|
Projects and People
Diana
Henshel's Big Project: Worked with Fish and Wildlife Department
to evaluate the effects of PCBs and other contaminants in Bloomington
and northwest Indiana on the wildlife population
Why PCBs are problematic: Because they’re
still in the water even though industry no longer releases them
into the environment. “They stick around. They continue
to leach out of landfills. They don’t readily break down
in our bodies. So the next question is, are PCBs a health concern
to wildlife, domestic animals and people?”
Short answer: Yes.
What her study reveals: Birds are affected in different
ways depending on the species. Tree swallows and bluebirds are
more susceptible to heart abnormalities. Redwings and tree swallows
have more gonad irregularities.
As for fish? Fish in contaminated water don’t
live as long. Instead of having a five-year life span, male fish
are dying at four years old. Females only make it to three. And
at the most contaminated site, there are no viable eggs spawned
or fish hatching at all.
Why any of this should matter to humans. After all, we’re not
fish: “No, we’re not fish, but we have the
same PCB-sensitive biological mechanisms as fish and birds.”
So what can we do to protect ourselves? Realize
that little effects accumulate over time and a lot of exposure
is out of our control. Babies are born with PCBs in their bodies,
for instance. It comes through the placenta.
But there’s also the kind of chemical exposure we choose
for ourselves, such as cigarettes, alcohol, recreational drugs,
household solvents.
“The best thing you can do for you and your kids is to limit
conscious exposures. Balance your nutrition. Provide the resources
your body needs to protect itself and replace damaged cells. If
you don’t buy organic food, then you’ll want to wash
the pesticides off your fruits and vegetables. Fifty to seventy
percent of the produce I buy is organic. Bacteria is also a health
concern, so clean your hands before handling or eating food.”
What does Diane Henshel keep under her kitchen sink?
Yes, she has Formula 409. And bleach. “I’ve got outdoor
cats and they climb on my bed so I have to use bleach in the laundry
to kill potential ticks and fleas. It’s not that I don’t
have this stuff, it’s that I’m not obsessive about
cleaning with it.”
What she doesn’t use: Non-stick pans.
People have been warned to keep pet birds out of the kitchen while
cooking with non-stick pans because the emitted gases are hazardous.
“If it can kill your bird, you think it’s not going
to have an effect on you, too?”
Diane Henshel is an associate
professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana
University. Her focus is on the sublethal health effects of environmental
pollutants, especially on pollutant effects on the developing
organism. Recent research has emphasized the effects of polychlorinated
dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and related congeners on the developing
avian nervous system using a combination of neuroanatomical, immunohistological,
biochemical, and behavioral techniques. The studies are designed
for ultimate use in improved risk assessment procedures. Her teaching
interests lie in the fields of developmental toxicology, risk
assessment, and risk communication. Professor Henshel received
her Ph.D. in neurobiology from Washington University in 1987
. |
