Transcript Ecology & Environmental Problems

Ecology & Environmental Problems
Lecture #22
Ron Chesser
Toxicology
Are people making informed
decisions – survey





Ecology & Env.Problems topic -- you choose
Maximum of 6 people in a group
Maximum of 5 questions
Minimum of 50 surveys
2 page write up of results / with survey data
Love Canal, New York
Love Canal -- History

Beginning in 1942, the landfill was used by Hooker
Chemicals and Plastics (now Occidental Chemical
Corporation (OCC)) for the disposal of over 21,000 tons of
various chemical wastes, including halogenated organics,
pesticides, chlororbenzenes and dioxin.

Dumping ceased in 1952, and, in 1953, the landfill was
covered and deeded to the Niagara Falls Board of Education
(NFBE). Subsequently, the area near the covered landfill
was extensively developed, including the construction of an
elementary school and numerous homes.
Love Canal - History

During the summer of 1978, the Love Canal
first came to international attention. On
August 7, 1978, United States President
Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency
at the Love Canal, a former chemical landfill
which became a 15-acre neighborhood of the
City of Niagara Falls, New York.
Love Canal -- 1978
This declaration would provide funds to permanently relocate the 239
families living in the first two rows of homes encircling the landfill. The
remaining 10 block area of the Love Canal, including the home of Lois
Gibbs, were not included in the declaration.
Love Canal -- History



November 10, 1978 200 tons of dioxin, a lethal
chemical are reported buried in the canal. Residents
fears heighten.
November 22, 1978 Over 200 chemical compounds
are identified as being buried in the canal.
December 8, 1978 Reports of findings of dioxin and
other chemicals and state's refusal to relocate
another 54 families on the outskirts of the
contaminated area bring vehement protests from
residents.
Love Canal -- History




April 14, 1979 Reports that dioxin levels at Love Canal are 100
times higher than previously reported. Reports that contaminant
is also found at Bloody Run Creek near Niagara University.
November 1979 A federal report indicates the odds of Love
Canal residents contracting cancer is as high as 1 in 10.
May 17, 1980 EPA announces chromosome damage has been
found in 11 of 36 residents tested in the Love Canal.
May 21, 1980 President Carter declares Love Canal a national
emergency paving way for relocation of another 710 families.
Heavy Metals and Health
Mining in Indonesia, 1997.
Lead



LEAD EXPOSURE IN CHILDREN AFFECTS
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
6% of all children ages 1-2 years and 11% of
black (non-Hispanic) children ages 1-5 years
have blood lead levels in the toxic range.
rapidly developing nervous systems are
particularly sensitive to the effects of lead.
Lead



Common sources include lead paint and
lead contained in water and soil.
Housing built before 1950 has the greatest
risks of containing lead-based paint. Some
children may eat or swallow chips of paint
(pica) which increases their risk of
exposure to lead.
Lead-based petroleum products (gasoline)
Lead Effects

Even when exposed to small amounts of lead
levels, children may appear inattentive,
hyperactive and irritable.

Children with greater lead levels may also have
problems with learning and reading, delayed
growth and hearing loss.

At high levels, lead can cause permanent brain
damage and even death.
Lead Poisoning Symptoms

These include nausea, sluggishness, vomiting, painful
gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, colic,
weakness and dehydration. These symptoms are common to many
disorders and can often lead to inaccurate diagnosis.

Some symptoms more specific to human poisoning include
discoloration of the lips and skin attributed mild secondary
anemia, a lead line on the gums, developmental disorders,
sterility and abortion. There have also been some prelimiunary
reports indicating that chronic lead poisoning can also lead to
chronic nephritis and premature development of arteriosclerosis.

More severe cases of poisoning can produce symptoms including
convulsions,"wrist drop" or external limb paralysis, coma and
ultimately death.
Mercury

Exposure to mercury can cause immune,
sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral
dysfunctions similar to traits defining or
associated with autism, and the similarities
extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters,
and biochemistry.
What is Mercury?



Mercury is found naturally in the environment in several
forms. In its elemental form, mercury is a shiny, silverwhite, liquid metal used in thermometers and some
electrical switches.
It can be combined with other elements to form inorganic
compounds. Mercury can evaporate to form colorless,
odorless mercury vapors.
Mercury can combine with organic material to form organic
compounds such as methyl-mercury (MeHg), which is
produced primarily by bacteria and is the form which poses
the greatest concern for environmental exposure.
Mercury Poisoning Symptoms


Exposure to high levels of elemental mercury vapor can result
in nervous system damage including tremors, and mood and
personality alterations. Exposure to relatively high levels of
inorganic mercury salts can cause kidney damage. Adult
exposure to relatively high levels of methylmercury through fish
consumption can result in numbness or tingling in the
extremities, sensory losses and loss of coordination. Exposure
of the developing fetus through maternal intake of contaminated
fish can result in neurologic developmental abnormalities in
cognitive and motor functions.
The nature and severity of the symptoms, depend on the
amount of exposure.
Sources of Mercury

Mercury is persistent, mobile and bioaccumulative in the
environment, meaning it is retained in organisms.

Most of the mercury found in the environment is inorganic
mercury that can enter the air from several sources.
Examples of sources include emissions of coal-fired power
plants, burning municipal and medical waste, and natural
processes such as erosion of ores and volcanic activity.

Levels of methylmercury in fish are typically 100,000 times
those in the water in which they swim.
Methylmercury

Methylmercury is quickly taken up into higher organisms
through the food chain and is retained in their bodies. It reaches
the highest levels in large predatory fish and in birds and
mammals which consume fish.

These animals may then be eaten by people. Federal Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) regulations prohibit the sale of
commercial fish that are found to have high concentrations of
methylmercury. Also, state and federal authorities issue public
health advisories to warn people about eating fish caught from
local waters that are contaminated with mercury.
Household Sources of Mercury



THERMOMETERS (including what to do if you break one)
THERMOSTAT PROBES
DENTAL AMALGAM
–
–




The Environmentally Responsible Dental Office: A Guide to Proper
Waste Management in Dental Offices
How mercury from dental amalgam can get into the environment
GAUGES & MANOMETERS
THERMOSTATS
MERCURY SWITCHES & RELAYS
FLUORESCENT LAMPS, MERCURY VAPOR LAMPS, HIGH
PRESSURE SODIUM LAMPS, NEON LAMPS & METAL
HALIDE LAMPS
Minamata Disease
Minamata Bay, Japan (Hg)


Since the early 1950s, hundreds of Japanese from
the Minamata Bay area have died after eating
mercury-tainted fish. Others suffered spasms and
blurred vision, and babies of poisoned mothers were
born with gnarled limbs.
The government officially recognizes 2,265 victims of
the industrial dumpings at southern Japan's
Minamata Bay, where chemical maker Chisso Corp.
had been pouring tons of mercury compounds since
in the 1930s.
Minamata, Japan

Levels of methylmercury chloride were very
high: up to 50 ppm in fish and 85 ppm in
shellfish from the contaminated areas. 121
people were poisoned from eating the
contaminated fish, 46 of which died. Dogs,
cats, pigs, rats, and birds that were living
around the bay also showed the signs of
mercury poisoning, and many died.
Minamata, Japan
Mercury Poisoning
Minamata Disease in Fetuses


Minamata disease, or methylmercury poisoning, was first
discovered in 1956 around Minamata Bay, Kumamoto Prefecture,
Japan. A similar epidemic occurred in 1965 along the Agano River,
Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
Nervous system lesions have a characteristic distribution. In the
cerebral cortex, the calcarine cortex was found to be involved in
all cases of Minamata disease. The destruction of nerve tissue was
prominent in the anterior portions of the calcarine cortex.
Occasionally, the visual and visual association areas (internal
sagittal stratum) showed secondary degeneration in prolonged
cases after acute onset. Postcentral, precentral, and temporal
transverse cortices showed similar changes, though they were less
severe. In the cerebellum, the lesions occurred deeper in the
hemisphere. The granule cell population was most affected. In the
peripheral nerves, sensory nerves were more affected than motor
nerves.
Mercury




Gold Mining
Paper and Pulp Mills
Natural Releases
Coal residues
Exposure Pathways (Hg)

People are most likely to be exposed to
metallic mercury from mercury released from
dental fillings; however the amount of
mercury released from dental fillings is
generally not considered to be high enough
to cause adverse health effects. Exposure
may also result from industrial processes or
from breathing in air contaminated with
vapors from metallic mercury spills.
Arsenic
Arsenic is a highly poisonous metallic element registered with the Chemical Poisoning and
Environmental Toxicity Centers. Inorganic arsenic deposits in the hair, skin, and nails, and
once within the hair follicles, as with most toxic metals, it will stay for years.

Rat poisons

Seafood

Animal feed

Automobile exhaust

Wallpaper dye/plaster

Colored chalk

Water/city and well

Herbicides

Wine

Household detergents

Wood preservatives

Industrial dust

Insecticides
Arsenic

Arsenic is a carcinogen, and those with high
levels of arsenic within their tissues are at a
high risk for skin, scrotal, liver, lymphatic, and
lung cancer.
Aluminum

Aluminum is a popular metal used in the
manufacturing of pharmaceuticals to
cookware. Aluminum salts are soluable in
water and are, therefore, easily assimilated
into the body. Unwanted aluminum is
deposited in the brain and nervous system
tissues, and will continue to accumulate
there. It is commonly known that aluminum is
related to Alzheimer's disease.
Aluminum Toxicity

Aluminum toxicity is commonly elevated in children
and adults with low zinc and behavior/learning
disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and autism. High
levels of aluminum are found in many colloidal
mineral products.

Aluminum poisoning can lead to symptoms similar to
Alzheimer's and osteoporosis, such as phosphate
depletion and softening of the bones.
Aluminum Sources
















Alum
Aluminum cans
Aluminum cookware
Aluminum dust
Aluminum foil
Aluminum phosphate
Aluminum silicate found in
Kaopectate
Animal feed
Antacids
Automotive parts
Automotive exhaust
Baking powder
Beer
American cheese













Construction material
Dental amalgams
Deodorants
City drinking water
Insulated wiring
Nasal spray
Medical compounds
Milk products
Pesticides
Table salt
Tobacco smoke
Toothpaste
Vanilla powder
Ceramics
Cigarette filters