How to Classify Toxicants

What has been brought to light in recent years is the effects of these chemicals on the body’s immune response. By introducing these toxic chemicals into the body, the potency of the immune system is compromised. More commonly than not, the body’s magnificent defense system will kick in and destroy foreign invaders but all it can take is an overwhelming amount of chemicals to slow or even shut down the body’s response systems. A large amount of these types of chemicals introduced into the body at one time would be considered acute toxicity and could even cause death. Additionally, a small amount of these poisonous substances brought into the body over a long period would be considered chronic toxicity and can have detrimental effects on the body’s natural response (Hoernschemeyer 55-57). This information is startling enough to want to make a change from conventionally grown food to pesticide-free organic

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.

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.

Jones, P. R., Sheppard, M. A., & Snowden, C. B. (2010). Impact of poison prevention

“Poison from the air” is nitrogen from the atmosphere that we are using unnaturally; fertilizers run off into water and have ecological effects and nitrogen was used for chemical warfare in World War I.

Select one of the following major toxicants: benzene, carbon monoxide, lead, chromium, mercury, asbestos, arsenic, alcohol, or formaldehyde. Include the following information:

Study of toxic materials and how they affect the environment, human and animal health and future technology

The chemicals inhaled nare arsenic, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide,many of these have been proven toxic or have been proven to cause

Toxicology-Toxic - may be fatal if swallowed or inhaled. Corrosive, causes burns. Harmful by inhalation and through skin absorption.

-Mercury is a persistent substance which means a number of mercury increases in concentration as you go the in the food chain, so the higher up the chain and the higher amount of mercury. This tendency is called biomagnification. For instance, plankton contains 0.00001 ppm of mercury and if you go up 5 levels to the top of the pyramid which is a shark, it contains 1 ppm of mercury. This may pose a potential health threat to those animals and humans who consume the fishes or shark.

Just east of Butte, Montana is a huge lake filled with toxic chemicals. Samples taken in 2011 had a pH measuring around 2.5, meaning the water was comparable to gastric acid (PitWatch, 2013). This lake, known as the Berkeley Pit Lake, was formed by open pit mining in the 1950s. Originally, the mine was built by the Atlantic-Richfield Corporation to meet the global demands for copper post World War II. Copper prices tanked in 1982, so the mine was shut down and pumps removing water were deactivated. The company left behind a pit encompassing an area of approximately one square mile and reaching a depth of 1780 feet. Berkeley Pit soon flooded and began to collect hazardous levels of heavy metals.

Some of the pollutants released include: toluene, benzene, xylene and ethyl benzene, ground level ozone (also known as smog), nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde. Exposure to these pollutants are known to cause short-term illness, organ damage, nervous system disorders, cancer, birth defects and even death in some cases. Some of the cancer causing are this; Dioxin is formed when chlorine breaks down, and can be found in both water and air. Dioxins are known human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. One dioxin has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known human carcinogen. Organic solvents are a class of chemicals that includes chlorinated and other solvents, including toluene, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Sources of exposure include outdoor and indoor air pollution, waste incineration, cleaning products and some cosmetics. They are also used in the manufacture of computer parts. Many pesticides that are included in the fluid, including herbicides and other pest-killing poisons, have been labeled as human or animal carcinogens. A report demonstrated that lifetime use of residential pesticides may be associated with an increase

There are many types of chemical agents that can be used for a variety of effects. Most are not meant to be lethal, but most chemicals at high concentrations can be lethal.

Toxicology is the study of the negative effects of chemicals on living organisms. It is the study of symptoms, treatments, and detection of poisoning. Especially the poisoning of human-beings.

Marcus, S. (2012). Poison prevention: engineering in primary prevention. Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 50(3), 163-165. doi:10.3109/15563650.2012.658474