Louisiana Chemicals Affect Human Health

Nitrogen oxide, when exposed over a long duration of time, can decrease lung function and also increase the chance of getting bronchitis, cough or phlegm, which is more likely to come into

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.

In Shreveport, LA, many residents suffer from respiratory issues that they believe are caused by the local refinery, Calumet (Moskowitz). Residents have suffered for generations losing family members to cancer that they believe is brought on by pollution that the refinery emits. Some residents suffer lesser but chronic health issues ranging from minor respiratory issues like asthma to blood clots in their lungs. “Calumet denies that its refinery is the cause of any of these health issues” (Moskowitz). Many chemicals that are released by refineries can cause respiratory problems, cancer, nerve damage, and in some cases even death. There is no absolute way to be sure that all health problems happening near Calumet are caused by the pollution that it emits, but it could be a contributing factor in worsening symptoms. A resident of Marrero, LA, a town south of Norco refining, stated that they could not leave their house due to excess levels of pollution triggering asthma attacks (Ludwig). Sulfur dioxide is a known chemical that can trigger asthma attacks, it is also one of the many harmful chemicals that can be released by refineries (Sturgis). Refineries will measure levels of emissions when there is a chemical spill, so they know almost exactly how much pollution they have emitted. Minor incidents are not always reported or are under reported, but they can have the same damaging effects on the environment and the overall health of the community (Sturgis). “LABB’s reports confirms what workers and residents have known for years-petrochemical companies to often skirt the laws for reporting serious incidents”

Alec Dean Kress, 75, died last week while he was cleaning his bathroom. While he was cleaning the toilet some ammonia fell into the porcelain throne. Now normally this isn't a bad thing, however, Alec was using a cleaning chemical that contained bleach. Those of us who don't know why that's significant, when bleach mixes with ammonia they bond part of the elements together, eventually leaving chlorine gas as one of the products which when inhaled will cause death in a matter of moments.

For these early-arrange patients, the danger of death from any cause amid the study time frame was 30 percent more noteworthy with presentation to nitrogen dioxide, 26 percent higher with introduction to vast particulate matter and 38 percent greater with fine particulate matter, the study found.

Lawrence River due to the absorption of oxygen by the water. Tetrachloroethylene is sometimes found in tap water across the country which can easily contaminate those who are exposed to it. Due to this problem, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set an 8-hour time weighted average permissible exposure to those working in dry-cleaning facilities and metalworking industries to avoid high concentrations of tetrachloroethylene. Unfortunately, tetrachloroethylene can quickly be released in the air and in the water when not disposed properly. This is why the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) have made a list that identify substances which may be harmful to the environment and to human health. Chemicals who are considered ‘toxic’ can then be used to develop guidelines on the manufacture, use, storage, transport, and ultimate disposal. Finally, to avoid the risk of exposure to tetrachloroethylene, studies have shown that those who have concerns about the presence of tetrachloroethylene in tap water should drink bottled water or contact local drinking water authorities to avoid the risk of being exposed to

The purpose of the risk assessment using toxicological exposure limits are to examine an evidence concerning the potential toxicant exposure to a particular group of people, to provide where possible, an estimate of the relationship the extant of the exposure, size, and the root cause. Due to lack of adequate quantitative information human exposure assessment is considered to be inadequate.

There are scientific debates on the health impacts of living or working in toxic industrial areas. Large chemical industries will deny the fact that there are any negative correlations with health. For example, a spokesman for Hooker Chemical Company stated that, “The monitoring and containment system is as effective today”. They would usually state that scientific data is exaggerated, and that simply capping the area with soil/clay makes it safe. However, scientist have proved that strong chemicals persist in land for a very long time. For instance, Love Canal’s problem still existed even 35 years later. The chemicals can travel through groundwater and can be leached easily. Previous test had shown no toxic waste in the Love

Participants were asked if they were currently and regularly exposed to certain acids, solvents, coal, stone, dust, asbestos, and chemicals. They were deemed farmers if their job coded according to the US Census of 1980 as “farmer”. These individuals were then categorized by duration of their self-reported exposure. Out of the 7,864 participants there were 1,956 people were deemed as farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. One similarity among those exposed in this particular study was that those exposed had lower educational levels than those who were not. [13]. Also, both men and women who were exposed had a 14% higher rate of being a “farmer”.

Mothers often wonder what the effects of the chemicals that are present in everyday products like plastic and aluminum, and inside of things like cleaning products and the meat we eat, and how it may hurt their families. No matter what product one may use, there seems to be no escaping the dark cloud of dangerous chemicals associated with it. Dana Nachman and Don Hardy, directors of the The Human Experiment, released in October of 2013, try to find the correlation between chemicals humans are exposed to in almost any product and the harmful long-term effects it has, as well as try to push “green” products that are free of these harmful chemicals. The directors adopt a very anxious tone, due to the fact that these chemicals are affecting millions of people everyday. Nachman and Hardy begin building their argument citing convincing facts and statistics and appealing to pathos as well as logos by showing real accounts of stories from outside sources, as well as a strong negative diction directed toward the industries producing with harmful chemicals.

The environment plays a huge part in our society, it is very much needed and includes everything we need to survive such as water, soil and air. Although the environment includes the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, exposure to chemicals, radiation and sunlight which can cause cancer. Benzene, asbestos, vinyl chloride, radon, and arsenic are just some of the toxins which may cause cancer. Carcinogens are any substance that cause cancer. It is due the disruption of cellular processes or mutation. The most main causing chemicals occur in workplaces where large amounts of toxic chemicals are used. The amounts of toxins found in food, air soil and water are not as high as you would find in the work environment in which it makes it very difficult to measure in work environments due to the fact that many other significant factors for example other than man-made pollutants that do determine a community’s cancer rates. The problem with

Studies have shown that it is not the chlorine that causes damage to our health, but rather chlorine’s byproducts. Dioxins, which are an unwanted byproduct of industrial production that uses chlorine, are the most harmful human carcinogens studied (Thornton, 1997). When chlorine is added to our water supply, it immediately kills many to all of the organisms living in the water. However, it also reacts with any organic material in the water such as leaves, twigs, or dirt chemically producing byproducts called trihalomethanes, or THMs. THMs consist of four chemicals: chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane. Dibromochloromethane is already classified as a possible known human carcinogen and has been proven to cause cancer in laboratory animals (Times Union, 1996).

We live in a world where synthetic chemicals are routinely used for the production of essential components of modern life. As more research emerges correlations are made, chemicals are tested, and toxicants are identified, reengineered, and replaced with others equal in cause but unequal in effect. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the national authority tasked with this dynamic approach.

Plastics have become a necessity in our daily lives. We interact with them in everything we use. When these plastics are made the plastics are processed with a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA). This chemical was recently found to be harmful since it is an estrogen receptor. BPA was then replaced by the label, BPA-Free. This meant that BPA was replaced with Bisphenol S (BPS) or Bisphenol F (BPF). These are both endocrine disruptors so it affects the hormones in different organisms. It affects the growth of organisms that are exposed to the chemicals. Daphnia Magna is water flea that is used in experiments that record the mortality rate and the fertility rate. When placed in a plastic container containing BPA or BPS the Daphnia Magna will have a greater reproduction rate and a higher rate of development.

Chemicals are used in a wide variety of products and play an important role in the world economy. They are constituents of materials, are used in preparations and products and are embedded in complex physical systems. While chemicals are a significant contributor to national economies, sound chemical management across the life cycle - from extraction to disposal - is essential to avoid significant risks to human health and the environment, along with their associated economic costs, and to maximize benefits for human well-being. Growth in chemical production and use has slowed in many of the