University of Iowa News Release Release: Nov. 17, 2006 p> Reports Detail Environmental Health Challenges Associated With Intensive Livestock Production Facilities A University of Iowa-sponsored international conference on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) has resulted in a series of published reports addressing major environmental health issues associated with large, industrialized livestock production facilities. The public conference and scientific workshop, "Environmental Health Impacts of CAFOs: Anticipating Hazards - Searching for Solutions," was held in March 2004 in Iowa City. It brought together UI researchers, stakeholders and national and international environmental health experts to discuss potential solutions to public health problems related to CAFOs. Five expert workgroups convened to consider the most relevant scientific challenges, including respiratory health effects, modeling and monitoring of air toxics, water quality issues, influenza pandemics and antibiotic resistance, and community health and socioeconomic issues. The workgroup reports published this week outline the state of the science in each of these areas and suggest opportunities to translate science to policy initiatives that would effect improvements in public and environmental health. The reports from these workgroups are available as a set of "mini-monographs" from Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The reports can be accessed online for free at www.ehponline.org/docs/admin/minimono.html. " These publications represent a consensus view of the issues around the environmental health impacts of modern livestock production from 37 national and international experts," said Peter Thorne, UI professor of occupational and environmental health and director of the UI Environmental Health Sciences Research Center. Thorne contributed to each of the reports and served as chair of the 2004 conference. The reports discuss major emerging concerns, including health problems from air and water contamination, the rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria in livestock, and the specter of influenza outbreaks arising from placing poultry and swine production facilities in close proximity to each other and to humans. The 2004 conference was sponsored by the UI Environmental Health Sciences Research Center and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, with additional support from the UI Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and participation of the UI Hygienic Laboratory. STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa College of Public Health Office of Communications, 4257 Westlawn, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. MEDIA CONTACT: Debra Venzke, 319-335-9647, mailto:debra-venzke@uiowa.edu

Exposure to dioxins influences male reproductive system, study of Vietnam veterans concludes DALLAS Nov. 16, 2006 A dioxin toxin contained in the herbicide Agent Orange affects male reproductive health by limiting the growth of the prostate gland and lowering testosterone levels, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a cohort study of more than 2,000 Air Force veterans who served during the Vietnam War. The study, published in the November issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, indicates that exposure to TCDD, the most toxic dioxin contained in Agent Orange, may disturb the male endocrine and reproductive systems in several ways. "Until now, we did not have very good evidence whether or not dioxins affect the human reproductive system," said Dr. Amit Gupta, a urologist at UT Southwestern and the study s lead author. "Now we know that there is a link between dioxins and the human prostate leading us to speculate that dioxins might be decreasing the growth of the prostate in humans like they do in animals." The researchers found that veterans exposed to dioxin had lower incidence rates of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), better known as enlarged-prostate disease. BPH is a disease in humans that is caused by an enlargement of the prostate. Patients must strain to pass urine and they also must urinate frequently. BPH can lead to complications such as an inability to urinate and urinary tract infection. Surgery is sometimes needed. Dr. Claus Roehrborn, professor and chairman of urology at UT Southwestern and a study author, said, "We know that dioxin causes many endocrine disturbances in the human body. The study indirectly proves that BPH is an endocrine disorder." Regarding the decreased risk for BPH found in the veterans groups, Dr. Gupta cautioned that the finding should not be interpreted as a positive result. "It may be construed that a decrease in the risk of BPH is not a harmful effect, but the larger picture is that dioxins are affecting the normal growth and development of the reproductive system. Moreover, several effective treatments are available for BPH and thus reduction of BPH by a toxic compound is not a desirable effect." The study was based on data from the Air Force Health Study (AFHS). The AFHS is an epidemiologic study of more than 2,000 Air Force veterans who were responsible for spraying herbicides including Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. This group is called the Ranch Hand group because the spray program was called Operation Ranch Hand. Agent Orange was contaminated by a dioxin called 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). This study also involved a comparison group comprising veterans who served in Southeast Asia during the same time period, 1962-1971, but were not involved in the spraying program and thus were exposed to dioxins at levels equivalent to the general population. The veterans were interviewed and underwent physical examinations and lab tests during six examination cycles. The first cycle was conducted in 1982, so the veterans were followed for more than 20 years. "We found that the risk of developing BPH decreased with increasing exposure to dioxins in the comparison group," said Dr. Arnold Schecter, professor of environmental sciences at the UT School of Public Health Regional Campus at Dallas and a study author. "The risk of developing BPH was 24 percent lower in the group with the highest dioxin levels compared to the group with the lowest levels. In the Ranch Hand group, the risk of BPH tended to decrease with increased exposure to dioxins, but at extremely high exposure levels there was a tendency for the risk to increase." In addition, the study shows that higher dioxin exposure is associated with decreased testosterone levels, Dr. Gupta said. "It is known that lower testosterone levels are associated with decreased sexual function, decreased muscle mass and strength, infertility, increased fatigue, depression and reduced bone density," Dr. Gupta said. "However, we could not conclude from this study that dioxin exposure did lead to any of these adverse affects in the veterans in the study." The study points out the necessity to conduct additional environmental studies of the impact of dioxins and other toxins on the male reproductive system. Previous research was largely based on animal models, Dr. Gupta said, noting that the urgency of further research is underlined by a rise in disorders of the male reproductive tract over the past several decades. These include a decrease in sperm production by almost 50 percent, a three- to four-fold increase in testicular cancer, an increase in the incidence of cryptorchidism (undescended testes, a condition where the testes are not in their normal location in the scrotum) and hypospadias (abnormality of the urethra). The reason for this increase is not known, but it is thought that these disorders might be caused by environmental chemicals that are estrogenic and have endocrine-disrupting effects, Dr. Gupta said. Dioxins are among the most toxic substances known and are thought to be partially responsible for this increase in male reproductive tract disorders. They are formed as byproducts of processes such as incineration, smelting, paper and pulp manufacturing and pesticide and herbicide production. Humans are exposed to these chemicals primarily through consumption of animal fat and dairy products. Babies are exposed to the highest levels of dioxins through breast milk. Dioxins are eliminated extremely slowly from the body and they tend to stay in the body for several years to several decades after exposure. Other researchers contributing to the study came from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks City-Base, Texas. ### About UT Southwestern Medical Center UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the premier medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. Its more than 1,400 full-time faculty members including four active Nobel Prize winners, more than any other medical school in the world are responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and are committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to nearly 89,000 hospitalized patients and oversee 2.1 million outpatient visits a year. ### Media Contact: Toni Heinzl 214-648-3404 Toni.Heinzl@utsouthwestern.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4 October 2006 CONTACT: Jim Tobin 919-653-2582 New Study Suggests Perchlorate Effects on Thyroid Function of U.S. WomenReport in Environmental Health Perspectives says food, drinking water contaminant reduces thyroid function in women. [Research Triangle Park, NC] Early last year, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel concluded its review of research on the health effects of perchlorate, an inorganic anion and component of rocket fuel known to inhibit the thyroid's ability to absorb iodine from the bloodstream, by recommending a new reference dose. The NAS also called for further research to identify safe exposure levels for sensitive subpopulations. Now, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released findings showing that American women, particularly those with low iodine intake, may have reduced thyroid function due to perchlorate exposure. Similar thyroid function changes were not found for men. Perchlorate's main use is as an oxidizer in solid rocket fuels. Other uses include explosives, road flares, and pyrotechnics, and the chemical can also form naturally in the atmosphere. A combination of these sources has led to the widespread presence of perchlorate in groundwater, drinking water, and foods including milk, vegetables, fruit, grain, and forage crops. Large doses of perchlorate have been shown to inhibit iodide uptake and reduce thyroid hormone production. Prolonged reduction in thyroid hormone can cause metabolic problems in adults and abnormal neurodevelopment during gestation and infancy. The researchers examined 2,299 men and women, aged 12 and older, who participated in the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 2001 2002. Examining the relationship between perchlorate concentrations in urine and concentrations of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in blood, researchers observed that perchlorate was a significant predictor of thyroid hormone levels in women, but not in men. After seeing evidence of this gender difference, the authors focused their analysis on women. They categorized a total of 1,111 women into higher-iodine and lower-iodine groups using a cutpoint of 100 micrograms iodine per liter of urine (microg/L), then compared the women's urinary perchlorate concentrations to their blood levels of T4 and TSH. They found a slight relationship between perchlorate concentrations and TSH for the higher-iodine group, but a much stronger one for perchlorate and both T4 and TSH in women in the lower-iodine group. For the lower-iodine group, increased perchlorate was associated with less production of T4 and more production of TSH (which usually is produced to stimulate T4), suggesting competitive inhibition of thyroid iodine uptake by perchlorate. Women at the 50th percentile for urinary perchlorate had levels of 2.9 microg/L perchlorate, which predicted a decrease in T4 of 1.06 microg/dL; at the 95th percentile of perchlorate (13 microg/L), the predicted decrease in T4 was 1.64 microg/dL. Although the size of perchlorate's predicted effect on T4 and TSH was small to moderate depending on the amount of perchlorate exposure, given that the normal range of T4 for women is between 5 and 12 microg/dL, these predicted reductions were significant and indicate that even small increases in perchlorate exposure may inhibit the thyroid's ability to absorb iodine from the bloodstream. In the United States, 36% of women have urinary iodine levels less than 100 microg/L, the same as the women in the lower-iodine group in the study. This study is the first to examine women with lower iodine levels for a potential effect of perchlorate on thyroid function. CDC researchers say that since this is the first time studying these women, another large study is needed to confirm these findings; they are planning that study. The lead author of the study was Benjamin C. Blount of the National Center for Environmental Health, CDC. Other authors included James L. Pirkle, John D. Osterloh, Liza Valentin-Blasini, and Kathleen L. Caldwell. The article is available free of charge at http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9466/9466.pdf. EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. EHP is an Open Access journal. More information is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/. Brogan Partners Convergence Marketing handles marketing and public relations for EHP, and is responsible for the distribution of this press release. Editor's note: Working media can register to receive press releases via RSS feed or e-mail by visiting http://www.ehponline.org/press/, calling 919-653-2582, or e-mailing ehpmedia@brogan.com.