Download Tunde-Sanya Olumide Tunde-Sanya 2/25/13 Pd. 5 Don`t Sit on That

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Olumide Tunde-Sanya
2/25/13
Pd. 5
Don’t Sit on That Couch, You Could get Exposed!
The endocrine system is a system of glands located throughout the body that
produces hormones that regulate body functions. This complex system controls one’s
growth, metabolism, and sexual development. The thyroid gland, a part of the endocrine
system, is located in the lower part of the neck. This gland produces hormones that
coordinate the rate at which several of the body’s vital organs work, and helps the body
to use energy, stay warm, and keeps the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working
normally. Thyroid nodules are lumps in the thyroid that can be an indication of thyroid
disease. Fifty percent of the population will at some point in their lives get a thyroid
nodule, and of this large percent, nodules are only detected in about 6.4% of women and
1.5% of men (“Thyroid Nodule”1). Fortunately, most of these nodules are benign, but
about five to ten percent of the time, they can be cancerous. Although there are several
types of thyroid disease, most fall into two main categories, which are hypothyroidism
and hyperthyroidism. Endocrine disruptors are the chemicals found in the environment
that interfere with the functions of the endocrine system. Their effect on the thyroid is the
main subject of this paper. Since the thyroid is not a very commonly known gland, and
due to a lack of awareness of the dangers the environment poses to the thyroid, there has
been an increase in the incidence of thyroid diseases.
There are several types of thyroid disease. The most worrisome is thyroid cancer,
which is a common cancer, especially in women, who get it “four times more often than
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men” (Gross). Symptoms of this cancer could be nodules, hoarseness, or discomfort in
the neck. However, the cancer is often asymptomatic, and can go undetected for several
years. As with all forms of cancer, if the cancer goes untreated, it could spread to other
parts of the body and cause further complications, including death. Since thyroid cancer
can go unnoticed for so many years, the risk of these life-threatening complications only
increases. In recent studies, it has also become apparent that thyroid cancer is becoming
more aggressive (Roman), as more deaths have been caused by thyroid cancer in recent
years.
The lack of awareness of the thyroid is one of the factors of why there is a rising
incidence of thyroid disease, especially thyroid cancer incidence, which is increasing
more than any other cancer in the United States. The incidence of this cancer has nearly
doubled since the 1970s. Even though the cancer is more common in women, the
mortality rate of thyroid cancer in men has increased by 2.4%- the highest growth of any
cancer (Sayre 2). The causes of this can also be attributed to other factors. Thyroid
disease can also be caused by radiation exposure. The highest numbers of cancer
incidences are in areas with the highest number of nuclear power reactors or radiation.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York have the highest amount of nuclear reactors in
the United States, and also the highest rates of thyroid disease incidence, specifically in
areas within a 90-mile radius of these reactors (Mangano 1). Others areas in the world
have shown increased thyroid cancer incidence in areas with excess radiation. The
nuclear reactor damage from the tsunami in Japan and the radiation accident in
Chernobyl, Russia are prime examples (“Clinical Thyroidology for Patients” 2). Another
factor is the growing issue of iodine deficiency in the United States and several other
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parts of the world (Chandra 213). Iodine, which is typically found in salt, is the chemical
the thyroid needs to function, and a lack of it can also cause thyroid problems. In fact,
according to the American Thyroid Association, a recent study has proven that taking
iodine after being exposed to radiation significantly reduces one’s risk of developing
thyroid cancer.
Besides cancer, two other common thyroid diseases are hypothyroidism and
hyperthyroidism. People with a thyroid disease will most likely have hypothyroidism. It
is usually the result of Hashimotos thyroiditis (Naglieri), which is an autoimmune disease
that occurs when the body’s immune system cells attack the thyroid. The result
(hypothyroidism) causes the thyroid to produce less thyroid hormone, which slows the
body’s functions down (Marieb and Hoehn 620). People with an abnormal amount of
thyroid antibodies are usually at risk of developing thyroid disease. For example, people
with coeliac disease, which is caused by hypothyroidism, have been shown to have an
abnormal amount of thyroid antibodies (Taha and Rudell 844). Hypothyroidism can
result in patients suffering from fatigue, depression, hair loss, feeling cold, etc.
Hyperthyroidism does the opposite, causing the thyroid to produce too much thyroid
hormone, therefore speeding up the body’s function to dangerous levels. This can cause
fatigue, weight loss, muscle weakness, heart failure, and several other problems. These
diseases can be very dangerous if left untreated and can even lead to other diseases.
Developing a thyroid disease can be due to genetic inheritance, but one can also
develop a thyroid disease through exposure to endocrine disruptors. If one is already
genetically predisposed to getting a thyroid disease, endocrine disruptors can act as a
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trigger to express these diseases (Prummel, Strieder, and Weisinger 605). These
chemicals are dangerous to the thyroid and are easy to come across. They can be found in
man-made items such as pesticides and plasticizers, or can be natural chemicals found in
the environment (Schmutzler, Hofmann, and Kovacs 77). The most common endocrine
disruptors are Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are industrial chemicals that can
be found in coolants, lubricants, tapes, plastics, etc. In addition to causing a thyroid
disease, they can cause A.D.D, memory issues, and motor deficits (Brent 755). PCBs are
agonists, meaning that they “mimic thyroid hormone action” (Langer 403), and the body
cannot distinguish between this chemical and it’s own thyroid hormone. Another
common endocrine disruptor is Bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in nearly all plastic
items, which people are exposed to regularly. BPA can be found in shampoo bottles,
plastic containers, and various other items people use daily. The chemical can seep into
and contaminate the shampoo or the food in plastic containers, therefore entering the
body. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are found in a wide variety of consumer
products that are freely released into home and work environments. PBDE’s are
chemicals that are usually ingested from contaminated house dust, which can be found in
furniture, specifically couches and carpet ("Studies Reveal Dangerous Levels of Flame
Retardants in Furniture"). PBDE’s account for as much as 80-93% of daily exposure in
toddlers (Ernest 496).
Other less common but potentially dangerous endocrine disruptors are
organochlorine pesticides, Triclosan, and Isoflavones. These chemicals can be found in
items like flame-retardants, rocket fuel, fertilizer, soaps, and soy products. Some foods
also naturally contain chemicals that can cause goiters (enlarged thyroid) or
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hypothyroidism in some people. These chemicals are known as goitrogens. Some foods
that have high amounts of goitrogens are cabbages, brussel sprouts, broccoli, turnips,
rutabagas, kohlrabi, radishes, cauliflower, and kale. Cigarettes have also been found to
have chemicals that increase the risk of certain thyroid disorders (Brent 756). Smoking
influences metabolic status and thyroid function, and studies have shown that just an hour
of second-hand smoking causes an abnormal spike in thyroid hormone levels (GS 208).
All these chemicals mentioned have been linked to thyroid diseases, specifically
hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, and have been proven to cause significant
hormonal changes, especially in pregnant women (“BPA Shown to Disrupt Thyroid
Function” 1). These chemicals not only affect the thyroid, but other parts of the body as
well. They can have negative neurological and reproductive effects. They have been
shown to impair the brain function of children if their mother was exposed to endocrine
disruptor's during pregnancy. Therefore, these children could have poorer performance in
school and lower IQs (“Thyroid Hormone and Brain Development” 1003). There are also
several reproductive effects, such as infertility, miscarriage, and fetal underdevelopment,
which have been linked to endocrine disruptor's. Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
have also both been associated with fetal loss, and studies have shown that women with a
thyroid autoimmune disorder such as Hashimoto’s are twice as likely to have a
miscarriage (Poppe and Glinoer 152).
There is a lack of basic knowledge of the thyroid in most people today, and little
is still known about the causal relationship of thyroid diseases and the previously
mentioned hazardous chemicals. In a recent study involving 50 high school students who
were questioned about their knowledge of the thyroid, only 17% knew the thyroid’s main
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function, and 4% of those were aware of thyroid disease symptoms. But the majority
(95%) has been unknowingly exposed to dangerous chemicals that could harm their
thyroid. This data is not representative of the entire population, but is a somewhat valid
estimate of what adolescents know about the thyroid, which clearly is not much. So little
is known, in fact, that most thyroid diseases are usually “diagnosed by accident, or
incidentally” (Gross). This is causing thyroid disease incidence to become a major public
health issue. The issue has become so critical that the government has had to respond
with new regulations to increase awareness and prevention (Endocrine Primer).
The endocrine system, specifically the thyroid, although very important, is still a
generally unknown part of the body. This lack of awareness of the thyroid and the
chemicals that can potentially harm the thyroid has been slowly but surely causing an
increase in the incidence of thyroid disease for decades. Thyroid disease is often
treatable, however, if it goes unattended, it can cause life-threatening complications.
Improvements in treatment have raised survival rates, but there are still too many cases
where a thyroid disease has been left untreated for too long. To remedy this issue, we
must increase out understanding of the thyroid and the dangers present to it, and be aware
of and take better care of the environment that surrounds us. To do this, we must start by
doing little things like washing our fruits and vegetables, filtering our water, trying not to
eat too much processed food, and avoiding BPA products as much as possible (Naglieri).
Also, people who smoke should try to quit, and we should all be wary of the amount of
radiation we are exposed to, which is a lot more than people think. Lastly, and most
importantly, visit the doctor regularly and check your neck.
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Works Cited
Boas, Malene, Ulla Feldt-Rasmussen, and Niels E. Skakkebeak. "Environmental
Chemicals and Thyroid Function." European Journal of Endocrinology 154
(2006): 600-05. Eje-Online. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
Brent, Gregory. "Environmental Exposures and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease."
Thyroid 20.7 (2010): 755-59. Rpt. in Thyroid. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Chandra, Amar K. "Environment and Thyroid." US National Library of Medicine
Enlisted Journal 4.3 (2011): 213-14. Print.
Clinical Thyroidology for Patients." American Thyroid Association. Ed. Alan P.
Farwell. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.
"Endocrine Primer." Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. Environmental
Protection agency, 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.epa.gov>.
“Endocrine Society Unveils First-Ever Scientific Statement.” The Endocrine
Society. Ed. Arlyn G. Riskind and Aaron Lohr. Endocrine Society, n.d.
Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
Ernest, Sheila R., et al. "Effects of Chronic Exposure to an Environmentally
Relevant Mixture of Brominated Flame Retardants on the Reproductive and
Thyroid System." Toxicological Sciences (2011): 496-505. Print.
Gross, Neil D. Interview by Matt McMillen. N.d.
GS, Metsios, and Flouris AD. "A Brief Exposure to Moderate Passive Smoke
Increases Metabolism and Thyroid Hormone Secretion." J Clinic Endocrinology
Metabolism (2007): 208-11. PubMed. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
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Itterman, and Thamm. "Relationship of Smoking... between Thyroid Stimulating
Hormone and Body Mass Index in Large Groups of Adolescents." PubMed. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Langer. "The Impacts of Organochlorines and Other Persistent Pollutants on
Thyroid and Metabolic Health." Neuroendocrinilogy (2010): 497-518.
PubMed. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
Mangano, Joseph J. "Geographic Variation in U.S. Thyroid Cancer Incidence."
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.
Marieb, Elaine N., and Katja Hoehn. "The Endocrine System." Human Anatomy&
Phsyiology. 7th ed. San Francisco: Pearson- Benjamin Cummings, 2007. 604-45. Print.
Naglieri, Rosalie, Dr. Personal interview. 30 Nov. 2012.
Poppe, Kris, and Daniel Glinoer. "Thyroid Autoimmunity and Hypothyroidism
before and during Pregnancy." Human Reproduction Update 9.2 (2003): 149-61.
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.
Prummel, Mark F., Thea Strieder, and Wilmar Wiersinga. "The Environment and
Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases." European Journal of Endocrinology 150 (2004):
605-18. European Journal of Endocrinology. Web. 12 Dec. 2012
S., Roman. "Aggressive Variants of Papillary Thyroid Cancer." PubMed. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
Sayre, Carolyn. "The Rising Incidence of Thyroid Cancer." New York Times 13
Oct. 2010: 1-3. Print.
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Schmutzler, Cornelia, Peter J. Hofmann, and Gabor Kovacs. "Endocrine
Disruptors and the Thyroid Gland." 2007. Environmental Health Perspective. N.p.: n.p.,
n.d. 77-83. PMC. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
"Studies Reveal Dangerous Levels of Flame Retardants in Furniture." The
Endocrine Society. BulletinHealthCare, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
Taha, A., and W S Rudell. "Coeliac Disease and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease."
GUT 35.6 (1994): 844-46. GUT. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
"Thyroid Hormone and Brain Development." Thyroid 13.11 (2003): 1001-03.
"Thyroid Nodule." American Thyroid Association. N.p., 4 June 2012. Web. 28
Oct. 2012.