1. Environmental Health, Pollution and Toxicology
Chapter 15
Environmental Health, Pollution and Toxicology
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Environmental Science 5e

2. Environmental Science 5e
Terminology
Pollution: introduces harmful materials or produces harmful conditions to the environment
- introduced through a) Point Sources:
b) Area Sources:
c) Mobile Sources:
Contamination: making something unfit for a particular use through the introduction of desirable material
Toxicology: the science that studies chemicals that should be toxic
Carcinogen: a type of toxin that increases the risk of cancer
Synergism: the interaction of different substances resulting in a total effect greater than the sum of the effects of the separate sources
Botkin and Keller
Environmental Science 5e

3. Environmental Science 5e
Measuring Pollutants
Measuring depends on the substance
Common Units
ppm: Parts per million
ppb: Parts per billion
Micrograms per cubicle meter (measures air)
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Environmental Science 5e

4. Categories of Pollutants
Infectious Agents
Toxic Heavy Metals Organic Compounds
Radiation
Thermal Pollution
Particulates
Asbestos
Electromagnetic Fields
Noise Pollution
Voluntary Exposure
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Environmental Science 5e

5. Environmental Science 5e
Toxic Heavy Metals
Travel through toxic pathways
Biomagnifications: the accumulation or increase in concentration of a substance in living tissue as it moves through a food web.
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Environmental Science 5e

6. Environmental Science 5e
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7. Environmental Science 5e
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Environmental Science 5e

8. Environmental Science 5e
Organic Compounds
Organic Compounds: composed of carbon
Synthetic Organic Compounds: used in industrial processes
Persistent Organic Pollutants: Synthetic organic compounds often containing chlorine, that do not easily break down in the environment.
Hormonally Active Agents: Chemicals in the environment able to cause reproductive and developmental abnormalities in animals
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Environmental Science 5e

9. Environmental Science 5e
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Environmental Science 5e

10. Environmental Science 5e
General Effects of Pollutants - Changes in Abundance - Changes in Distribution - Changes in Birth Rates - Changes in Death Rates - Changes in Growth Rates
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Environmental Science 5e

11. Environmental Science 5e
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Environmental Science 5e

12. Concept of Dose and Response
The effect of a certain chemical on an individual depends on the does
Individuals differ in their response to chemicals
Dose-Response Curve:
- LD-50
- ED-50
- TD-50
Threshold Effects:
- the level below which effects are not observable and above which effects become apparent
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Environmental Science 5e

13. Environmental Science 5e
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Environmental Science 5e

14. Environmental Science 5e
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15. Environmental Science 5e
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16. Environmental Science 5e
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17. Environmental Science 5e
Ecological Gradients
Changes in vegetation with distance from a toxic source
Tolerance: The ability to resist or withstand stress resulting from exposure to a pollutant or harmful condition
- Behavior vs. Physiological
Acute and Chronic Effects
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Environmental Science 5e

18. Environmental Science 5e
Risk Assessment
4 steps
1. Identification of the hazard
2. Dose-Response assessment
3. Exposure assessment
4. Risk characterization
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Environmental Science 5e

19. Precautionary Principle
The idea that in spit of the fact that full scientific certainty is often not available to prove cause and effect, we should still take cost-effective precautions to solve environmental problems where there exists a threat of potentially serious and/ or irreversible environmental damage
Botkin and Keller
Environmental Science 5e