Posted: June 22nd, 2022

Toxins in the Human Body

Compare and contrast a toxin that affects the nervous system, one that affects the endocrine system, and another that affects the cardiovascular system. What characteristics are shared by these toxins, and what characteristics of these toxins make these toxins vulnerable to toxicity of these specific systems

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Toxins in the Human Body
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Toxins in the Human Body
Lead is a toxin that affects the nervous system. This toxin is mostly exposed to human beings through leaded gasoline, industrial processes such as coal combustion and lead smelting, solder in water supply system and in grids. Its persistence in the environment is because it is non-biodegradable. Lead exposure affects the central nervous system as well as the peripheral nervous system. The effects on the peripheral nervous system are mostly seen in adults while the effects on the central nervous system are seen in children (Brent, 2006). Young children at a higher risk as compared to adults. This because their nervous system is developing and therefore it absorbs a higher fraction of the lead (Needleman et al., 2004). The effects of this exposure in children are that they may appear inattentive, irritable and hyperactive at low lead exposures. In high lead exposures, they may experience delayed growth, decreased intelligence, hearing loss and permanent brain damage.
Dioxin is an environmental pollutant that affects the endocrine system. This toxin is a by-product of industrial processes as well as natural processes such as forest fires and volcanic eruptions. In industry, they are by-products of manufacturing processes such as smelting, bleaching of paper pulp and manufacture of herbicides (WHO, 2016). This toxin has many effects in human beings. They include skin lesions which include chloracne as well as patchy darkening of the skin. The toxicant has also be found to alter the concentration of reproductive hormones in the human body. Which include undescended testis, testicular cancer and decreased spermatogenesis in males. It also increases the chances of one being getting diabetes.
Mercury, on the other hand, affects the cardiovascular systems. Human beings are exposed to this toxicant through the environment. This toxicant is highly mobile in the ecosystem. Human activities that expose one to this toxicant include burning of fossil fuels, burning of waste as well as the coal and petroleum industry. According to Yoshizawa et al. exposure to this toxin, leads to arterial blood pressure, increased hypertension, coronary dysfunction and atherosclerosis.
These toxins have certain characteristics that are shared by all of them. These toxins are found in the environment as a result of human activities. They are produced as a result of a chemical process in the environment. These toxins react with the cells of their target organ systems thus affecting organ systems and preventing them from functioning well.
The characteristics of Lead that have made the nervous system to be vulnerable to it. Lead has no biological function, it generates oxidative stress. In this case, it causes the generation of ROS that leads to critical damage of biomolecules such as the DNA, enzymes, proteins as well as membrane-based lipids. This it does while at the same time impairing the antioxidant defense system. This makes the nervous system vulnerable to its toxicity.
Dioxin is an exogenous agent. This enables it to interfere with synthesis, secretion, metabolism, binding action or elimination of natural blood-borne hormones which are in the body and which are responsible for homoeostasis (E. D Kandarakris, 2009). Dioxin usually acts through the nuclear receptors, nonnuclear steroid hormone receptors, nonsteroid receptors such as serotonin receptors and dopamine receptors also other enzymatic pathways that are involved in steroid biosynthesis and metabolism which usually combine or converge upon the endocrine system. This enables it to alter hormonal as well as homeostatic systems in the human body.
Mercury, which is inhaled, has the characteristic of being easily absorbed through mucous membranes. This absorbed mercury can be deposited on body tissues. This toxin is also insoluble, stable and can be hardly absorbed in the blood this leads to the brain as well as the heart being at the risk of its exposure since it is mostly found in the blood system.
References
Brent, J. (2006). A Review of: “Medical Toxicology”. Clinical Toxicology, 44(3), 355-355. doi:10.1080/15563650600584733
Needleman, H. (2004). Lead Poisoning. Annual Review of Medicine, 55(1), 209-222. doi:10.1146/annurev.med.55.091902.103653
WHO | Dioxins and their effects on human health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/

Yoshizawa K., Rimm, E. B., & Morris, J. S. (2002). Mercury and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Kandarakis, E. D., Bourguignon, J. P., & Gore, A. C. (2009, June 30). Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726844/

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