Title: COMMON TOXIC POLLUTANTS
1COMMON TOXICPOLLUTANTS
2I. BIOCIDES
- SOURCES
- Pesticides
- Insecticides
- Herbicides
- EFFECTS
- Carcinogenic meaning??
- Nerve damage
- Liver damage
3I. BIOCIDES
- EXAMPLES
- Dioxins ingredient in insecticides
- Used by paper mills in bleaching process
- Used in PVC plastics
- An ingredient in agent orange
- Agent Orange herbicide
- Widely used in Vietnam as a defoliant
- Caused cancer, birth defects, sterility
4I. BIOCIDES
- EXAMPLES
- 24D common herbicide
- Causes lymphoma (cancer) in dogs
- DDT insecticide
- Caused egg shell thinning
- Blamed for the near extinction of eagles, falcons
and pelicans
5DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane)
- Insecticide used very effectively against
mosquitoes, which cause malaria - Builds up in plants and fatty tissue in fish,
birds and other animals - Banned in the US in 1972
- Still used in other countries
6BIOMAGNIFICATION
- A chemical becomes concentrated as it passes
through a food chain
7DDT
- The concentration effect occurs because DDT is
metabolized and excreted much more slowly than
the nutrients that are passed from one trophic
level to the next. So DDT accumulates in the body
(especially in fat).
8DDT
- This is why the hazard of DDT to nontarget
animals is particularly acute for those species
living at the top of food chains.
9DDT A Threat to Americas Bald Eagles
10II. FOSSIL FUELS (coal, oil gas)
- SOURCES
- NO2 H2O ? HNO3
- (process occurs when burning gas)
- SO2 H2O ? H2SO4
- (process occurs when burning coal)
11II. FOSSIL FUELS (coal, oil gas)
- EFFECTS
- Respiratory problems
- Sterile lakes
- Kills forests
- Damage to monuments, cars, buildings
- Global warming
- Acid rain
12II. FOSSIL FUELS (coal, oil gas)
- SOLUTIONS
- Burn higher grade fuels
- Scrubbers
- Others??
13III. Hg (mercury)
- SOURCES
- Paper mills to treat logs
- Agriculture to treat seeds
- Occurs naturally in mines
- Acid rain releases it naturally from sedimentary
rock - Latex paint
14III. Hg (mercury)
- EFFECTS
- Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the
brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system
of people of all ages. - high levels of mercury in the bloodstream of
unborn babies and young children may harm the
developing nervous system, making the child less
able to think and learn
15III. Hg (mercury)
- Our inland fish are unsafe to eat due to high
levels of Hg - Hg cannot be eliminated from the body in any way
- Found in muscle tissue
16IV. Pb (lead)
- SOURCES
- Water pipes
- Gasoline
- Paints
- Batteries
- Ceramic pottery
- Soldering
17IV. Pb (lead)
- EFFECTS
- Hyperactivity
- Paralysis
- Brain damage
- Birth defects
- High BP
18IV. Pb (lead)
- 4 of preschool children have below normal IQ
- 20 of Americans drink too much H2O containing Pb
- 2 million waterfowl each year die of lead
poisoning
19V. PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
- SOURCES
- Insulators for electrical transformers
- Sealants for wood and cement
- Hydraulic fluids
- Paper mills for carbon paper
- pigments, dyes
- as plasticizers in paints, plastics and rubber
products
20V. PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
- EFFECTS
- Carcinogen
- including effects on the immune system,
reproductive system, endocrine system and nervous
system
21V. PCBContaminating the Hudson River
22V. PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of
209 chemical compounds for which there are no
known natural sources. - Even though PCBs are no longer commercially
produced in the United States, high levels of the
chemicals remain in various parts of the country,
in poultry, and in fish.
23V. PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
- The very characteristic of the PCBs that made
them wonderful for use in manufacturing makes
them problematic in the environment. PCBs are
very persistent they are generally unalterable
by microorganisms or by chemical reaction, so
they do not readily degrade. - The stable nature of PCBs also lends to
accumulation in the fatty tissues of animals once
the PCBs are released into the environment. These
accumulations increase as the tissue from
contaminated animals moves through the food web.
Because of _________, the concentration of PCBs
found in fish tissues is expected to be
considerably higher that the average
concentration of PCBs in the water from which the
fish were taken.
24VI. CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)
- SOURCES
- aerosol-spray propellants
- refrigerants
- Solvents
- Styrofoam (pre, CFC-free styrofoam)
- foam-blowing agents
- They are well-suited for these applications
because they are nontoxic and nonflammable and
can be readily converted from a liquid to a gas
and vice versa.
25VI. CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)
- EFFECTS
- Destruction of the ozone layer which protects us
from ??? - UV rays from the sun
- How does this happen?
26VI. CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)
27VII. PBB (Polybrominated Biphenyls)
- SOURCES
- PBBs are manufactured chemicals
- They are added to the plastics used to make
products like computer monitors, televisions,
textiles, plastic foams, etc. to make them
difficult to burn. PBBs can leave these plastics
and find their way into the environment. - EFFECTS
- Carcinogen
- More will be observed in the movie
- Bitter Harvest
28VII. PBB (Polybrominated Biphenyls)
- Exposure to PBBs is most likely to occur by
ingesting contaminated foods and drinks. - People living in the lower peninsula of Michigan,
where animal feed was accidentally contaminated
with PBBs in 1973, may still be exposed by eating
contaminated fish, dairy products, and meat. - If you don't live in Michigan, exposure to PBBs
is likely to be very low. - You can be exposed to PBBs in the air if you live
near a waste site that contains PBBs.
29- The movie Bitter Harvest
- PBB contamination resulted in the most
devastating disaster in agricultural history - In 1973 in St. Louis, MI
- The government did not eliminate PBB from the
food chain until 1977 - Farmers sold cows to an area baby food company
- Firemaster (flamestar) vs. Nutrimaster (MgO)
- All livestock had to be killed
- 30,000 cattle 1,470 sheep
- 5,900 pigs 1.5 million chickens
30VIII. NO3 and PO4 (nitrates
phosphates)
- SOURCES
- Soil background concentrations
- Fertilizers agricultural residential
- Sewage wastewater treatment plants
- remove 90-95 of P N in
- solids, and the sludge is then
- land applied as fertilizer
31VIII. NO3 and PO4 (nitrates
phosphates)
- EFFECTS
- Eutrophication
- Algae blooms
- Decreasing light and O2 levels
- Currently in the news
- Allegan, Ottawa, and Muskegon Counties all have
baned the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus