Family toxin exposure may cause diseases SEATTLE, Sept. 15 (UPI) --
Toxin exposure during embryonic development is being linked to
developing adult-onset diseases such as cancer, diabetes or kidney
disease, says a U.S. study. A disease that people are suffering today
could be a result of a great-grandmother being exposed to an
environmental toxin during pregnancy -- and it may be passed along to
all decedents, according to Washington State University researchers. In
the study, pregnant rats were exposed to the fungicide vinclozolin and
the male offspring had low sperm counts and a high incidence of
adult-onset diseases. The discovery suggests that toxins may have
played a role in the rapid increase in localized geographic areas of
diseases that were previously thought to be caused primarily by genetic
mutations, says Michael K. Skinner, director of the Center for
Reproductive Biology. "It's a new way to think about disease," said
Skinner. "If this pans out, it gives us a host of new diagnostic and
therapeutic tools." The findings, published in the journal
Endocrinology, underscore the potential long-term hazards of
environmental contaminants such as fungicides or pesticides