from Johns-Hopkins

On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said this is what caused her breast cancer.  It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue.

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), or simply dioxins, are a group of polyhalogenated compounds which are significant because they act as environmental pollutants. They are commonly referred to as dioxins for simplicity in scientific publications because every PCDD molecule contains a dioxin skeletal structure. Typically, the p-dioxin skeleton is at the core of a PCDD molecule, giving the molecule a dibenzo-p-dioxin ring system. Members of the PCDD family have been shown to bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife due to their lipophilic properties, and are known teratogens, mutagens, and suspected human carcinogens. They are organic compounds.

Dioxins occur as by-products in the manufacture of organochlorides, in the incineration of chlorine-containing substances such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), in the bleaching of paper, and from natural sources such as volcanoes and forest fires. There have been many incidents of dioxin pollution resulting from industrial emissions and accidents; the earliest such incidents were in the mid 18th century during the Industrial Revolution. The word "dioxins" may also refer to a similar but unrelated compound, the polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) of like environmental importance.

Sheryl Crow’s oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water.  Dioxin is
a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.  Pass this on to all the women in your life. 

Health effects in humans

Dioxins build up primarily in fatty tissues over time (bioaccumulate), so even small exposures may eventually reach dangerous levels. In 1994, the US EPA reported that dioxins are a probable carcinogen, but noted that non-cancer effects (reproduction and sexual development, immune system) may pose an even greater threat to human health. TCDD, the most toxic of the dibenzodioxins, is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). TCDD has a half-life of approximately 8 years in humans, although at high concentrations, the elimination rate is enhanced by metabolism.[18] The health effects of dioxins are mediated by their action on a cellular receptor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).[19]

Exposure to high levels of dioxins in humans causes a severe form of persistent acne, known as chloracne.[20] A case-control study has shown an elevated risk of sarcoma (a type of cancer) associated with low-level exposure (4.2 fg/m3) to dioxins from incineration plants.[21] High levels of exposures to dioxins have been shown by epidemiological studies to lead to an increased risk of tumours at all sites.[21]

Other effects in humans may include:

Developmental abnormalities in the enamel of children’s teeth.[22][23]
Central and peripheral nervous system pathology[24]
Thyroid disorders[25]
Damage to the immune systems.[26]
Endometriosis[27]
Diabetes[28]

Recent studies have shown that exposure to dioxins changes the ratio of male to female births among a population such that more females are born than males.[29]
Dioxins accumulate in food chains in a fashion similar to other chlorinated compounds (bioaccumulation). This means that even small concentrations in contaminated water can be concentrated up a food chain to dangerous levels due to the long biological half life and low water solubility of dioxins.

Studies of dioxins’ effects in Vietnam

US veterans’ groups and Vietnamese groups, including the Vietnamese government, have convened scientific studies to explore their belief that dioxins were responsible for a host of disorders, including tens of thousands of birth defects in children, that have affected Vietnam veterans as well as an estimated one million Vietnamese, due to their exposure during the Vietnam War to Agent Orange, a defoliant chemical which was widely sprayed over Vietnamese land and which was found to be highly contaminated with TCDD. Several exposure studies showed that some US Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange had serum TCDD levels up to 600 ppt (parts per trillion) many years after they left Vietnam, compared to general population levels of approximately 1 to 2 ppt of TCDD. In Vietnam, TCDD levels up to 1,000,000 ppt have been found in soil and sediments from Agent Orange contaminated areas, three to four decades after spraying. In addition, elevated levels have been measured in food and wildlife in Vietnam.[43]

The most recent study, paid for by the National Academy of Sciences, was released in an April 2003 report. This report is currently (March 2007) being revised for release again later in 2007.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that dioxin levels in Vietnam veterans[44] were in no way atypical when compared against the rest of the population. The only exception existed for those who directly handled Agent Orange. These were members of Operation Ranch Hand. Long-term studies of the members of Ranch Hand have thus far uncovered a possibility of elevated risks of diabetes.

Toxicity
Dioxins are absorbed primarily through dietary intake of fat, as this is where they accumulate in animals and humans. As this accumulation increases the pH of the tissue elevates in acid leaving the cells in an oxidized state. Here is the key to Pathogenic Fungus. In humans, the highly chlorinated dioxins are stored in fatty tissues and are neither readily metabolized nor excreted. The estimated elimination half-life for highly chlorinated dioxins (4-8 chlorine atoms) in humans ranges from 7.8 to 132 years.[16] The use of Essential Oils will assessed the body in the quick removal of these and other toxin.

The persistence of a particular dioxin congener in an animal is thought to be a consequence of its structure. It is believed that dioxins with few chlorines, which thus contain hydrogen atoms on adjacent pairs of carbons, can more readily be oxidized by cytochromes P450.[citation needed] The oxidized dioxins can then be more readily excreted rather than stored for long time.[citation needed]
 
This information is the kind we need to know that just might save us!  Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle instead of plastic!

This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
 

• No plastic containers in microwave.

• No water bottles in freezer

• No plastic wrap in microwave.

A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.  Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
 
Sheryl Crow’s oncologist talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers…This especially appli es to foods that contain fat.
 
He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastic releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body… Instead, he recommends using glass, such as  Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramiccontainers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin.

Things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.,  should be removed from the container and heated in something else.  Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use 20 tempered glass, Corning  Ware, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons…
 
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran wrap, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.   As the food is nuked, the  high heat  causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.  Cover food with a paper towel instead.