Dr. Gil Katz*
Direct link to this page: https://www.hayadan.org.il/dioxin100205.html
The poisoning of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko repeatedly brings up the issue of dioxins, their invention in the environment and their great impact on our health, these data have many implications for all areas of our lives, factories that emitted dioxins and it is proven that they are responsible for the issue may be exposed to lawsuits, real estate prices in areas "infested with dioxins" may decrease, the insurance companies may increase the premiums of those who live in prone areas, and the identification of the sources will in any case require a reduction in the amount of dioxins emitted by the factories, damages claims of various kinds against the factories, their owners, their managers, and the state.
What are dioxins:
The dioxins and their derivatives are large organic molecules containing two benzene rings, oxygen linking them and chlorine atoms transposed in numbers and in a different order on the benzene rings.
There are about 75 isomers of dioxins and 136 monoxins, many of them have toxic properties for humans and animals.
These molecules are considered very stable, their lifespan in nature is estimated to be about 15 years on average.
How are they created:
Dioxins are created mainly in two sources:
1. Burning processes.
2. Chemical syntheses.
Burning processes that naturally contain carbon and oxygen, therefore in cases where chlorine is present in the gas mixture, there is the potential for the formation of dioxin molecules and their derivatives.
The presence of metals and soot and/or ash particles in the combustion gases accelerates the production rate of dioxins and their emission into the air.
In chemical syntheses, for example the production of substances such as pesticides, or the production of plastic products containing chlorine such as PVC, as well as various chemical processes containing chlorine, are sources of dioxin production.
Distribution of dioxins in the environment:
Dioxins are dispersed into the environment in four mechanisms:
A. Through the air - combustion exhaust gases in chimneys, vegetation fires, and industrial exhaust gases.
B. Through the water - the industrial and municipal waste water.
third. Through the products - fertilizers, pesticides, disinfectants and the like.
d. Through industrial and municipal waste - metal slag, combustion ash, industrial sludge, chemical waste, wastewater treatment sludge, etc.
How do dioxins reach the human body:
Dioxins enter the human body mainly through the food chain. It was found that only about 10% of the potential entry of dioxins into the body could be through the respiratory tract, the majority through food and drink.
Dioxins dissolve well in fats and oil and therefore may find their way into the human body through the fat in meat, fish, poultry, as well as in fruits rich in oil such as olives, avocados and dairy products rich in fat and the like. It was found that breast milk may transfer the dioxins in breast milk due to the stability of the molecules.
Health damage to the human body:
In studies done around the world, it was found that dioxins and their derivatives are cancer-causing, damage hormones in the human body, kill sperm in men and reduce fertility in women, cause mutations in fetuses and cause serious internal diseases.
What is happening in the world:
Due to the seriousness of the problem and the potential dangers and the need for large financial expenditures in the issues of treatment and rehabilitation of the victims, the issue is a high priority for treatment in the world.
The USA already found in 1987 that the amount of dioxins in the country is very large, and that the average level of dioxins in the blood of the population in the USA is correspondingly high. Following these serious findings, the government began a massive process of actions to reduce the emissions of dioxins into the environment through legislation, enforcement and supervision with the help of monitoring.
In 1995, the Americans found that the amount of dioxins emitted in the USA decreased by about 70% compared to 1987. It was also found in a blood test survey that the level of dioxins was reduced by half in the population. The goal function in the USA: for the year 2004 to lower dioxin emissions into the environment by at least one tenth of the situation in 1987, and indeed from the data collected it appears that the administration met the task.
Similar measures are being taken in the advanced European countries (about 5 years behind the USA) and a general emissions survey and data on the content of dioxin concentrations in the blood of the population are being conducted and the countries are working to reduce the production of dioxins in the environment.
In the State of Israel, there is no information on the dioxin content in the blood of the population and there is no information about any program in this regard by the Ministry of Health of the State of Israel.
*By: Dr. Gil Katz (Dr. Chemical Engineering), consultant and CEO of Dr. Katz Technologies & Enterprises; An expert on dioxins, conducting a dioxin inventory survey in the State of Israel and a researcher on the subject.
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