How to Diagnose Dioxin Poisoning

Dioxins are a family of more than 70 compounds that are byproducts of incineration and other industrial processes. They are fat-soluble and break down slowly so they tend to accumulate in animal tissue. Dioxins are then ingested by humans through animal fats or animal fat byproducts. They may be found in small amounts in anyone living in an industrialized country. The following steps will show how to diagnose dioxin poisoning.

Instructions

• 1

  Expect dioxin poisoning to have a long onset time. Low levels have uncertain effects and may even decrease the risk of some kinds of cancer. Some animal testing has produced symptoms at two to three times the average background level of dioxin.

• 2

  Observe a variety of systemic symptoms at higher concentrations. Dioxins can cause hormonal imbalances, organ disease and weight loss with a greater risk of heart attacks.

• 3

  Look for more specific signs of dioxin poisoning including increased hair growth, diabetes and menstrual difficulties.

• 4

  Find facial cysts called chloracne to be characteristic of high doses of dioxin. This volcanic breakout of acne appears to be caused by excessive growth of cell linings that results in a greatly increased production of oils in the skin.

• 5

  Verify suspected dioxin poisoning with toxicological testing. The most common dioxin in poisoning cases is tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin, the most toxic dioxin. TCDD was a key ingredient in Agent Orange, an herbicide used extensively during the Vietnam War. It also has been used in cases of intentional poisoning, most notably the Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in 2004.