Diethylstilbestrol
In 1938, a biochemist named Sir Edward Charles Dodds succeeded in creating the first synthesized estrogen, a feat that scientists had been trying to accomplish for many years. Between 1940 and 1971, a drug called Diethylstilbestrol (known as DES) was prescribed by thousands of physicians to pregnant women to prevent different types of complications associated with pregnancy, including miscarriages and stillbirths (Abboud, 2015). DES is a synthetic form of estrogen that reached between 5 and 10 million people as physicians of the time believed that women who suffered pregnancy complications had lower levels of estrogen. They prescribed this synthetic form originally to raise estrogen levels. (“DES Exposure: Questions and …show more content…
Women were given doses of this under-tested drug for months, not knowing what it was doing to them and (in the case of pregnant women) their unborn children (DES History). From the very beginning, DES showed signs of serious complications in many people. The men who worked in the DES factories developed breasts, and it was found to be an emergency contraceptive (keep in mind it had originally been developed to help with pregnancy). Even Dodds, the man who had developed DES stressed that it should not be used as there had not been enough research to confirm its safety. This didn’t matter though, as the drug was cheaper after being synthesized in a publically funded lab. It was released on the innocent-until-proven-guilty principle which occurs when companies release a drug based on the principle that it is safe until proven to be dangerous. DES was released without the proper testing, so even though when released, it hadn’t been proven to be harmful, it also hadn’t been proven to be safe. It was prescribed to millions for many …show more content…
The direct cause is changes in a cell’s DNA, causing it to mutate and divide excessively, however the causes of that are often harder to trace. Some cancers are genetically linked, meaning that the likelihood of certain cancers goes up if it runs in the family. Other times, cancer can be caused by factors in a person’s daily life, and these cancer causing factors are called carcinogens. DES is extremely dangerous because it is a carcinogen, meaning that those directly exposed to it can develop cancers, but it is also genetically linked, meaning that its effects are seen for generations (Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk). Carcinogens can cause cancer in a few different ways. Often, it may make changes in a person’s genetic material, causing mutations that continue to divide. Other times, according to an article by the National Cancer Institute, “they may cause cells to divide at a faster than normal rate, which could increase the chances that DNA changes will occur” (Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk). The EPA classes DES as Group A: Carcinogenic to Humans in terms of their substance classing system relating to carcinogens. There are three types of carcinogens - chemical, physical, and and biological, and DES falls under the chemical carcinogen profile (Known and Probable Human Carcinogens). It can also be seen as a teratogen and mutagen. Teratogens can change normal embryonic development,
In 1938, a biochemist named Sir Edward Charles Dodds succeeded in creating the first synthesized estrogen, a feat that scientists had been trying to accomplish for many years. Between 1940 and 1971, a drug called Diethylstilbestrol (known as DES) was prescribed by thousands of physicians to pregnant women to prevent different types of complications associated with pregnancy, including miscarriages and stillbirths (Abboud, 2015). DES is a synthetic form of estrogen that reached between 5 and 10 million people as physicians of the time believed that women who suffered pregnancy complications had lower levels of estrogen. They prescribed this synthetic form originally to raise estrogen levels. (“DES Exposure: Questions and …show more content…
Women were given doses of this under-tested drug for months, not knowing what it was doing to them and (in the case of pregnant women) their unborn children (DES History). From the very beginning, DES showed signs of serious complications in many people. The men who worked in the DES factories developed breasts, and it was found to be an emergency contraceptive (keep in mind it had originally been developed to help with pregnancy). Even Dodds, the man who had developed DES stressed that it should not be used as there had not been enough research to confirm its safety. This didn’t matter though, as the drug was cheaper after being synthesized in a publically funded lab. It was released on the innocent-until-proven-guilty principle which occurs when companies release a drug based on the principle that it is safe until proven to be dangerous. DES was released without the proper testing, so even though when released, it hadn’t been proven to be harmful, it also hadn’t been proven to be safe. It was prescribed to millions for many …show more content…
The direct cause is changes in a cell’s DNA, causing it to mutate and divide excessively, however the causes of that are often harder to trace. Some cancers are genetically linked, meaning that the likelihood of certain cancers goes up if it runs in the family. Other times, cancer can be caused by factors in a person’s daily life, and these cancer causing factors are called carcinogens. DES is extremely dangerous because it is a carcinogen, meaning that those directly exposed to it can develop cancers, but it is also genetically linked, meaning that its effects are seen for generations (Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk). Carcinogens can cause cancer in a few different ways. Often, it may make changes in a person’s genetic material, causing mutations that continue to divide. Other times, according to an article by the National Cancer Institute, “they may cause cells to divide at a faster than normal rate, which could increase the chances that DNA changes will occur” (Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk). The EPA classes DES as Group A: Carcinogenic to Humans in terms of their substance classing system relating to carcinogens. There are three types of carcinogens - chemical, physical, and and biological, and DES falls under the chemical carcinogen profile (Known and Probable Human Carcinogens). It can also be seen as a teratogen and mutagen. Teratogens can change normal embryonic development,