water chemical

[Stills]

Reading this earlier I thought the reference to possible thyroid issues caused by chemicals in the water worth sharing from this reliable source RSC.

bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi...

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Thanks for posting.

RSC is Royal Society of Chemistry

Article mentions health issues but not thyroid specifically.

[Stills in reply to PurpleNails]

Yes, I used to work at RSC many years ago so I trusted the source and the thyroid is definitely mentioned deep in the article hence I shared, but as you say it’s a passing reference.

[jimh111]

This is an incredibly important subject that is universally overlooked. Many of these substances are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are chemicals that are structually similar to hormones, they can mimic hormones and disrupt their action.

Since many hormones, especially TSH and thyroid hormones, are present in tiny amounts it takes only minute amounts of EDCs to have an effect. This is because some are 'forever chemicals', they not only exist in the environment for decades they tend to have very long elimination half-lives in humans, and so can build up over time.

The WHO and the UN Environment Program recognised this over a decade ago and called for urgent action who.int/publications/i/item... . This is a very large document but the essential point they make is that new methods of detecting EDCs are needed urgently. Currently, susptected chemicals are tested by feeding large amounts to rodents then checking their TSH, TT4 (normal thyroid secretion) and looking for cancer etc. This excludes the vast majority of harmful EDCs. It also creates a big problem. A few harmful EDCs that do not substantially affect TSH or T4 slip through the net. For example PCBs and PBDEs affect T3 binding to peripheral tissues but not to the pituitary / hypothalmus (because they have different receptor types). Thus, you get a form of hypothyroidism that presents with normal blood test results. PCBs and PBDEs have been banned but PBDEs at least are still ubiquitous.

This is a very big topic. Here is an overview from the UN environment programme, I've not read it yet unep.org/explore-topics/che... .

[thyr01d]

I think you are onto something. I could barely drink water in the last two places I lived but now having moved south I love water. I think my body knew!