A major health concern for women in today’s society is breast cancer. The confirmed cases of breast cancer have increased in frequency throughout the years and there is no definite cure. This form of cancer develops through extended exposure to estrogen hormones which signal the start of cell division. Overexposure to this hormone can lead to cell mutations and this, ultimately, leads to cancer. A major contributor to this process are endocrine disruptors which mimic the effects of estrogen and can start the process of cell division even when a woman isn’t ovulating. Many of these compounds have been banned for use in the United States and around the developed world because of the global concern over cancer. These chemicals are now a major problem in the United States because of lasting effects in the environment and the continued use of these compounds in building products and food distribution. One of the environmental problems linked to the development of breast cancer are endocrine disruptors and their use in agriculture. Many pesticides contain chemicals that are endocrine disruptors and can be found in rural areas throughout the nation. These compounds are found in many aspects of the environment including water, soil, and air. …show more content…
Endocrine disruptors that are used in building materials and electronics, such as: polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), phthalates (PAEs), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been linked to a substantial increase in risk for breast cancer with extended exposure. Their presence in building materials and electronic equipment allow for all people to experience this extended exposure, as well as run the risk for a higher exposure in the event of a fire. The proposed policy will limit public exposure to these endocrine disruptors and in doing so, lower the risk of breast cancer by a noticeable
The thyroid is the energy generator of the body. All of us experience fatigue at some time in our lives because of lack of sleep, overwork, or stress. For individuals with hypothyroidism, fatigue is a way of life. There never seems to be enough energy. But, you don’t have to feel this way. For those who suffer from hypothyroidism, there is HOPE.
Imagine being in a family that is expecting their first child. Articles in the newspaper are showing how the chances of miscarriages are increasing. As soon as anxiety starts to take over, a flip of a page in the newspaper changes everything. An article about a new drug called Diethylstilbestrol seems to be on the next page. Diethylstilbestrol, also known as DES, is a medicine that helps prevent women from having pregnancy complications including miscarriages. “This is amazing!” one may say, but do they really know the consequences of taking this new medication? Diethylstilbestrol was a huge turning point for most pregnant women in the early twentieth century; however, it had many underlying negative consequences that would later affect the mother and child with the word no one ever wants to hear; cancer.
In 1896 the scientist Beatson reported that the removal of the ovaries resulted in the reduction of breast cancer tumours (Russo and Irma 1998). Breast cancer is a malignant, metastasizing cancer of the mammary gland. It is the leading cause of death in woman between the ages of 35 - 45. Breast cancer can also occur in males, although less frequent, around 400 men die each year from breast cancer in the united states. (Martini, F., 2004). Studies on rats have shown considerable evidence that rat oestrogens are mammary carcinogens. Oestrogens have shown to stimulate the hormone prolactin. Through studies involving the use of antioestrogens, for example, tamoxifen, "Tamoxifen alone or in combination with the retina all trans-N-(4 hydroxyphenyl)-retinamide (4-HPR) reduces the incidence of NMU-induced mammary tumours in Sprague-Dawley rats." (Jane M. Ussher Ph.D. 1996). This suggests that Oestrogens and Prolactin's can have the effect of the development of breast cancer since the pathogenesis of spontaneous breast cancer in humans is similar to that of chemical-induced rodent mammary cancer. (Jane M. Ussher
PPCPs that have been found in tap water and source water include an array of chemicals such as sulfamethoxazole: an antibiotic, estrone: an estrogen containing chemical, atrazine: a herbicide, naproxen: an anti-inflammatory drug and meprobamate: an anxiety medicine. (Alliance for the Great Lakes). The effect of these pharmaceuticals on the wildlife is no fairytale matter. The 2002 USGS report stated that endocrine disrupting chemicals (chemicals that alter the hormone balance in an organism) such as estrogene which is found in estrone were linked to the occurrence of intersexed, cancerous and reduced size organ...
Yang, M. (2011). A current global view of environmental and occupational cancers. Journal Of Environmental Science And Health. Part C, Environmental Carcinogenesis & Ecotoxicology Reviews, 29(3), 223-249. doi:10.1080/10590501.2011.601848
A lot of evidence have linked breast cancer to the environmental chemicals. Since WWII, a great deal of endocrine disrupters (synthetic chemicals) have entered the environment, accumulated through the food chain, and finally accessed into human bodies (Brody et al.) . According to Gray et al., environmental chemicals are carcinogenic because they often interrupt hormone-regulated pathways, especially that of the estrogen, and thus cause negative genetic variations. Experiments carried out by Gray et al. indicate that breast tissue synthesize estrogen from local hormone (androgenic hormones) using aromatase, whose activity rate is abnormally higher in breast cancer tissue than that of normal breast tissue. Theoretically, “estrogen promotes the growth cancer cells in vivo” (Mitra et al); the fact that women are more likely to ...
While women in this region continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an alarming rate, it is only normal for residence to want answers. Many years of research have found a couple of possibilities for this tragic problem. According to researchers at Silent Springs Institute in Newton Massachusetts, a possible reason behind the high cancer rates is the use of pesticides in marshes, cranberry bogs, golf courses and residential areas. Researchers are also looking into the possibility that synthetic chemicals found in common household products are to blame. Cheryl Osimo, Silent Springs Cape Cod coordinator, called the study's discoveries an important step.
...ls and many more that chemically produce. Reducing or control the amount of the usage should be the best way to reduce the cancer risk. Nowadays, the usage of stainless steel, glass or BPA-free containers become more popular because it will reduce exposure the chemical in plastic to leach into water thus reduce the risk of cancer. These are some of the precaution and prevention recommended to society to apply in our daily life in order to reduce the risk of cancer.
The risks of getting cancer in this day and age has been increasing at a rate that could be detrimental to the human race if we do not act now. It is scary to think that you or someone you love and care about will get some type of cancer in their life time. Although there are many different types of cancer that is in existence today, the main focus is breast cancer. We are going to explore the causes breast cancer, the stages, how we can treat it and what precautions that can be taken to help lower ones risk of getting breast cancer. In America a baby girl born today has a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer sometime in her life. These statistics do not seem so scary until they are put into perspective. Every three minute a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and one will die every 13 minutes in a given day. If these rates of breast cancer continue to rise there will soon be a one in one baby girl born that will et diagnosed with breast cancer. This is the future of our world that we are talking about here and no one seems to be changing the main factors that contribute to breast cancer. There are many different suspicious causes but one thing that is clear is that an unhealthy environment has an enormous impact on women and their development from babies to women.
During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems including cancer, decreased fertility, and abnormalities in newborns.
Men today are always exposed to many toxics chemicals. Sengupta states, “Several research studies have indicated that sperm counts have been in decline for decades, and scientists say modern lifestyles and contacts with chemicals are a contributing factor and exposure to pesticides is just one of the reasons for this decline” (1017). Pesticides are one of the most harmful chemicals that play role in effecting a male’s sperm counts. A worker that worked at a chemical factory in 1975 went to his doctor having many headaches and tremors. It turned out that he and the rest of his workers had been contaminated with chlordecone which affected their sperm counts. Only 25% of the workers at that factory had normal sperm counts. These workers were given medication that removed the chlordecone and increased their sperm count over the next five years. Also, Gabrielsen, J. S. and C. Tanrikut states, “Occupational exposures to pesticides have demonstrated dramatic effects on spermatogenesis because of the high levels and long durations of exposure” (654). Another case where workers in a factory had elevated FSH and LH levels and normal testosterone levels which also effected their sperm counts shows just how much pesticides effect male
...and MEA. These chemicals are said to be linked with breast cancer, skin rashes, estrogenic, hormone disruptor, linked to liver and kidney cancer, and irritates the eye.
Young, S. (2011, December). Report: Certain environmental exposures can increase breast cancer risk. CNNHealth.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from www.thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/07/iom-certain-environmental-exposures-can-increase-breast-cancer-risk/.
The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system, and it is controlled by the pituitary which is known as the “master gland” of the endocrine system. The pituitary controls the thyroid by producing Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which stimulates the production of thyroid hormones. . The thyroid gland secretes two main hormones: Thyroxine (T4) and Tri-Iodothyronine (T3). These hormones increase metabolic rate, heat production, oxygen consumption, appetite, growth hormone secretion, alertness and quicker reflexes. The thyroid gland is located in the anterior portion of the neck, beneath the Adam’s apple. It is divided in two lobes on either side of the windpipe: right lobe and left lobe. These lobes create what looks like a butterfly shape. The gland is essential to the contribution of maintaining the homeostasis of the body. It plays a role in monitoring the body’s expenditure of energy and running the body’s metabolism.
There are many enzyme-catalyzed reactions that occur in cells through control mechanisms, which keep humans in chemical balance. There are two systems that have a major responsibility for regulating body chemistry known as the endocrine system and nervous system. The endocrine system depends on chemical messengers that flow in the bloodstream known as hormones. Hormones travel to target cells, where they connect with receptors that initiate chemical changes within cells. The nervous system depends on neurotransmitters that are electrical impulses in nerve cells activated by its own chemical messengers. The nervous system counts on a much faster means of circulation. This cycle is what allows drugs to work so well, because they mimic the crucial role of hormones and neurotransmitters in the function of the human body.