How does it act in this environment?
Dioxins and furans can enter your body through breathing contaminated air, drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food. About 90% of exposure to dioxins and furans is from eating contaminated food. Dioxins and furans can build up in the fatty tissues of animals.
Dioxins and furans are mainly distributed through the air.
Eating contaminated food is the primary source of exposure.
What does it do to the human body?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that it is likely to be a cancer causing substance to humans. In addition, people exposed to dioxins and furans have experienced changes in hormone levels. High doses of dioxin have caused a skin diseased called chloracne.
People who have been unintentionally exposed to large amounts of these chemicals have developed a skin condition called chloracne, liver problems, and elevated blood lipids (fats)
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.
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Published by Clarissa Cowley
Claire is a Master of Science in Professional Media and Media Management graduate student with a specialization in multimedia journalism. She currently teaches web publishing, media arts performance and introduction to media production. She is a student managing editor of the GJR weekly digital newsletter reaching over 2,000 online subscribers. She is conducting research on an environmental and racial justice issue in Carbondale, IL for her thesis project.
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