Olestra increases faecal excretion of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Original Research Article

Two patients with chloracne had concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) of 144000 15–24-year-old users:2 from well under, through similar to, to five times higher than the death rate from traffic accidents in the same age-group. The range would be even greater if full account had been taken of statistical1 and other uncertainty in estimation of denominators. Some numerators would be lower if ecstasy use by those who died had been reliably ascribed as regular, sporadic, or first-time user. For want of better data, we have had to use the same numerator in every death-rate calculation in the table and 26 000 pg/g blood lipids. Olestra, a non-digestible, lipophilic dietary fat substitute accelerated the patientsʹ intestinal excretion of TCDD by eight to ten fold. This is sufficient to reduce the normally observed elimination half life of TCDD from about 7 years to 1–2 years.