Does the little known element bromine affect the globe so much to the point that without it, human life would cease to exist? The answer could be surprising. bromine is a natural, liquid at room temperature element that belongs to the group Halogen, which includes similar elements such as chlorine, iodine, and astatine. It is an extremely poisonous element that could cause long-term kidney and brain issues from its systematic poisoning effect; the element bromine is a reddish-brown color and exceedingly fetid. Though it was originated from a college student’s work, a French scientist wrote an article about bromine before the student could pursue it. No matter how it was discovered, scientists are grateful for it. If bromine disappeared in the
|pollution effects and other fossil |pollution’s ill effects, the lifestyle changes that will be required, and | |
Growing up in suburban Detroit, David Hahn was fascinated by science. He often conducted experiments in his basement and enjoyed making things such as homemade fireworks, brewing moonshine, and even making his own self-tanning lotion. Hahn especially loved chemistry and spent much of his time doing amateur chemistry experiments. The chemical reactions in these experiments sometimes went wrong and resulted in small explosions. We learned about chemical reactions in class this semester. He loved to read “The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments” that his father had given him and tried to collect samples of every element in the periodic table, including the radioactive ones. We learned in class about the elements in the periodic table and how they are identified.
Following the industrial revolution, societies across the world began to notice strange effects on individuals throughout certain local communities. Though toxicology was a relatively new and rudimentary practice at the time, scientists were able to trace these effects back to chemicals being exposed to industrial workers, their families, and nearby neighborhoods. Unfortunately, industry in the United States continued to expand with little regard for the effects on human health. As a result from this expansion the amount of chemicals released into the atmosphere skyrocketed continuously all the way to present day society. However, as industry expanded so did scientific technology, the understanding of chemicals, their exposure
These toxins more often than not can have fatal consequences. Mercury is definitely one of the number one most dangerously used elements in our history. The first written record of this element is credited to Aristotle Often called the element of the ancients, mercury was dated back to as far as the 15th century BCE when it was found in ceremonial cups in Egyptian Tombs (Czaika). It is known that the Romans were the first to actually mine and use this element for everyday needs. Even at these times humans were aware of the fact that the element was poisonous. They had a mine in Spain that was worked by slaves, prisoners, and other undesirables. After the mine was dry they would use it as a prison system for the workers. Most of them would die very slow and painful deaths, bringing a long end to a short life (Sloane). In ancient China, mercury was used for a variety of medical needs. From a contraceptive, to a cough serum, to a remedy for unknown sexually transmitted diseases (Kok). People would consume mercury as if it was candy. This practice also spread to India. People did not understand the harmful toxins that they were ingesting.
In his quest to discover an accurate age for the planet Earth, a determined scientist inadvertently discovered the mass poisoning of a population by modern civilization. Geochemist,
In our day and age, thousands of everyday things will pose great danger on individuals, families, animals, plants, and even whole species. Humans, of course, have largely identified and addressed common environmental dangers for hundreds of thousands years, proven simply by evolutionary feats. This is where the irony in human evolution is shown: we’ve spent years and years running from everything but ourselves. Our Stolen Future, Toxic Hot Seat, and Hormones Disrupted, three revolutionary new-age works based on scientific studies, depict the artificial dangers we face everyday. Though each source illustrates varied insight on these hazards in different ways -- synthetic chemicals in everyday objects, flame retardants in our homes, and bodily
With our modern advances, we have also created a toxic world. In the last hundred years or so, we have invented toxic chemicals that were previously unknown. There is no place on earth that isn't impacted by this fact. You can take a blood sample from just about anyone on the planet, test it and find that it has unacceptable levels of any number of harmful agents.
“A tiny speck of plutonium-239, as little as three millionths of a gram, can cause lung cancer. One pound of plutonium-239 contains enough specks to kill nine billion people instantly” (Pringle 26). Plutonium-239 is a human-made element, also known as the most dangerous substance on earth. As a by-product of uranium fission, plutonium-239 is created by generating electricity from nuclear sources. Contrary to popular belief, nuclear energy is hazardous and threatening to health. The use of nuclear energy should be banned as evidenced by the number of accidents, health effects, and global impact.
It is not until recently that people have become dependent on this element, and not necessarily for the good of it, and the world. There is an obsession with uranium because of its unique properties. Uranium is extremely powerful because of its radioactive properties and unstable nuclei, especially that of Uranium-235. It is able to break down and release high frequency radiation through alpha and beta decay. It is because of these characteristics that Uranium has such a craze on the population of the world (Cox, 1995; Scerri, 2007). The properties of uranium allow people to create powerful plants to produce electricity, and weapons strong enough to destroy the world.
Animals can affected by boron from the plants that absorb boron from the ground and that may have continuous effects because of the food chains. Boron has been found in animal tissue, but it is not likely to accumulate. If one kind of animal absorb large amounts of boron for a long period of time through drinking water or eating food, the male reproductive organs will be effected. During pregnancy period , if animals are exposed to boron, they offspring may suffer from birth defects or delayed development.
“A common misconception is that all man-made chemicals are harmful, and all natural chemicals are good for us. However, many natural chemicals are just as harmful to human health, if not more so” (Lorch). Dorea Reeser provides a different perspective to counteract the harmful effects of manmade chemicals. Dorea Reeser upholds a Ph. D. in environmental chemistry at the University of Toronto. She researches and studies the chemical reactions at water surfaces, and how the chemical and physical properties influence these reactions and the release of important trace gases into the troposphere.
The history of life on this earth has been a chain of interaction between living things and their surroundings. Change can be good but in this case change is bad. We as humans have been destroying our planet by air, earth, rivers, and sea with the most dangerous materials. Polluting our most precious and limited resources we have been our greatest enemy. We have created these irrecoverable effects that now everyone living on the planet is being affected but also the tissues of the living of everything is now being changed. Chemicals are sinister and a partner to radiation and here is some background information as stated in “The Obligation to Endure” by Rachel Carson pg. 466 where it lists a chain reaction of the chemical to our environment
Many scientific researchers have said that our environment has been filled with toxic chemicals, which us humans have had a part of. There are many different issues that should concern us surrounding these toxic chemicals. The major concern is that many of these toxic chemicals have been claimed to be causing damage to the health of humans and even other life forms. Another concern is that most of the theses toxic chemicals have just recently been produced; and by our environment changing everyday there is no telling what effects these toxic chemicals may have in the long run on the public 's health. Just about all of these toxic chemicals exist in the way they do because of humans. As humans we practice a lot of different activities that cause toxic chemicals to pollute our environment such as, agriculture, industrial, and many domestic activities as well. Many of the toxic chemicals that we produce and use don 't get used in a effective way, which causes them to be wasted, left abandoned, and disposed of. When toxic chemicals are not disposed of properly they effect the environment and the public 's health in a negative way.
Air is an indispensable part of human, animal and plant lives. Without it, no organisms would be able to survive on Earth (Reference, 2017). Due to excessive human activities, air pollution has become a detrimental worldwide issue in current days (Sciencing, 2017). However, scientists have found new chemicals that can assist in improving the air quality (Phys.org, 2017). Moreover, humans are able to adopt many methods to help decrease the severity of contamination released into the earth’s atmosphere. This investigation is linked to ‘application and limitation’ in ‘science as a Human Endeavour’.
Kennedy, Robert F., and Marc A. Yaggi. "Mercury Poisoning Is a Growing Global Menace We Have to Address." The Guardian. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .