Unit 8: Aquatic Pollution (A) and Terrestrial Pollution (B)

Point Pollutants

pollution of where the source the pollution can be found

Non-Point Pollutions

pollution off where the source of the pollution cannot be identified or it comes from many sources

Which types are the easiest to combat and which are the hardest to combat and why?

Point source pollution as there is an identifiable source that can be found to be dealt with a while non-point source pollution is hard to handle as there could be multiple sources so it would be hard to tell where it comes from to deal with it.

How do humans impact range of tolerance of pollutants on organisms?

• Pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change can make organisms exceed their limit causing their death.

• sources of pollution:

  • industrial processes

  • transportation

  • agriculture

  • waste disposal

  • mining activities

  • urbanization

  • energy production

How does human impact effect coral reefs?

• human impact have led to degradation of coral reef ecosystems, facing decrease in health and biodiversity

• sources of pollution:

  • climate change

  • pollutants

  • overfishing

  • coastal development

  • tourism

  • invasive species

  • resource extraction

How do oil spills impact aquatic ecosystems?

• release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity

• sources of pollution:

  • oil exploration

  • production

  • oil transportation

  • oil refining and storage facilities

  • illegal dumping and discharge

How does human impact affect zones of hypoxia (oceanic dead zones)?

• areas of water bodies where aquatic life cannot survive because of low oxygen levels

• sources of pollution:

  • agricultural runoff

  • fossil-fuel burning

  • wastewater treatment effluent

How do heavy metals (lead, mercury, and methylmercury) impact aquatic ecosystems?

• metallic elements that have a relatively high density compared to water

• sources of pollution:

  • untreated sewage sludge

  • metal piping traffic

  • combustion by products

How does deforestation near a lake or river affect aquatic ecosystems?

• purposeful clearing of a forested land

• sources of pollution:

  • soil erosion rates

  • flooding

  • high likelihood of pollutants sweeping into nearby water resources

How does litter affect aquatic ecosystems?

• trash, that is left lying in an open or public place

• sources of pollution:

  • direct dropping and dumping of litter on land and at sea

  • blowing garbage from landfill

  • losses in transports and accidents

How does increased sedimentation affect aquatic ecosystems?

• can significantly change the flow and depth of rivers or streams over time and landfill lakes and estuaries

• sources of pollution:

  • construction

  • farm fields

  • poorly maintained dirt and gravel roads

  • degrading stream banks

How does the oxygen SAG curve relate to dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demand (BOD)?

The Oxygen Sag Curve visually demonstrates the introduction or organic pollutants leads to a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels downstream from the pollution source due to its microbial decomposition of organic, as measured by biological oxygen demand.

Under which conditions will biological oxygen demand increase in dissolved oxygen decreases?

When organic pollutants enter the water because bacteria uses the oxygen for decomposition. Meaning that there’s a lot of organic contaminants in the water, and the microbes are working overtime to break it down.

Clean Water Act

1. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System - regulates the discharge of pollutants from sources into US waters

2. Water Quality Standard - the act requires states to establish water quality standards for surface waters within their jurisdiction

3. Section 404 - regulates the discharge of dredges or fill material into waters of the United States

Safe Drinking Water Act

1. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations - sets legally enforceable standards of drinking water contaminants

2. State Resolving Fun Program - establishes the Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Program to provide financial assistance to states for drinking water and infrastructure programs

3. Source Water Protection Program - encourages the protection of drinking water sources through the implementation of source water protection programs

List at least three physiological effects of endocrine disruptors.

1. interference with reproduction

2. increased cancer risk

3. disturbances in the immune and nervous system function

Human Impact on Wetlands

• an area of land (often low lying) where the soil is covered/saturated/flooded with water for all most of the year

• 3 threats to the ecosystem

  1. habitat fragmentation

  2. polluted runoff

  3. water level changes and invasive species

• Identify 4 ecosystem services

  1. protecting and improving water quality

  2. providing fish and wildlife habitats

  3. storing floodwater

  4. maintaining surface water during dry periods

Human Impacts on Ecosystems

• a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water

• 3 threats to the ecosystem

  1. drudging

  2. using herbicides

  3. increasing waste runoff

• Identify 4 ecosystem services

  1. coastal protection

  2. biodiversity support

  3. carbon sequestration

  4. livelihood support

Which countries currently use mangroves as a solution to climate change?

Colomba, Madagascar, Fiji, and Mexico.

Eutrophication

excessive richness of nutrients or other bodies of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen

Identify two main nutrients that are involved in eutrophication.

Nitrogen and phosphorous.

Identify two main anthropogenic causes of eutrophication.

Erosion and leaching from fertilized agricultural areas, sewage from cities and industrial waste water.

Oligotrophic

• having a deficiency of plant nutrients that is usually accompanied by an abundance of dissolved oxygen

• 4 to 8 meters

• very clear, deep, and cold

• plenty of oxygen in deep water

Eutrophic

• the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to the plentiful growth of simple plant life

• 2.5 to 4 meters

• water becomes cloudy and colored green and brown

• low concentration of dissolved oxygen

Aldrin

What were they intended to do?

• Broad spectrum soil insecticide for protection of food crops, and as seed dressing for the control of pests such as ants and termites

How do they use harm to humans and/or wildlife?

• Can cause liver cancer and is by the EPA to be probable of human carcinogens.

Chlordane

What were they intended to do?

• Pesticide that were used in agriculture in the US from the 1950’s to the 80’s, used in homes for termite control

How do they cause harm to humans and/or wildlife?

• Affects the nervous system, digestive system, and the liver in people and animals

Define persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and identify the body tissues that they become stored in.

1. organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic process

2. adipose tissue

How far can POPs travel once they enter

Can travel long distances, found in the environment around the globe, but also in remote locations, high mountains and Pacific Ocean trenches at 7 to 10000 meters below sea level.

Bioaccumulation

• an increase in the concentration of a chemical bio organism over times

• Three Known Substances:

  • PCB’s

  • DDT

  • dioxins

Biomagnification

• the concentration of toxins in organisms as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in when toxins are widely dispersed

• Three Known Substances:

  • mercury

  • arsenic

  • pesticides

Municipal Solid Waste

• Solid phase household, commercial/retail, and/or international waste

• How is it disposed of?

  • Solid waste factories are places where household garbage and other types of wastes are collected, processed, or stored

Agriculture

• The science or occupation of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

• How is it disposed of?

  • To recycle the nutrients in the waste through land application.

Industrial Waste

• Material considered to be no longer of use after a manufacturing presences had been completed.

• How is it disposed of?

  • Recycling

  • Incineration

  • Refills

Hazardous Waste

• Waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.

• How is it disposed of?

  • Through a household hazardous waste facility.

E-Waste

• Any unwanted electronic device or cathode ray tube (CRT).

• How is it disposed of?

  • acid bath

  • incineration

  • landfill

  • recycling

How should rubber tires be disposed of?

• recycling

• retreading

• landfill and disposal

• artistic use

What are the issues of disposing of plastic into oceans?

• ingestion

• suffocation

• entanglement of hundreds of marine species

Waste Incineration

• the burning of garbage

• Toxic Gases Released

  • lead

  • mercury

  • dioxins

  • farans

  • particulate matter

  • carbon monoxide

  • nitrogen oxide

• Pros:

  • can reduce volume of waste and generate energy

• Cons:

  • releases pollutants and toxic ash left behind

Sanitary Landfill

• waste disposal site designed to minimize environmental impact and protect public health

• Toxic Gases Released

  • ammonia

  • sulfide

  • methane

  • carbon dioxide

• Pros:

  • effective waste disposal

  • energy production

• Cons:

  • environmental degradation

  • air pollution

  • solid waste accumulation

Open Dump

• solid wastes are disposed of in a manner that does not protect the environment, are susceptible to open burning, and are exposed to the elements, vectors, and scavengers

• Toxic Gases Released

  • ammonia

  • sulfide

  • methane

  • carbon dioxide

• Pros:

  • promotes decomposition

  • allows materials to be salvaged and destroyed

• Cons:

  • promotes disease and water pollution

Integrated Waste Management Systems (IWMS)

• a system of reducing, collecting recycling and disposing of waste products generated for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial land use

• Toxic Gases Released

  • methane

  • nitrous oxide

  • carbon dioxide

• Pros:

  • resource recovery

  • environmental protection

  • cost saving

• Cons:

  • contamination

  • complexity

  • initial investment

Which method of waste disposal most commonly used in the US?

LandfillsW

Which substances compromise the Integrated Waste Management System?

Organic materials

Why do landfills generate so much methane gas?

Methane producing bacteria begin to decompose the waste and generate methane.

What could landfills do with the collected methane gas and how can this help landfill space?

Landfill methane can be tapped, captured, and used as a fairly clean energy source for generating electricity or heat rather than going into the atmosphere.

What can be done with a landfill after it has served it’s useful life?

Can be repurposed into landfill gas to energy sites.

Rebuy

The elimination of waste before it is created

Reduce

The outback on the amount of trash we regenerate.

Reuse

To find new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown out.

Recycle

To turn something old and useless into something useful.

Rebuy, reduce, reuse, and recycle in order of most energy efficient to least energy efficient.

1. reduce

2. reuse

3. recycle

4. rebuy

Why is it best to recycle metals instead of mining virgin materials?

Can reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced during the processing operations.

Why is recycling the last consideration is waste reduction?

It is not a complete solution. Many materials can only be recycled and number of times before they begin to break down.

How can composting reduce waste and what are the drawbacks of composting?

It can help reduce landfill waste and produce nutrient soil good for gardeners. But the problem with it is that it’s not suitable for all materials and can require lots of space and time.

Basel Convention Treaty

• help reduce the number of transboundary movements

• quantity of hazardous wastes to a maximum

• manage and dispose of these wastes in an eventually sound manner

RCRA

• gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from cradle to grave

• includes the generator, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste

CERCLA

• liability for hazardous waste cleanup by the generator of the waste

• a system for EPA to rank hazardous waste sties

• national priorities list for the sites eligible for cleanup through superfund

In terms of chemical treatment, which methods are considered safest for human health?

• biological filtration

• ultraviolet disinfection

• activated carbon absorption

• chlorination with proper dosage contro

• ion exchange

What materials cannot be removed from wastewater?

• microplastics

• pharmaceutical and personal care products

• heavy metals

• persistent organic pollutants

• nanoparticles

Dose

A quantity of a medicine or drug taken or recommended to be taken at a particular mixtape

Toxicity

The quality of being toxic or poisonous.

LD50

lethal dose 50, median half dose

Threshold

The maximum exposure when the toxicity does not occur

LC50

The amount of a chemical that is lethal to one half of the experimental animals exposed to it.

How is LD50 different from LC50?

LD50 is the abbreviation used for the dose which kills 50% of the test population. LC50 is the abbreviation used for the exposure concentration of a toxic substance lethal to half of the test animals.

Dysentery

• Cause: can occur due to infectious germs, parasites, and irritation of the gut from chemicals

• Four symptoms of each:

  1. diarrhea

  2. high fever

  3. weight loss

  4. nausea

Mesothelioma

• Cause: exposure to asbestos

• Four symptoms of each:

  1. shortness of breath

  2. lower back pain

  3. dry and persistent cough

  4. loss of appetite

Respiratory disorders cause by tropospheric zone

• Cause: cause the muscles in the airway to constrict, trapping air in alveoli

• Four symptoms of each:

  1. wheezing

  2. shortness of breath

  3. throat irritation

  4. chest pain

Pathogen

Microorganisms that normally spend a substantial part of their lifestyle outside human hosts, but when introduced to humans cause disease with measurable frequency.

Vector

The study of insects that transmit pathogens, their interactions with hosts or with the disease.

Intermediate

Host that harbors a parasite that grows but it is not up to its sexual maturity.

Infectious Disease

Disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

Plague

• vector: rats

• mode of infection

  • bite of fleas

  • direct contact with infected tissues

  • inhalation of infected respiratory droplets

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • overcrowding

  • poor sanitation

  • large rat populations

• four symptoms of each

  1. onset fever

  2. chills

  3. headache

  4. nausea

Tuberculosis

• vector: mycobacterium tuberculosis

• mode of infection

  • spread throughout air

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • indoor air pollution

  • tobacco smoke

  • malnutrition

  • excessive alcohol use

• four symptoms of each

  1. fever

  2. weight loss

  3. loss of appetite

  4. night sweats

Malaria

• vector: anopheline mosquito

• mode of infection

  • spread by the bite of an infected female anopheline mosquito

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • heavy rainfall

  • increased humidity

• four symptoms of each

  1. fever

  2. nausea

  3. chills

  4. diarrhea

West Nile

• vector: mosquitoes of the genus culex

• mode of infection

  • bite of an infected mosquito

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • mild winters

  • drought

• four symptoms of each

  1. abdominal pain

  2. muscle aches

  3. rash

  4. nausea

SARS

• vector: roof rats

• mode of infection

  • spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and respiratory droplets are propelled through the air and deposited on people and surfaces

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • lower air temperatures

• four symptoms of each

  1. headache

  2. fever

  3. chills

  4. diarrhea

MERS

• vector: infected camels

• mode of infection

  • caused by a virus in the coronavirus family

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • high temperatures

  • high ultraviolet index

  • low wind speed

  • low relative humidity

• four symptoms of each

  1. fever

  2. cough with(out) blood

  3. fatigue

  4. sore throat

Zika

• vector: aedes aegypti

• mode of infection

  • primarily though the bite of an aedes species mosquito

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • deficient water supply

  • sanitary sewage

  • rainwater drainage

• four symptoms of each

  1. fever

  2. rash

  3. conjunctivitis

  4. malaise

Cholera

• vector: drinking/eating contaminated goods with cholera

• mode of infection

  • spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by cholera

• environmental conditions likely to aid the spread

  • deficient water supply

  • sanitary sewage

  • rainwater drainage

• four symptoms of each

  1. fever

  2. rash

  3. muscle and joint pain

  4. headache

Why are poverty-stricken, low-income areas more likely to experience frequent outbreaks of infectious disease?

Forcing high density living and preventing access to medical infrastructure and vaccines.

What is the relationship between infectious disease and global travel?

Travelers because of their mobility, allowing potential exposure to diseases outside their home country, and the possibility that they could bring these disease from one economy to another.

What is the first stem an epidemiologist would do to track an emergent disease?

Determine whether the report number of cases is unusual.