NEED RESPONSE IN 10 HOURS or LESS
PLEASE UPLOAD EACH DISCUSSION SEPARATELY Read the initial posts made by classmates. Respond to Classmate’s discussion with the following:
1) Add new information to their description of the hormone and/or gland involved.
2) Add your own opinion and discuss your ideas on endocrine disruptors in general and their role in disease and the overall health of an individual.
3) Discuss ways those affected can avoid an endocrine disruptor. Act as a healthcare professional and educate them on ways to avoid it as well as give examples of alternatives to use. Be specific.
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.
CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION 1 (Stephanie) Minimum of 200 WORDS
The endocrine disruptor I chose was Bisphenol A or known as BPA. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may be inferior to the endocrine system and how it functions. Bisphenol is a chemical produced in large quantities and is used in the production of many plastics, eyewear, metal food cans, bottle tops, and some water supply pipes. Bisphenol has been around for years, "BPA was thrust into the limelight in recent years but the chemical has actually been around for about 120 years. BPA was first synthesized by chemists in 1891. In the late 1930’s, scientists discovered that BPA acted as an artificial estrogen" (Wisner Baum). After all the research done about BPA overtime, bisphenol is more dangerous than people think and very harmful to the body overtime.
Bisphenol impacts the endocrine system by disrupting the normal function and interferes and prevents the binding of natural hormones to their receptors and can act as a hormone mimics. BPA also can exaggerate the effects of endogenous hormones. This chemical is known to disrupt the natural function of this system and alter our body's normal immune response, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland. BPA alters pituitary development by increasing proliferation and gonadotroph number in females but not in males. Studies have found that, "Researchers have also found that exposure to BPA is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and alteration of normal immune response resulting in high levels of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and interleukin-4 potentially leading to allergies such as hay fever. BPA can also alter cardiac function leading to thickening of the left ventricular wall" (Hafezi). If a person would consume BPA this chemical would only last about 24 hours in their system, so it is safe to say that if you consume it once or are exposed to it you are okay. But overtime if a person is consuming it every day of using products that contain BPA this is where the
problems can happen and start to affect your endocrine system, hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
References: Hafezi, S. (2019). NIH. The Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A
(BPA).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6864600/#:~:text=BPA% 20is%20classified%20as%20an,hormones%20%5B2%2C%208%5D.
Wisner Baum. (2023). WB.https://www.wisnerbaum.com/consumer-class-actions/bpa-
injuries/what-is-bpa- /#:~:text=BPA%20was%20thrust%20into%20the,acted%20as%20an%20artificial %20estrogen.
Read the initial posts made by classmates. Respond to Classmate’s discussion with the following:
1) Add new information to their description of the hormone and/or gland involved.
2) Add your own opinion and discuss your ideas on endocrine disruptors in general and their role in disease and the overall health of an individual.
3) Discuss ways those affected can avoid an endocrine disruptor. Act as a healthcare professional and educate them on ways to avoid it as well as give examples of alternatives to use. Be specific.
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.
CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION 3 (Taylor) Minimum of 200 WORDS
I chose to focus on Phthalates. Phthalates are a group of chemicals that make plastics more durable. They are found in hundreds, if not thousands, of everyday surfaces like vinyl flooring, Tupperware, lubricating oils, shampoos, coatings of medications, hairsprays, etc. Humans come into contact with Phthalates in many different ways. Phthalates can be consumed when the chemicals leak from containers and into the food we eat. Levels of Phthalate metabolites have also shown up in urine as a result of using personal care products that are made with these chemicals. Children in particular can consume levels of Phthalates from touching so many different plastic surfaces and then putting their hands in their mouths. Research is showing that phthalates are harmful to male reproductive systems. They are known to be anti-androgenic, in that they decrease testosterone (Harvard School of Public Health). When they disrupt the normal testosterone and estradiol balance, which causes an abnormal proliferation of prostate cells. This can lead to cancer. The Phthalates target certain cells in the testes, specifically the Leydig and Sertoli cells, and disrupts their development and function (Hlisníková, 2020). This can lead to problems such as
cryptorchidism, shorter anogenital distance and decreased testis weight. Studies also show that phthalates are associated with decreased sperm count and decreased sperm mobility (Hlisníková, 2020). Males can suffer the effects of Phthalate exposure in utero as well. It has been shown that dosing the mother with high levels of Phthalates causes defects in the male reproductive tract (Harvard School of Public Health).
References: Why phthalates should be restricted or banned from consumer products. News. (2021, March 17). Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/the-big-3-why-phthalates-should- be-restricted-or-banned-from-consumer-products/Links to an external site.
Hlisníková, H., Petrovičová, I., Kolena, B., Šidlovská, M., & Sirotkin, A. (2020). Effects and Mechanisms of Phthalates' Action on Reproductive Processes and Reproductive Health: A Literature Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(18), 6811. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186811
Read the initial posts made by classmates. Respond to Classmate’s discussion with the following:
1) Add new information to their description of the hormone and/or gland involved.
2) Add your own opinion and discuss your ideas on endocrine disruptors in general and their role in disease and the overall health of an individual.
3) Discuss ways those affected can avoid an endocrine disruptor. Act as a healthcare professional and educate them on ways to avoid it as well as give examples of alternatives to use. Be specific.
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.
CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION 3 (Jessica) Minimum of 200 WORDS
Perchlorate is the endocrine disruptor that I chose to review. Perchlorate is a negatively charged molecule made of one chlorine atom and four oxygen atoms that can be man made or occur naturally. It was discovered in the 19th century and belongs to a group called goitrogens. Perchlorate occurs in states with little or no rain in the Southwest United States, Chile, and Canada. It also forms in the atmosphere naturally. Perchlorate can be manufactured and used as an industrial chemical for explosives, fireworks, road flares, propellants, airbag initiators in vehicles, batteries, adhesives, and disinfectants. It has also been found in drinking water and some food since it is in the environment. Studies have shown that oral exposure to Perchlorate is the best known route for absorption whereas transdermal and inhalation not so much. It has been often detected in water supplies in close proximity to sites where solid rocket fuel is used or
manufactured, but there are also locations in the US that lack a clearly defined source. When Perchlorate gets into the water supply it cannot be heated or boiled out. A point of use reverse osmosis device can be used effectively to remove Perchlorate or the change of rates of blending water sources can be done as well.
When a person is exposed (transdermal, inhalation, or oral) to high doses or for an extended amount of time to Perchlorate it can interfere with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, which could lead to a reduction in the production of thyroid hormone. Basically it disrupts the thyroid's ability to produce hormones needed for normal growth and development. Perchlorate has also been used to treat hyperthyroidism and to diagnose thyroid disorders or iodine metabolism. Some short term effects of exposure can cause irritation, coughing, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The good thing is most Americans consume enough amounts of iodine in their diets to protect them from Perchlorate levels present in water and food.
References:
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). Perchlorate questions and answers. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/perchlorate-questions- and- answers#:~:text=Perchlorate%20is%20a%20negatively%20charged,naturally%20or%20 be%20man%2Dmade.
Niziński, P., Błażewicz, A., Kończyk, J., & Michalski, R. (2021, June 1). Perchlorate – properties, toxicity and human health effects: An updated review. De Gruyter. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/reveh-2020- 0006/html?lang=en