Environmental Toxins and Fetal Development - Dioxin Exposure

Dioxin Exposure

One particular substance of recent concern is dioxin. Dioxin is a toxic chlorine based compound that can be found everywhere in the environment (Schneider, 1994). Originally a byproduct of the incineration of chlorine-based chemicals (usually during manufacturing), dioxin falls to earth from factory smoke stacks, where it is consumed by various animals (Schneider, 1994). When intoxicated animals are consumed by expecting mothers, the chemical is released into their system, where it then transfers to the fetus (Schneider, 1994). Dioxin exposure during fetal development has been found to cause increases in several different types of cancer, reproductive dysfunction, growth problems, and thwarted cell growth (Schneider, 1994). Further research is still being conducted to investigate the full repercussions of prenatal dioxin exposure (Schneider, 1994).