Dioxin is a group of compounds that share certain chemical compounds in biological characteristics. It can be release through the environment through forest fires, neighbors in the background burning trash, industrial factories in residue from past commercial burning of waste. It breaks down fairly slowly and past release of the axons from both man-made and natural sources still exists in the environment according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “almost every living thing has been exposed to dioxins”. It can occur through the diet with small amounts of exposure coming from breathing air containing trace amounts of dioxins and from inadvertent ingestion of soil containing dioxins. Workplace exposures are also a possibility in certain industries. The health effects associated with dioxins depend on a variety of factors including the level of exposure when someone was exposed, for how long and how often. Studies shows being exposed to high levels may cause a number of adverse health effects including cancer, the most obvious non-cancer health effects and people exposed to large amounts of dioxin is chloracne. Chloracne is a severe skin disease with acne like lesions that occur mainly on your face and upper body. Other non-cancer effects of exposure to large amounts of dioxin include developmental and reproductive effects, damage to the immune system, interference with hormones skins, rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, and possible liver damage.
The government and industrial industry have worked to dramatically reduce know in measurable industrial dioxin emissions. These efforts have reduced air emissions of dioxins by 90 percent from 1987 according to the
IAQMarketer. (2014, June 12). Dioxins & exposure risks. YouTube. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DELNWMUIqGQ
Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/dioxin/learn-about-dioxin#:~:text=Dioxins%20are%20called%20persistent%20organic,and%20can%20interfere%20with%20hormones.
