Immune system function impaired

A number of developmental effects have been observed in animals acutely exposed to 2,3,7,8-TCDD by the oral route. The types of effects observed in the offspring of animals exposed to 2,3,7,8-TCDD include structural malformations-cleft palate and kidney anomalies, functional alterations-damage to the immune system and impaired development of the reproductive system, decreased growth, and fetal/newbom mortality. 

Immunological and Lymphoreticular Effects. Studies of workers suffering from asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis or mesothelioma indicate that the cellular immune system in such patients can be depressed. This is an effect of particular interest and concern since impaired immune surveillance may contribute to the increased incidence of cancer in asbestos-exposed people. Moreover, variation in immune system functional capability might be an important determinant of why some people develop cancer or asbestosis while others, with approximately equal exposures, do not. However, it is very difficult to... 

A variety of symptoms, not mentioned earlier, have also been associated with zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency is thought to delay woxmd healing, impair the senses of taste and smell, and impair the functions of the immune system. (The impaired sense of taste is called hypogettsia.) Severe zinc deficiency results in impairment of the immune system and increased infections. These problems have been found in the severe deficiencies that occur in starvation (marasmus) and acrodermatitis enteropathica and in studies with animals. The immune system involves a large array of hormones, hormone receptor proteins, signaling proteins, and DNA-binding proteins, some of which require zinc for activity. It is not clear which of these components is most sensitive to zinc deficiency. 

In immunosuppression, one or more parts of the immune system are impacted. This results in impaired immune system function and reduced resistance to foreign chemical and biological agents that attack the body and can lead to increased incidence of infectious disease and cancer. 

The adverse effects on human health due to smog include shortness of breath in those with compromised pulmonary function, and may include increased asthma frequencies in young children. Long-term exposure often permanently impairs human respiratory and immune system function, and can lead to death historical records indicate that 4000 Londoners died in December 1952 due to exposure to unsafe smog levels. 

Notwithstanding these paramount and rather grim obstacles, data presented in this review indicate that coenzyme Qio is an appropriate candidate for future clinical applications in the diseases of bioenergetics and, more specifically, in disease states with impaired immune system function. The incorporation of coenzyme Qio in our, as of now, confined armament in the war against cancer should be intensified and facilitated. 

Any amount of lead is unsafe for children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Studies now suggest that blood levels of lead below 10 mg/dL can have the effect of lowering the IQ scores of children. Low levels of lead impair neurotransmission and immune system function and may increase systolic blood pressure. Kidney damage can occur from exposure. 

Faith, R.E. and Moore, J.A., Impairment of thymus-dependent immune functions by exposure of the developing immune system to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 3, 451, 1977... 

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