > > steers, pigs, and chickens. It contaminates lakes, streams, and the >ocean. > > Like the pesticides such as DDT, dioxin accumulates in the fat cells of > > the animals, and re-appears in meat and milk. Dioxin is virtually > > indestructible in most environments, and is excreted by the body >extremely > > slowly. > > > > > > How To Avoid Dioxin > > > > > > Do not eat beef or pork, which have some of the largest concentrations >of > > dioxin of all food sources. Limit your intake of ocean fish; do not eat > > any freshwater fish. Chicken has the lowest dioxin content of all meats, > > but is still significant. Vegetarian meat substitutes such as tofu, >beans, > > and rice have essentially no contamination. > > > > If your family drinks milk, drink only skim milk, since dioxin is >carried > > in the butterfat. Avoid all full-fat dairy products, such as butter, > > cheese and ice cream. Use non-fat skim-milk products or non-dairy > > substitutes. If you are female and are considering having children, it >is > > essential that you eat a non-dairy, low-fat vegetarian diet for several > > years before you have children. Dioxin is passed from the woman's body >to > > the infant through the placenta and in breastmilk, which contains more > > dioxin than any other food (in relation to an infant's body weight) for > > women who consume meat and milk.[1] > > > > Avoid all organic chemicals that have "chloro" as part of their names > > (such as the wood preservative pentachlorophenol, which is probably the > > most dioxin-contaminated household chemical). Avoid chlorine bleach > > (sodium hypochlorite) and products containing it. (Use oxygen bleach > > instead). Use unbleached paper products. > > > > Do not use weed killers or insecticides that contain chlorine. >Especially > > avoid the chlorophenol weed killers, such as 2,4-D, found in most > > fertilizer/weed killers and used by commercial lawn services. Avoid > > "Permethrin" flea sprays for pets. > > > > Avoid household or personal products and toys made of or packaged in > > polyvinyl chloride - PVC - labeled V or #3 plastic. (For example, Beanie > > Babies are filled with PVC beads, which often produce cancer-causing >vinyl > > chloride fumes and are often contaminated with dioxin.) Avoid using >Saran > > Wrap and similar "cling-type" plastic wraps (unless they are clearly > > identified as non-chlorinated plastic.). > > > > Wash all fruits and vegetables carefully to remove chlorophenol >pesticide > > residue. Avoid grapes and raisins unless they are clearly labeled as > > organic (grown without pesticides). > > > > Avoid all products which have cottonseed oil as an ingredient (such as > > potato chips), since cotton is often sprayed with chlorophenol > > insecticides. Do not use soaps containing tallow (most soaps), as it is > > made from animal fat. Avoid "deodorant" soaps and deodorants containing > > "triclosan," a chlorophenol. > > > > > > What You Can Do > > > > > > The way to reduce the dioxin threat is to stop burning trash and to stop > > producing PVC and other chlorinated chemicals. If your town sends its > > trash to an incinerator, tell your town officials to institute > > comprehensive recycling. Write to companies that use vinyl and ask them >to > > use the known safe substitutes. Ask your supermarket and office supply > > stores to sell Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) products. Learn more about >the > > dioxin threat. Read the books Dying From Dioxin by Lois Gibbs, and Our > > Stolen Future by Theo Colborn. Talk to your friends and neighbors about > > dioxin and what you can do to reduce the threat. Join a community > > environmental organization, or form one if there are none in your town. > > Call a state or national organization to get help. Download a copy of a > > Microsoft Word Version 6-compatible version of this document for a > > community information leaflet. > > > > Notes: > > > > [1] For women who eat moderate amounts of meat, fish, and/or dairy in > > industrialized countries, dioxin contamination of breastmilk is 1-2 >parts > > per trillion dioxin. In just a few months of breastfeeding, a typical > > infant in the U.S. would ingest several lifetime doses of dioxin. > > Contamination among non-dairy vegatarians is much, much lower. > > > > � > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >BrainPlay.com has all of your favorite Star Wars action figures, >toys, video games and more. See details inside on how to receive >a FREE Star Wars Action Figure! �Feel the Force� today with >BrainPlay.com at: http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/343 > > > >eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/idi-l >http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications > > > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Kunjungi: http://www.balita-anda.indoglobal.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Untuk mereka yang mendambakan anak balitanya tumbuh sehat & cerdas" Berlangganan, e-mail ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Berhenti berlangganan, e-mail ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pencarian-informasi.or.id/ - Solusi Pencarian Informasi di Internet
