The Negative Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants

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

Polychlorinated Biphenyl or PCBs is a chlorine based organic compound with the formula of C12H10−xCLx . Polychlorinated biphenyls was used in many different things such as coolants, lubricants for transformers, and other electrical equipment. The production of polychlorinated biphenyls is stopped all together in the united states in the year of 1977 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA did this due to the buildup of polychlorinated biphenyls found in the environment.

GMOs (GMOs - genetically modified organisms), are made for human and/or creature use by utilizing the most exceptional atomic science methods. The plants and/or edits here and there have been modified in a research center to upgrade certain imperative characteristics, for example, expanded imperviousness to herbicides or enhance beneficial worth. The improvement is typically embraced through reproducing. In the previous decade hereditarily altered sustenance have been up for discussion about whether these nourishments are valuable to our general public or on the off chance that they are really destructive. GMO sustenance is an issue on the grounds that it gives organic contamination and GMO significantly influences to nature and humankind.

(Rachel Carson, 1962). Unfortunately, it’s true. Synthetic chemicals used against pests are causing greater damage to everything else instead of their intended targets. Any thing that is living (including us) that gets in the way of these chemicals is either going to be injured or killed. “A 1986 National Cancer Institution study found that farmers exposed to 2,4-D for 20 or more days a year had a sixfold higher risk of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”

Depending on the changing use patterns in society, and advancements in technology and science, chemicals in use diversify. New chemicals have been introduced to commerce constantly, and new compounds or their by-products find a way into our water systems.

“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.

But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.” (Cason, P. 276) In the end no one benefits from harsh chemicals being sprayed. The environment suffers, people suffer, and wildlife suffers. If manufacturing companies were honest about what their product does, people would be hesitant to use these products, and they surely would not use them in such close contact. Other more effective ways are out there to rid an area of unwanted species, but currently people are unwilling to adopt those practices. I agree with Rachel Carson’s point of view of the dangers of biocides. I think they do need to be monitored on larger scale. These chemicals may not be killing people in staggering numbers, but there has been a few cases. Also many bird flocks have died off, and this change is extremely noticeable in the communities and seem to have happened over night. The same chemicals endangering the ecosystem are in human the human blood stream. The question is not if it will have negative effects on the human population; it is when and to what extent. Chemical producers as well as consumers need to take a closer look at what they are spraying in their own back yard. Everyone has an out of sight out of mind attitude, but once the affects come into sight it may be too late

Pesticides have been in use for centuries in homes and in agriculture. Poisonous chemicals such as arsenic and cyanide have been used with varying degrees of success in controlling insects and rodents. As time passed, chemistry and the improvement of industrial techniques have created many potent compounds which have useful applications both in agriculture and human health. However, developmental progress comes with risks and unforeseen consequences. The correlation between the introduction of pesticides into our environment, and the subsequent environmental impacts has implicated toxic substances in the damage of ecosystems and health concerns. In

SC4730: Module 4 Effects of Contaminants on the Environment. Lab 4.1 Vehicle Sources of Pollution

As a poor child living in Mexico, it has always been a norm to work in the crop fields. Due to the family financial issues, I would apply and take any job that was available during the seasons. Exactly three years ago I experienced an event that changed the course of my life. On April fourth of two thousand and thirteen, I was accepted for a job that paid one of the highest wages in the fields. As a sixteen-year-old working on the strawberry field spraying pesticides on the crops, I was excited to be able to support my family with money and provide food.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals also known as (EDCs) are hormonal chemicals, known for their alteration or blockage of organism’s hormones. (Trachsel, 2008) Hence, these chemicals are defined as xenobiotics, which refers to foreign bodies or agents to an organism system. (Trachsel, 2008) These EDCs found in aquatic environment have a variety of harm effects on animals, humans and or the ecosystem in general, that can differ the hemostasis due to the elimination of natural occurring hormones in animals or human bodies when they interfere with the synthesis and transportation of hormones that are responsible for growth, development and behavior. (A. Snyder, 2003) On the other hand, we have micropollutants that can found in aquatic and waste

Pyrethrin is also used because it is biodegradable and can quickly be metabolized by birds and most mammals. The Organic Trade Association notes that if every farmer in the U.S. converted to organic production, we could eliminate 500 million pounds of persistent and harmful pesticides from entering the environment annually. Some of these harmful pesticides are called POPs short for Persistent Organic Pollutants. These pollutants are not only harming the planet, but they are also harmful to consumers. POPs are organic compounds that are able to survive in any form of the environment by living in other organisms. One of these pollutants is called Chlordane. In an article written by Dr. Edward Group titled “Health Dangers of Chlordane,” he explains how the chemical Chlordane is a man-made chemical that was used as a pesticide in the late 1940s and later banned in the late 1980s. The pesticide that conventional farmers in the U.S. we’re using on crops was also being used to control termites in houses. This pesticide, even though banned over 20 years ago, is still a problem in today’s society. Geological surveys have found that this pesticide is still in soil samples located in Yosemite National Park. This affects the fish and wildlife that live in these areas because they drink or live in the water that has the contaminated soil. Once the wildlife in the area is contaminated and migrates, they spread the pesticide to other animals that may eat them.

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.

"Exposure to Carcinogenic PAHs in the Environment." Environmental Science & Technology 26.7 (1992): 1278-284. Print.

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).