Sensitization, immune system

Thus the total soil pollution was connected with a respiratory system and a digestive tract. Both systems were also sensitive to such urban pollutants as heavy metals and PAH. For radionuclides the correlation with the given nosologies was not revealed. The asthma morbidity was mostly connected with soil pollution rates. This circumstance, apparently, can be related to nonspecific action of pollutants on a human organism, because the etiology of asthma is connected with the human immune defense system and allergy state (Roite, 1991). The last was shown for pesticides (Nikolaev et al., 1988) and heavy metals (Drouet et al., 1990). The sensitized immune system is, apparently, responsible for chronic toxic effects of other pollutants at low doses (Sidorenko et al., 1991 Novak and Magnussen, 1993). 

What has become an even greater concern in recent years is the phenomenon known as multiple chemical sensitivity disorder triggered by exposures to many chemicals in the environment. Synthetic chemicals are all around us. They are in the products we use, in the clothes we wear, in the food we eat, in the air we breathe at work. Because chemicals are everywhere in the environment, it is not possible to escape exposure. For this reason many people have become sensitized to the chemicals around them. In fact, it is estimated that 15% of the population has become sensitized to common household and commercial products. For some people the sensitization is not too serious a problem. They may have what appears to be a minor allergy to one or more chemicals. Other people are much more seriously affected. They may feel tired all the time, and suffer from mental confusion, breathing problems, sore muscles, and a weakened immune system. Such people suffer from a condition known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). 

A number of chemical compounds are potent sensitizers that can lead to serious immunological reactions. Immunotoxicology explores interactions between chemical compounds and the immune system. Chemicals can amplify, attenuate, or otherwise modify immunological reactions subsequent to exposure. - ... 

Allergic contact dermatitis Skin condition that occurs in response to exposure to sensitizing material. It is characterized by redness, swelling and cracking and, sometimes more severe reactions involving the entire immune system. 

Sensitizer A substance that stimulates a response from the immune system. 

Immunotoxicity. Limited information is available regarding the effects of endosulfan on the human immune system. However, specially designed studies using rats indicate that both humoral and cellular immune responses are depressed by ingested endosulfan at doses that do not induce any overt signs of toxicity (Banerjee and Hussain 1986,1987). In vitro studies support the possibility that endosulfan affects immune system function (Das et al. 1988). These results demonstrate that immunotoxicity may be a more sensitive end point of endosulfan-induced toxicity than other end points, and humans may be at risk for adverse immune effects following exposure to endosulfan. An intermediate-duration oral MRL was derived based on the observation of depressed immune responses (Banerjee and Hussain 1987). 

Lores P, Boucher V, Mackay C, Pla M, Von Boehmer H, Jami J, Barre-Sinoussi E, Weill JC (1992) Expression of human CD4 in transgenic mice does not confer sensitivity to human immunodeficiency virus infection. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 8 2063-2071 Maddon PJ, Dalgleish AG, McDougal JS, Clapham PR, Weiss RA, Axel R (1986) The T4 gene encodes the AIDS virus receptor and is expressed in the immune system and the brain. Cell 47 333-348... 

A limited study in animals also presents evidence for increased susceptibility to Streptococcus zooepidomicus (Aran d et al. 1986). Immune system effects observed in mice exposed orally to trichloroethylene included inhibition of cell-mediated immunity, delayed type hypersensitivity, and inhibition of antibody-mediated immunity (Sanders et al. 1982). Female mice appeared to be more sensitive than male mice. A study in which a susceptible strain of mice was treated with intraperitoneal injections of trichloroethylene suggests that trichloroethylene can accelerate the autoimmune response (Khan et al. 1995). The immune system may be a sensitive end point for toxic effects from low-level exposure to trichloroethylene however, no firm conclusions can be drawn from the available information. Additional human and animal studies are needed to better characterize this end point and determine the potential for immunological effects for people exposed to trichloroethylene at hazardous waste sites. 

IBS activity may be affected by the immune system. Some IBS patients have been found to have antibodies, which may indicate food hypersensitivity that might be involved in symptom production.14 Specifically, sensitivity has been demonstrated to common foods such as wheat, beef, pork, soy, and eggs. 

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