Chlorinated dioxins are a diverse group of organic chemicals. TCDD, or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, is a particular dioxin that is toxic to some species of animals in extremely small concentrations. As such, TCDD is the most environmentally controversial of the chlorinated dioxins, and the focus of this entry.
Dioxins are a class of organic compounds, with a basic structure that includes two oxygen atoms joining a pair of benzene rings. Chlorinated dioxins have some amount of substitution with chlorine for hydrogen atoms in the benzene rings. A particular chemical, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (abbreviated as TCDD, or as 2,3,7,8-TCDD), is one of 75 chlorinated derivatives of dibenzo-p-dioxin. The…
TCDD is the most toxic of the chlorinated dioxins, while octachlorodioxin may be the least so. However, there are large differences in the susceptibility of species to suffering toxicity from TCDD. The guinea pig, for example, is extremely sensitive to TCDD, thousands of times more so than the hamster. Depending on the dose and biological sensitivity, the symptoms of TCDD toxicity in mammals can i…
To deprive their enemy of food and cover during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed large quantities of herbicides. More than 547,000 sq mi (1.4 million ha) of terrain were sprayed at least once. The most commonly used herbicide was a 50:50 mixture of 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D, known as Agent Orange. More than 46 million lb (21 million kg) of 2,4,5-T and 55 million lb (25 million kg) of 2,4-D were …
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