According to the US
EPA ,
The endocrine system consists of a set of glands
and the hormones they produce that help guide the development,
growth, reproduction, and behavior of animals including human
beings. Some of the endocrine glands include the pituitary,
thyroid, and adrenal glands, the female ovaries and male testes.
Hormones are chemicals, produced by endocrine glands, that travel
through the bloodstream and cause responses in other parts of
the body. Examples of hormones include adrenaline, which helps
stimulate physical activity, and estrogen, which is essential
for female reproductive function. Hormones can produce both
positive and negative effects. For example, some types of breast
cancer are exacerbated by estrogen, but studies also indicate
that estrogen has a protective effect in combating heart disease
and osteoporosis-related fractures.
Chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning
of this complex system are known as "endocrine disruptors."
Disruption of the endocrine system can occur in various ways.
For example, some chemicals may mimic a natural
hormone, fooling the body into over-responding to the hormone.
Other chemicals may block the effects of a hormone in parts
of the body normally sensitive to it. Still others may directly
stimulate or inhibit the endocrine system, leading, to overproduction
or underproduction of hormones. Certain drugs are used to intentionally
cause some of these effects, such as birth control pills. (For
more information: see EPA's: Endocrine
Disruptor Screening Program.)
In July 1991 a multi-disciplinary group of experts
researching endocrine disruption reached consensus and published
the "The Wingspread Conference Statement." This statement
sent shockwaves through the international scientific and regulatory
communities. The scientists stated that the "cancer paradigm
is insufficient" when assessing chemicals. That certain "chemicals
can cause severe health effects other than cancer" that are
of "a profound and insidious nature." The scientists
stated:
We are certain of the following:
• A large number of man-made chemicals
that have been released into the environment, as well as a
few natural ones, have the potential to disrupt the endocrine
system of animals, including humans. Among these are the perisisten,
bioaccumulative, organohalogen compounds that include some
pesticides (fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides) and
industrial chemicals, other synthetic producs, and some metals.
• Many wildlife populations are already
affected by these compounds. The impacts include thyroid dysfunction
in birds and fish; decreased fertility in birds, fish, shellfish,
and mammals; decreased hatching success in birds, fish, and
turtles; gross birth deformities in birds, fish and turtles;
metabolic abnormalities in birds, fish, and mammals; behavioral
abnormalities in birds; demasculinization and feminization
of male fish, birds and mammals; defeminization and masculinization
of female fish and birds; and compromised immune systems in
birds and mammals.
• The patterns of effects vary among species
and among compounds. Four general points can nonetheless be
made:
(1) the chemicals of concern may have entirely different effects
on the embryo, fetus, or perinatal organism than on the adult;
(2) the effects are most often manifested in offspring, not
in the exposed parent;
(3) the timing of exposure in the developing organism is crucial
in determining its character and future potential; and
(4) although critical exposure occurs during embryonic development,
obvious manifestations may not occur until maturity.
• Laboratory studies corroborate the abnormal
sexual development observed in the field and provide biological
mechanisms to explain the observation in wildlife.
• Humans have been affected by compounds
of this nature too. The effects of DES (diethylstilbestrol),
a synthetic therapeutic agent, like many of the compounds
mentioned above, are estrogenic. Daughters born to mothers
who took DES now suffer increased rates of vaginal clear cell
adenocarcinoma, various genital tract abnormalities, abnormal
pregnancies, and some changes in immune responses. Both sons
and daughters exposed in utero experience conge4nital
anomalies of their reproductive system and reduced fertility.
The effects seen in utero DES-exposed humans parallel those
found in contaminated wildlife and laboratory animals, suggesting
that humans may be at risk to the same environmental hazards
as wildlife.
The profound concern generated from this 1991 statement
led to an international effort to identify chemicals that disrupt
hormonal systems (see OECD,
Europa).
What the public learned in 1991 was that no chemical had been
tested for its hormonal disrupting potential. The regulatory communities
committed to test every chemical in use (more than 65,000). In
order to achieve this goal, several years were spent on developing
the protocols for testing and prioritizing chemicals for these
tests.
Since 1996, endocrine disruptors have been consigned
the highest priority for research, testing, and regulation at
the US EPA. Unfortunately, the major focus is mainly limited to
effects associated with estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormones.
Theoretically, all endocrine glands are considered exquisitely
important. However, the pineal gland is not on the radar screen
due to the lack of understanding of the role of the human pineal.
Because of this, there is an enormous effort underway, by the
international scientific community, to obtain this knowledge.
The FAN Pesticide Project has been collecting abstracts on this
research - see
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on the Pineal Gland by Year |
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EPA developed the Endocrine Disruptor Screening
Program (EDSP)
in response to a Congressional mandate in the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) "to determine whether certain
substances may have an effect in humans that is similar to an
effect produced by a naturally occurring estrogen, or such other
effects as [EPA] may designate" (21 U.S.C. 346a(p)). When
carrying out the program, the statute
requires EPA to "provide for the testing of all pesticide
chemicals." The statute also
provides EPA with discretionary authority to "provide
for the testing of any other substance that may have an effect
that is cumulative to an effect of a pesticide chemical if the
Administrator determines that a substantial population may be
exposed to such a substance." In addition, section 1457
of the Safe Drinking Water Act provides
EPA with discretionary authority to provide for testing,
under the FFDCA 408(p) screening program, "of any other
substances that may be found in sources of drinking water if
the Administrator determines that a substantial population may
be exposed to such substance." (Ref: EPA's
EDSP site)
See ERICE
consensus statement on endocrine disrupting chemicals and
their effect on the brain and behaviour:
We are certain of the following:
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can undermine neurological and
behavioral development and subsequent potential of individuals
exposed in the womb or, in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds,
the egg. This loss of potential in humans and wildlife is expressed
as behavioral and physical abnormalities. It may be expressed
as reduced intellectual capacity and social adaptability, as
impaired responsiveness to environmental demands, or in a variety
of other functional guises. Widespread loss of this nature can
change the character of human societies or destabilize wildlife
populations...
The following presents information on the pineal
gland. The information is compelling and relevant to the concern
of the bioaccumulation of fluoride in the human body.
In mammals, the pineal gland is
located above the thalamus of the brain between the cerebral
cortices. In the 1990s, Jennifer Luke of the UK discovered
that the pineal gland is a major site of fluoride accumulation
within the body - with higher concentrations of fluoride than
either teeth or bone.
Luke's studies indicate that the accumulation
of fluoride in the pineal gland can reduce the gland's synthesis
of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the onset of puberty.
Fluoride-treated animals were found to have reduced levels of
circulating melatonin and an earlier onset puberty than untreated
animals. Luke concluded:
"The safety of the use of fluorides ultimately
rests on the assumption that the developing enamel organ
is most sensitive to the toxic effects of fluoride. The
results from this study suggest that the pinealocytes may
be as susceptible to fluoride as the developing enamel organ"
Ref: The Effect of Fluoride
on the Physiology of the Pineal Gland. Jennifer Anne Luke,
1997. A dissertation submitted to the School of Biological
Sciences, University of Surrey, in fulfillment of the requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
See excerpts
The fact that fluoride's impact on the pineal
gland was never studied, or even considered, before the 1990s,
highlights a major gap in knowledge underpinning current policies
on fluoride and health.
The Endocrine System:
Illustration by K. Born in Our Stolen
Future (1996)
by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski and JP Myers
The Pineal Gland:
A Photoperiodic Transducer
Through its nocturnal secretion of the biogenic
amine melatonin, the pineal has effects on the regulation
of many internal physiological rhythms and may provide
an important clue for translating photoperiodic
stimuli into action. Furthermore, melatonin
can alter coat pigmentation and hair growth; can
inhibit hypothalamic regulation of the HPA [Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal],
HPT [Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid], and HPG [Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal]
axes; and has been shown to enhance the immune response
system (Norris, 1999). Photic input in birds
and mammals is accomplished primarily via the optic
visual system. However, the pineal of most fishes,
amphibians, and reptiles also plays an important
role as a direct photoreceptor, and through secretion
of melatonin, it may be an important modulator of
the HPA, HPT, and HPG axes as well.
Any environmental factor that alters pineal function
may have profound effects on the well-being of vertebrates.
•
Chapter
3: Endocrinology and Endocrine Toxicology
From
the report:
2002. Safety Global Assessment of the State-of-the
Science of Endocrine Disruptors. International
Programme on Chemical Safety. WHO/PCS/EDC/02.2 -
An assessment prepared by an expert group on behalf
of the World Health Organization, the International
Labour Organisation, and the United Nations Environment
Programme. Edited by: Terri Damstra, Sue Barlow,
Aake Bergman, Robert Kavlock, Glen Van Der Kraak.
Until Jennifer Luke's work (1,2) many
people were unaware that the pineal gland produced
the same crystals of calcium hydroxyapatite as the
bones and teeth. [Having looked through numerous text
books I found that these crystals are called "brain
sand" -- a term used by scientists, not Hollywood
producers! The terminology may have been factor.]
According to Luke's 1997 thesis (1):
"It is remarkable that the
pineal gland has never been analysed separately
for F because it has several features which suggest
that it could accumuate F. It has the highest calcium
concentration of any normal soft tissue in the body
because it calcifies physiologically in the from
of hydroxyapatite (HA). It has a high metabolic
activitity coupled with a very profuse blood supply:
two factors favouring the deposition of F in mineralizing
tissues. The fact that the pineal is outside the
blood-brain barrier suggests that pineal HA could
sequester F from the bloodstreatm if it has the
same strong affinity for F as HA in the other mineralizing
tissues (page 1).
"After a half a century of
the prophylactic use of fluorides in dentistry,
we now know that fluoride readily accumulates in
the human pineal gland. In fact,
the aged pineal contains more fluoride than any
other normal soft tissue... However, the
pineal gland is unique in that it can be classified
as a soft or as a mineralizing tissue. In terms
of mineralized tissue, the
mean fluoride concentration in the pineal calcification
was equivalent to that in severely fluorosed bone
and more than four times higher than in corresponding
bone ash, i.e., 8,900 ± 7,700 vs.
2,040 ± 1,100 mg/kg, respectively. The
calcification in two of the 11 pineals analysed
in this study contained extremely high levels of
fluoride: 21,800 and 20,500 mg/kg (page 167)."
Luke's work is particularly illuminating
because she showed that fluoride accumulated in the
human pineal gland. She also found that fluoride lowered
the production of melatonin in animal studies - the
hormone produced by the pineal gland.
Luke analyzed the pineal glands of 11 elderly corpses
in the UK and found that the levels of fluoride were
extremely high (a mean of about 9,000 ppm).
Luke also noted a finding from the first 10-year follow-up
health study of the Newburgh-Kingston fluoridation
trial (which was not thought significant at the time)
that on average the girls in Newburgh started menstruation
5 months earlier than the girls in the control, non-fluoridated,
city of Kingston (3). -- see excerpts below.
One of the risks we
may be taking by exposing our whole population to
fluoride is interfering with delicate regulatory timing
processes, from the onset of puberty to the aging
process. - EC.
1. Luke J (1997). The effect of fluoride
on the physiology of the pineal gland. Ph.D. Thesis.
University of Surrey, Guildord, UK --see 1997 abstract
below.
2. Luke J (2001). Fluoride deposition
in the aged human pineal gland. Caries Res. 35:125-128.
3. Schlesinger ER, Overton DE, Chase
HC, Cantwell KT (1956). Newburgh-Kingston caries-fluorine
study X111. Pediatric findings after ten years. J
Amer Dent Assoc 52: 296-306.
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Adverse
Effects - Sodium fluoride - CAS No. 7681-49-4
Caries
Res 2001 Mar-Apr;35(2):125-8
Fluoride deposition in the aged
human pineal gland.
Luke
J.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford,
UK. jenniluke@compuserve.com
The purpose was to discover whether fluoride
(F) accumulates in the aged human
pineal gland. The aims were to determine (a)
F-concentrations of the pineal gland (wet), corresponding
muscle (wet) and bone (ash); (b) calcium-concentration of the
pineal. Pineal, muscle and bone were dissected from 11 aged
cadavers and assayed for F using
the HMDS-facilitated diffusion, F-ion-specific
electrode method. Pineal calcium was determined using atomic
absorption spectroscopy. Pineal and muscle contained 297+/-257
and 0.5+/-0.4 mg F/kg wet weight,
respectively; bone contained 2,037+/-1,095 mg F/kg
ash weight. The pineal contained 16,000+/-11,070 mg Ca/kg wet
weight. There was a positive correlation between pineal
F and pineal Ca (r = 0.73, p<0.02) but no correlation
between pineal F and bone
F. By old age, the pineal gland has readily accumulated
F and its F/Ca
ratio is higher than bone.
PMID: 11275672 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
1997. A dissertation
submitted to the School of Biological Sciences, University of
Surrey, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy. Guildford 1997.
The effect of fluoride
on the physiology of the pinal gland
Jennifer Anne Luke
Abstract: The purpose was to discover whether
fluoride (F) accumulates in the pineal gland and thereby affects
pineal physiology during early development. The [F] of 11 aged
human pineals and corresponding muscle were determined using
the F-electrode following HMDS/acid diffusion. The mean [F]
of pineal was significantly higher (p<0.001) than muscle:
296 ± 257 vs. 0.5 ± 0.4 mg/kg respectively.
Secondly, a controlled longitudinal experimental study was carried
out to discover whether F affects the biosynthesis of melatonin,
(MT), during pubertal development using the excretion rate of
urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, (aMT6s), as the index of pineal
MT synthesis. Urine was collected at 3-hourly intervals over
48 hours from two groups of gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus),
low-F (LF) and high-F (HF) (12 f, 12 m/group): under LD: 12
12, from prepubescence to reproductive maturity (at 9-12 weeks)
to adulthood, i.e., at 7, 9, 11 1/2 and 16 weeks. The HF pups
received 2.3 ug F/g BW/day from birth until 24 days whereafter
HF and LF groups received food containing 37 and 7 mg F/kg respectively
and distilled water. Urinary aMT6s levels were measured by radioimmunoassay.
The HF group excreted significantly less aMT6s than the F group
until the age of sexual maturation. At 11 1/2 weeks, the circadian
profile of aMT6s by the HF males was significantly dimished
but, by 16 weeks, was equivalent to the LF males. In conclusion,
F inhibits pineal MT synthesis in gerbils up until the time
of sexual maturation. Finally, F was associated
with a significant acceleration of pubertal development in female
gerbils using body weights, age of vaginal opening and accelerated
development of the ventral gland. At 16 weeks, the mean testes
weight of HF males was significantly less (p<0.002) than
that of the LF males. The results suggest that F is associated
with low circulating levels of MT and this leads to an accelerated
sexual maturation in female gerbils. The results strengthen
the hypothesis that the pineal has a role in pubertal development.
Excerpt on the Newburgh-Kingston
NY study:
To the best of my knowledge, the Newburgh-Kingston
study is the only reference on the efffect of F on the timing
of puberty in humans. It is the largest, most ambitious
paediatric survey carried out to demonstrate the safety of
water fluoridation. The New York State Department of Health
initiated the study in 1944 because they realized that there
would ultimately be a need for a long-term evaluation of any
possible systemic effects as well as the dental changes from
drinking fluoridated water over a long period of time.
Similar groups of chidren were selected for long-term observation
from Newburgh (fluoridated to 1.0 to 1.2 mg/L in 1945) and
Kingston (essentially F-free for the duration of the study).
Newburgh and Kingston were chosen because they were well-matched:
both situated on the Hudson River about 35 miles apart with
similar upland reservoir water supplies; both had populations
of about 30,000 with similar demographic characteristics,
social and economic conditions, levels of dental care, etc.
In Newburgh, out of 817 children (aged from birth to nine
years) who were selected in 1945, 500 were examined in 1954-1955;
in Kingston, out of 711 children who were selected in 945,
405 were examined in 1954-55.
The medical and dental examinations began in 1944, and were
repeated periodically until 1955. An assessment of any possible
systemic effects arising from the consumption of fluoridated
water was made by comparing the growth, development and the
prevalence of specific conditions in the two groups of children
as disclosed by their medical histories, physical examinations,
and laboratory and radiological evidence. The
age of onset of menstruation in girls was used as an index
of the rate of sexual maturation.
At the end of ten years, the investigators
repored no adverse systemic effects from drinking fluoridated
water because no significant differences were found between
the results from the two groups. The
average age of first menarche was earlier among girls in Newburgh
than those in Kingston: 12 years vs. 12 years and
5 months respectively (Schlesinger et al,
1956). Although this difference was not considered important,
it does suggest an association between
the use of fluoridated drinking water and an ealier onset
of sexual maturation in girls. The Newburgh girls had
not had a lifelong use of fluoridated water. For the first
two years or so, they received unfluoridated water. Furthermore,
their only source of F was from the drinking water. (pages
6-7)."
• Note from EC:
Excerpts are from the hard copy of Luke's thesis. Any
spelling errors are mine.
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