Recently, the research team of Ma Jianmin and Huang Tao from the School of Resources and Environment of Lanzhou University found that Because dioxins are easily accumulated in high-fat animals, With the changes in the dietary structure of Chinese residents, the proportion of the population at critical risk of dioxin cancer has increased from 0.2% in 1980 to 1.2% in 2009. The results were recently published in Scientific Reports.
Ma Jianmin, a professor at the School of Resources and Environment of Lanzhou University, said that because the mass of dioxin in the air is much smaller than micrograms, it is currently impossible to monitor the specific content of dioxin in the atmosphere like smog. 90% of the dioxins entering the human body are through diet.
The study found that the proportion of Chinese residents who exceeded the critical cancer risk of dioxin recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency increased from 0.2% in 1980 to 1.2% in 2009. The impact of a high-fat diet on the risk of dioxin cancer among Chinese residents increased from 8% in 1980 to 17% in 2009. Among them, the cancer risk of residents in eastern my country and urban areas is much higher than that of residents in western and rural areas. Although urban residents have a higher risk of dioxin cancer due to their greater meat intake, the increase in meat consumption among rural residents in recent years is higher than that among urban residents, resulting in an even greater increase in cancer risk.
The research results show that although the average intake of animal-source foods by Chinese residents is still lower than that in Western countries, due to the rapid growth of environmental levels of dioxin in my country, the resulting dioxin cancer risk for Chinese residents cannot be ignored .
Introduction to dioxin knowledge:
Dioxin, 1,4-dioxane, is a monocyclic organic compound. It is a by-product that has no industrial use. Generally speaking, the term "dioxin" in a broad sense refers to derivative compounds containing the aforementioned structure, such asTetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD) is often used in animal experiments. Dioxins and their derivative compounds have different toxicities.In addition, these compounds are fat-soluble and will accumulate in animal fat tissues and certain parts of plants.
The dangers of dioxin:
Dioxins are representatives of environmental endocrine disruptors. They can interfere with the body's endocrine system and produce widespread health effects.
Dioxins can cause ovarian dysfunction in female animals, inhibit the effects of estrogen, and cause infertility, reduced fetuses, and miscarriage in female animals. Low doses of dioxins can cause cleft palate and hydronephrosis in fetal rats. Male animals given dioxin will experience a decrease in sperm cells, degeneration of mature sperm, and feminization of male animals. Epidemiological studies have found that male workers exposed to 2,3,7,8-TCDD in production have reduced serum testosterone levels and increased follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone, suggesting that it may act as an antiandrogen and feminize men. role.
Dioxins have obvious immunotoxicity and can cause thymus atrophy and reduced cellular and humoral immune functions in animals. Dioxins can also cause skin damage, and the occurrence of skin hyperkeratosis, pigmentation, and chloracne can be observed in exposed experimental animals and humans.
Animals exposed to dioxin may develop liver enlargement, parenchymal cell proliferation and hypertrophy, and degeneration and necrosis in severe cases. 2,3,7,8-TCDD is extremely carcinogenic to animals. Poisoning with 2,3,7,8-TCDDcan induce tumors in multiple locations in experimental animals.
Epidemiological studies have shown that dioxin exposure can increase the risk of cancer in the population. Based on the results of animal experiments and epidemiological studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified 2,3,7,8-TCDD as a Class I human carcinogen in 1997.