Template:Human health effects caused by dioxins

Human health effects caused by dioxins

Dioxins are persistent environmental pollutants and they accumulate in the food chain. Dioxins cause a large variety of effects in laboratory animals. They are carcinogenic at large doses, and they also cause developmental defects. The evidence of human effects has been more limited, because the exposure levels have been much lower than in animal tests. However, an increased cancer risk has been observed after high industrial occupational exposures. In addition, mild tooth mineralisation defects have been observed in children in Finland, even after typical exposures of the 1980's. Children are exposed to dioxins mostly via mother's milk. The dioxin levels have been decreasing since then, and no tooth defects have been observed at the current exposure levels.