How Does Polychlorinated Biphenyls Impact The World

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been commercially used since 1957, and has been employed to make certain plastics and epoxy resins. Bisphenol A has been made into a variety of common consumer goods, such as water bottles, CDs and DVDs. While in epoxy resins that contain Bisphenol A are used to line water pipes, coatings on the inside of beverage cans, and in thermal paper such as sales receipts. A research conducted by the Environmental Health Perspective has said that from the years 1992-1999 Bisphenol A has rose in human urine. In which has been resulted by the Environmental Health Perspective that the cause of rise of Bisphenol A in human consummation is the use of consumer goods such as the lining of beverage drinks, and certain water bottles (Environmental Health Perspective study WEB 2). Also with the rise of littering in the world such products are being thrown into lakes, ponds, and the oceans which is resulting in contamination. Which is greatly affecting the marine life, environment, and human life. So ultimately this experiment is being conducted to display the harmful physical effects of Bisphenol A on marine life, and if it can be later translated

Also depicted in this paper is the type of cancers caused by each chemical and other related health problems associated with each chemical. Finally, the role of government agencies such as FDA, EPA and OSHA in preventing excessive amount or zero amounts of toxic chemicals from entering the environment will be discussed. The last paragraphs will enumerate the inferred conclusion from my research on Agent Orange, DDT and Benzene.

Many contaminants settle out of the atmosphere, such as acid rain, the pollutants and nutrients will transport from distant places by air depositing into the lake as the form of rain. The first pollutants as atmospheric deposition on the Great Lakes were phosphorus. It is found that about 20 percent phosphorus entering Lake Michigan comes from the atmosphere by determination of rain, snow and dust. Since phosphorus pollution generated by this approach cannot be controlled, so it is more urgent to reduce the phosphorus content of detergent, sewer and effluent fertilizers. People found fish in a lake of Lake Superior in a remote island containing PCBs and toxaphene, and this place isolated with no direct way to pollution. This determines the long-range transport of pollutants through the atmosphere and settlement in the lake. In fact the processes of material transport through atmospheric was very complex. For instance PCBs was insoluble in water, so as to re-enter the atmosphere during evaporation or connected together into small particles. A lot of PCBs volatilize from the lake, meanwhile, PCBs coming from various parts of the air mass experience the sedimentation on the lake. Other than that the contaminated sediment is another way to cause pollution of the lake. This is problems of the most urban industrial areas. Even if there is likely to remove severely contaminated sediments in

Since Polychlorinated biphenyls have built up in our environment this means that they must have an affect on the environment. According to the EPA once polychlorinated biphenyls enter the environment it contaminates our drinking water, our food,

From 1947 to 1977, these two plants legally discharged from 500,000 to 1.5 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson, and unknowingly saturated the bedrock beneath both sites with at least that much again. There are PCBs in Hudson River water, biota, and sediment from Hudson Falls to New York City - 200 miles that comprise the nations largest Superfund site. Pure PCBs are oozing out of the bedrock to this day, constantly recontaminating the river and over 300,000 pounds remain concentrated in bottom sediments of the river today. The spread of PCBs throughout the Hudson River and the food chain, which it supports, has created one of the most extensive hazardous waste problems in the nation. Polychlorinated biphenyl’s (PCBs) are a group of synthetic oil-like chemicals (therefore insoluble in water) of the organochlorine family. Until their toxic nature was recognized and their use was banned in the 1970s, they were widely used as insulation in electrical equipment, particularly transformers. Reputable chemists have since concluded, “it was probably a mistake ever to make or use PCBs.” These are serious poisons, which have been shown to cause damage to the reproductive, neurological and immune systems of wildlife and humans and are known to cause cancer. Exposure has also been linked to behavioral damage. Specifically, because PCBs in the body mimic estrogen, women of childbearing age and their infants are particularly susceptible

Also depicted in this paper is the type of cancers caused by each chemical and other related health problems associated with each chemical. Finally, the role of government agencies such as FDA, EPA and OSHA in preventing excessive amount or zero amounts of toxic chemicals from entering the environment will be discussed. The last paragraphs will enumerate the inferred conclusion from my research on Agent Orange, DDT and Benzene.

The problem with plastic ending up in the ocean is that marine life is being harmed by the presence of it. A study done on the harbor seals in the Netherlands found that more than 12% had plastic in the digestive system (California Coastal Commission). The list of affected species indicates that marine debris is affecting a significant number of species. It affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (Save our shores). The problem is underestimated because the marine life that ingests plastic or dies from entanglement often goes undiscovered due to the vastness of the ocean, as they either sink or are eaten by predators before they are discovered (Plastic Debris). The potential harm from ingestion of plastics is not restricted to seabirds. Plastic bags drifting on ocean currents resemble the prey of turtles. There is evidence that their survival is being hindered by plastic debris with young sea turtles being vulnerable (Ocean pollution). Over the past 20 years polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have polluted marine food webs at an increasing rate, and are prevalent in seabirds. Though their adverse effects may not always be apparent, PCBs lead to reproductive disorders, increase the risk of disease and alter hormone levels. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on marine organisms even at very low levels and plastic pellets could be a route for PCBs into marine food

The Hudson River is known to locals as the River that runs both ways. The river is about 315 feet long and about 215 feet down at its deepest. Since the 1940’s the Hudson River has been plagued by polychlorinated biphenyls more commonly known as PCB’s. 1 Between 1947 and 1977 GE (General Electric) discharged as much as 1.3 million pounds of PCB’s from its capacitor manufacturing plants at the Hudson Falls and Fort Edward facilities into the Hudson River. In fact in 1970, Bob Boyle a journalist and Riverkeeper Founder, had five striped bass from the Hudson River tested for pollutants, the results showed unusually high levels of PCB’s, Boyle shared his findings with NYS DEC but his findings were suppressed. It wasn’t until 1985 that DEC closed

Between 1947-1977 General Electric (GE) dumped 1.3 million pounds of PCBs in the river polluting it and making it hazardous. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are used as an insulator and a fire preventer. They also can cause illnesses, such as cancer. If the fish take in the PCBs and then we eat the fish, we can get sick.

Pollution is a term that recently in the last sixty years became widely known in the United States. The idea was first introduced in the United States by Rachel Carson’s book, titled Silent Spring. Rachel Carson developed a clear thesis inside Silent Spring where every claim made in the book is supported with enormous substantial factual evidence. The overall theme of the book is calling for awareness and addressing issues with excessive usage of man-made and natural chemicals implemented into daily human life. Although Rachel Carson focuses predominately on concerns surrounding the topic of DDT, the author also gives her perspectives on other chemicals that are harmful to the environment. The research Rachel Carson has done to make the world well-informed on pollution was a great start to placing the topic on people’s mind. Nonetheless, in today’s world, humans must continue to enrich themselves on current pollution issues by understanding which chemicals contribute to pollution and how large in concentration. Human error must also be taken into account because chemicals humans thought could not be harmful can at times. An example of chemicals people thought could not be harmful was asbestos.

These chemicals are known to cause cancer. To recondition this issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration monitors the levels of PAHs in the Gulf Coast seafood. It works with NOAA, the EPA, and the state agencies to determine whether the fish are safe to open or whether it should be closed. It must pass a smell test and chemical analysis in order to be reopened. Moreover, the fish couldn’t be sent to the market if it contained high levels of PAHs or if it emits an odor that associates with petroleum or dispersants. As a result, people didn’t need to worry about gaining cancer from fish since they are being checked for plycyclic aromatic

Most of the toy manufacturers use Polyvinyl Chloride as known as the PVC in plastic toys and dolls. PVC is typically mixed with another chemical, phthalate which makes the finished plaything more flexible. During the manufacturing process, they leach hazardous toxins which will cause the air and water pollution. Another type of toy that affects the environment is plastic battery operated toy because batteries can't be recycled and if they are disposed improperly, it causes other chemicals such as acid into the environment. Also, all of these chemicals will cause serious effects on our health such as cancer, and increase the risk of liver and kidney disease.

With the combination of polymers that don’t biodegrade and mass overproduction, companies are harming the environment in severe ways. Plastic, a material seen everywhere, is a polymer made from oil. It is mass produced to make everything from shampoo bottles to automobiles and does not biodegrade. When it is eventually thrown out, the waste usually finds it way into the ocean, where it is either buried under sediment or eaten by marine life (Weisman 287-295). Creating a material that will ultimately kill marine life will undoubtedly wreak havoc on the

The language is a part of the culture and the carrier of the culture at the same time. The culture can not get away from the language. The language can not get away from the culture, either. It is impossible to study a foreign language text without considering the culture it embodied. Idiom is the essence and crystallization of a language and culture. It is the summary of life experiences of the people in a particular district. Usually, it is short but it can reflect the special features of a certain culture. Therefore, the accurate understanding of the English idiom does not only involve the phonetic conversion but also involve the western cultural conversion. It requires that the learner know the western culture background well.

PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins have been in focus recently as there are concerns that the different structures are appearing to mimic the effects of female oestrogenic hormones. (Gray 1996) These chemicals can cause genetic chromosomal problems and major concerns to the reproductive effectiveness of marine animals. Oil spills and the burning of wood and coal can cause poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which has a negative effect on all wildlife causing genetic abnormalities. (EMCBTAP-ENVIS Newsletter 2002).