Animals and people exposed to pesticides such as insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, have shown to be affected by their effect on the thyroid. These chemicals can produce endocrine alterations acting as thyroid disrupters. They affect many mechanisms in the organisms such as inhibition of thyroid iodine uptake, <u><em>interference with the thyroid hormone receptor</em></u>, binding to transport proteins, among others. They cause toxicity in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
There are many studies that associatethyroid diseases with exposure to organochloride pesticides. Significant alteration in the TSH, T3, and T4levels have been expressed by people directly or indirectly exposed to the chemicals.
