THYROID DISRUPTIVE POTENTIALS OF ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) are widely used in agriculture against a broad range of pests and weeds from 1940s. There are growing evidences for OCP disrupts thyroid function. Thyroid, the master gland of the body, produces hormones essential for normal growth, development, and metabolism and is crucial for foetal brain development. The concern over human health impacts of the use of organochlorines are rapidly growing. It can interfere with various mechanisms of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis such as abnormal early neuro developments; autoimmune disorder, epigenetic effects, carcinogenicity etc. are of major concern. The molecular mechanisms underlying the effects are yet to investigate. Several removal strategies are at pilot scale application. Further studies should be encouraged to determine a green alternative. The present review attempts to summarize the role of different classes of organochlorine pesticides and the potential thyroid disruptions by reviewing some epidemiological and experimental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]