Environmental Toxins

By David Perlmutter, MD, FACN

What are environmental toxins?
The term environmental toxins include a large number of different substances. Some are designed to be toxic e.g. pesticides and herbicide and others are by-products from or used in industry. The most important groups of environmental toxins are described in the box below.
Key groups of environmental toxins

Dioxins and furans
This group of chlorinated chemicals originates from various sources e.g. waste incinerators, waste water from the pulp and paper industry and byproducts of some industrial processes. The term dioxins cover 75 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and 135 polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) substances. Of these, 17 are toxic in very small amounts. Dioxins are often expressed as Toxic Equivalents (TEQ) in order to take the different toxicities of the components into account.

PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls)
These have been used for many years in transformers and capacitors. They are not produced today but there are still substantial amounts around e.g. in sealed windows. They can enter the environment through careless disposal of this type of product.

HCB (Hexachlorobenzene)
A by-product of making chlorine gas and some pesticides.

Pesticides
Many pesticides persist in the environment for a very long time. There are many different pesticides e.g. DDT –an insecticide, toxaphene, chlordane, lindane, and HCH.

Heavy metals: Mercury, Lead, Chromium, Arsenic, etc.

Environmental toxins get into the air and/or water and are then transported long distances where they break down very slowly. They are incorporated into the fat of small animals low in the food chain then transferred to these animals predators and so on. This is known as biomagnification.

What are the health risks from environmental toxins?
Studies have shown that exposure to high levels of environmental toxins can have negative effects on health. The effects of toxins differ but the main concerns are the effects on the immune system, on reproduction, and as a potential cause of various types of cancer. The toxicity of the different substances varies greatly –some are very toxic in even minute amounts, others are less harmful. The effects depend on many factors –the quantity of toxin someone is exposed to, how long the exposure lasts and how often, and the stage of life at which it occurs.
Which foods contain environmental toxins?
Environmental toxins are mostly found in animal fats (including fish) and small amounts from milk, meat, fish, and oils. We have all been exposed to some level of environmental toxins –minute amounts can be found in everyone’s body. One way of monitoring exposure is to measure the levels in breast milk. Studies have shown that environmental toxin levels in breast milk are lower now than they have been in the past showing that our exposure is going down.
Are fish oils high in environmental toxins?
All types of fish oils contain environmental toxins that the fish accumulate during their life in the sea. Large fish will consume high amounts of of environmental toxins, whereas small fish will only accumulate small amounts. These levels are reduced during the refining of the oils, certain processing steps reduce levels considerably. The levels in the final products are always monitored to ensure they are undetectable.
Is it healthy to eat fish and take fish oils?
Yes. It is important to remember the beneficial effects of fish. Fish oil contain omega-3 fatty acids which have many health benefits including normal growth and development in infant life, reduction in the risk of heart disease and an array of other mental benefits. Many health groups recommend that we increase our intake of fish, especially oil rich fish.
Legislation
Nordic Naturals fish oils exceeds the legislation in the EU and the FDA/EPA Guidance levels.
Analysis
Nordic Naturals receive all dioxin analysis from NILU (Norwegian Institute for Air Research). All analysis for heavy metals and PCBs are regulated in the United States. Nordic Naturals has never detected any of these substances in their product, even at exceptionally low levels.