Spatial, vertical and temporal variations of elemental mercury and human exposure to deadly effects of methyl-mercury are also presented in this study. Ishan Joshi 2 1. Introduction: Mercury occurs naturally in the Earth’s biochemical system. It is a highly volatile trace metal. Before an industrial
If pregnant woman eat a large amount of contaminated fish from the Hudson River their children are more likely to be born with birth defects. These contaminants are also known to cause damage to the nervous system, immune system, and the reproductive system. PCB’s can also cause a specific type of cancer. In 1983 they delcared the Hudson River a Superfund. It has ben turned into one of the nations largest Superfund Sites.
Environmental Hazards a. In the St. Lawrence River, lots of industry has resulted in high levels of toxic chemical such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and heavy metals. b. Because these toxins affect not only one specie but also all of species that are interconnected by food chain. c. These pollution decline beluga’s immune system, get disease easily that linked to low birth rates of belugas which have lived in the St. Lawrence River.
Some of the major negative economic effects of natural gas drilling are the enormous amounts of pollutants released into our water sources. With estimates coming close to 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas sitting in the Marcellus, it’s no wonder companies are willing to drill at any cost to the local water systems and communities. In other words, there is conservatively two trillion dollars in nature gas reserves sitting right under us. The problem with fracking is being able to find an economical and environmentally friendly way to dispose of the waste water. There are approximately thirteen treatment plants used to deal with the waste water that is accumulated by the massive fracking operations all over the state.
A few of these chemicals are cadium, a highly poisonous metal that is also used to make batteries, formaldehyde which is used to preserve dead bodies, and lead which is a highly toxic metal. Some studies say that the nicotine in cigarettes is as addictive as cocaine and heroin, which leads to the theory of why it is so hard for addicts to stop. With all these deadly chemicals, why would someone even think of smoking cigarettes? These 4,000 deadly chemicals are more than enough evidence to make cigarettes illegal in Canada. Cigarettes are bad for anyone who smokes them.
Since acid rain has very high emission rates, some attempts have been made to try to reduce the pollution from the rain. Coal that has high sulfur levels gets washed before it’s burned to make electricity, and the sulfur dioxide that’s made when coal burns is sometimes removed during the burning of the coal, by adding powdered limestone to the combustion chamber. This removes about half of the sulfur dioxide from the coal. The rest is removed by “scrubbing” the reaction gas with Lime (CaO) and water. When acid rain falls, it sometimes raises the levels of acids in certain soils, removing nutrients from the soil that helps plants grow.
Natural emission sources of SO2 and NOx include volcanic eruptions and lightening, however unfortunately, there are numerous man-made activities that produce far greater quantities of these gases, such as, the combustion of fossil fuels, industrial manufacturing processes and automobile exhausts. It is estimated that in the atmosphere two thirds of SO2 and one fourth of NOx molecules come from electric power generators alone. Impacts of acid rain: • Soil: Acidification of soil results in K+, Mg+ and Ca+ leaching out of solution, causing nutrient deficiency and loss of soil fertility. • Vegetation: Acid rain causes anatomical alterations in the leaves of tropical trees leaving them venerable to disease. • Aquatic ecosystems: Acid rain makes water bodies, such as streams, rivers and lakes, acidic.
We have created massive power plants throughout the United States that emit toxic fumes and gases. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are approximately 6,600 operational power plants in the United States alone (“Kinds of Power Plants”, 2013). While not every one of these power plants is responsible for releasing the dangerous toxins, one could argue that whatever the product may be that they are producing, is still significantly contributing to amount of harmful greenhouse gases that is causing damage to atmosphere. Not only are the power plants causing a disturbance to the balance of our ecosystem, but there are the gases that are emitted from petroleum gas and fuel in our cars, buses, planes and trains. There are countless numbers of transportation means in
Another problem that the rainforests encounter is the medical side. Certain plants are removed for medicines, herbal shampoo and perfumes. Gold mining in the rainforest can also be a threatening problem. It can pollute rivers that other animals are dependent on. Furthermore, mercury spreads and destroys plants and animals in the area.
The three types of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas. They all take millions of years to form, so they are considered to be “non-renewable”- eventually, the fossil fuels will all be used up. One dangerous biological effect of using fossil fuels is ocean acidification. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also be very dangerous. Environmentally damaging accidents such as groundwater contamination, land subsidence, and oil spills occur frequently.