Dioxins and Health: Including Other Persistent Organic Pollutants and Endocrine Disruptors

Explores the latest science on dioxins and other POPs, and their impact on human health Now in its third edition, Dioxins and Health is the most respected reference of its kind, presenting the latest scientific findings on dioxins, dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls and related compounds, and their impact on human health. The book fully examines the many toxicological effects—including immunological, neurological, developmental, dermatological, and cardiological—these chemicals have on health. This Third Edition has been greatly expanded with the latest research findings on dioxins and related compounds. Moreover, it now includes coverage of other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine disruptors, including: Brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane Perfluorinated chemicals such as perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid Other endocrine disrupting chemicals similar to POPs such as bisphenol A Readers will also learn about the latest findings on the long–term impacts caused by the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Other chapters review the Seveso disaster in Italy and the Yusho and Yucheng rice oil poisoning incidents in Japan and Taiwan. In addition, there is a full chapter dedicated to the dioxin poisoning of former Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko. All the chapters in the book have been written by leading international experts. References at the end of each chapter guide readers to the primary literature in the field. Expertly organized in one volume, Dioxins and Health offers readers quick access to essential information about dioxins and related compounds written in clear, simple language that is accessible to not only scientists, clinicians and public health professionals, but also general readers.

PREFACE xi ACKNOWLEDGMENT xvi ABOUT THE EDITOR xvii CONTRIBUTORS xix LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES xxiii 1 PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS: AN OVERVIEW 1   Daniele Wikoff, Lauren Fitzgerald, and Linda Birnbaum 2 TOXICITY EQUIVALENCE FACTORS FOR DIOXIN AND RELATED COMPOUNDS 37  Michael DeVito 3 HISTORIC AND NEWER PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN FOOD 53 Janice Huwe 4 FLAME RETARDANTS: POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS AND THEIR REPLACEMENTS 89  Thomas F. Webster and Heather M. Stapleton 5 PHARMACOKINETICS OF 2,3,7,8–TETRACHLORODIBENZO–AND RELATED COMPOUNDS P–DIOXIN    109  James R. Olson 6 IMMUNOMODULATION BY PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS 171  Robert W. Luebke, Jamie C. DeWitt, Dori R. Germolec, Keith D. Salazar, and Nancy I. Kerkvliet 7 DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY OF DIOXINS 193  G. Jean Harry and Pamela J. Lein 8 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ON THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID 229  Kyle Steenland, Tony Fletcher, and David A. Savitz 9 POLYBROMINATED P–DIOXINS AND DIBENZO–DIBENZOFURANS 255  Kurunthachalam Kannan, Chunyang Liao, and Hyo–Bang Moon 10 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON CANCER AND EXPOSURE TO DIOXINS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS 303  Lennart Hardell and Mikael Eriksson 11 REPRODUCTIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DIOXINS 359 Anne Sweeney, Deborah J. del Junco, Marcella Warner, and Brenda Eskenazi 12 BISPHENOL A 381  Thaddeus T. Schug, Sarah A. Vogel, Laura N. Vandenberg, Joe M. Braun, Russ Hauser, Julia A. Taylor, Frederick S. vom Saal, and Jerold J. Heindel 13 PHTHALATES: HUMAN EXPOSURE AND RELATED HEALTH EFFECTS 415  John D. Meeker and Kelly K. Ferguson 14 THE SEVESO ACCIDENT 445  Angela Cecilia Pesatori and Pier Alberto Bertazzi 15 AGENT ORANGE: HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, AND LAOS 469  Susan Hammond and Arnold Schecter 16 THE YUSHO AND YUCHENG RICE OIL POISONING INCIDENTS 521  Yoshito Masuda and Arnold Schecter 17 THE BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ELECTRICAL TRANSFORMER FIRE INCIDENT OF 1981 553  Nancy Kim and Arnold Schecter 18 THE YUSHCHENKO DIOXIN POISONING: CHRONOLOGY AND PHARMACOKINETICS 567 John Jake Ryan 19 POPs AND HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 579  David T. Szabo and Anne E. Loccisano INDEX 619

ARNOLD SCHECTER , MD, MPH, is Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health. He is a preventive medicine physician–researcher who has studied the effects of dioxin and related chemical exposure around the world. Most recently, his research has focused on emerging POPs and endocrine disruptors in human milk, blood, and food. Dr. Schecter has served on EPA dioxin advisory panels and ATSDR/CDC dioxin, PCB, and PCDF review groups. Moreover, he has worked with the NIEHS, NIH, and NTP to communicate dioxin carcinogenicity assessments.

“This book is certain worthy of a place on your bookshelf if you are interested in environmental contamination or POPs in general.”  (International Journal of Toxicology, 1 January 2013) “I would also consider it suitable as an advanced text for learning form as it indicates the range of information that has to be examined when making toxicological judgements which affect political decisions, including judgements that have to be taken in the face of pressure from lobbyists.”  ( British Toxicology Society New , 1 November 2012)