Name: ________________________________ Period: ________

Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution

Topics (Textbook Module Numbers)

I. Sources of Pollution (41) IX. Solid Waste Disposal (51)
II. Human Impacts on Ecosystems (41) X. Waste Reduction Methods (52)
III. Endocrine Disruptors (42) XI. Sewage Treatment (41)
IV. Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves (43) XII. Lethal Dose 50% (LD50) (57)
V. Eutrophication (41) XIII. Dose Response Curve (57)
VI. Thermal Pollution (44) XIV. Pollution and Human Health (56)
VII. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (42)
XV. Pathogens and Infectious Diseases (56)
VIII. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification (42)

Vocabulary
• Acid deposition • Landfill mitigation • Range of tolerance
• Algal bloom • LD50 • Recycling
• Bioaccumulation • Leach field • Runoff
• Biochemical oxygen • Leachate • Safe Drinking Water Act
demand (BOD) • Malaria • Sanitary municipal
• Biomagnification • Mangroves landfill
• Boom • Manure lagoon • SARS
• Brownfield • Maximum Contaminant • Secondary treatment
• Bubonic plague Level (MCL) • Sedimentation
• Cholera • MERS • Septage
• Composting • Mesothelioma • Septic system
• Coral bleaching • Methylmercury • Septic tank
• Dead zone • Nonpoint source • Sludge
• Decomposition • Oligotrophic • Tertiary treatment
• Dispersant • Oxygen sag curve • Thermal pollution
• Dose Response Curve • Pathogen • Thermal pollution
• E-waste • Perceived obsolescence • Thermal shock
• Endocrine disruptors • Persistent Organic • Clean Water Act
• Eutrophication/ Pollutants (POPs) • Tuberculosis
Cultural Eutrophication • Planned obsolescence • Wastewater
• Fecal coliform bacteria • Point source • Water pollution
• Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Polychlorinated • West Nile virus
• Hypoxic biphenyls (PCBs) • Wetland
• Incineration • Primary treatment • Zika virus
• Indicator species

1
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM 21:17
1. Copy the sketches of the 5 stages of the materials economy
Extraction Production Distribution Consumption Disposal

2. How much of our natural resources have been trashed in the last few decades?

3. How many planets are needed to support current rates of consumption in the US and
Australia?

4. How many trees are being lost in the Amazon each minute?

5. What is being added to the production system that is created dangerous waste products?

6. What food is at the top of the food chain and threatening the health of future generations?

7. What is meant by “externalising costs of production”?

8. Who is paying for the real cost of cheap electronic equipment (i.e. the $4.99 radio)? List
three groups at least.

9a. How much material is still in the system after 6 months?____________%.

9b. Where have the remaining materials gone?

10. When did the modern consumer economy come into being? Why?

2
11. According to Annie Leonard, what are some of the social and community interests being
neglected while we are busy consuming “stuff”?

12. What do these terms mean? Give an example of each.

• planned obsolescence
example________________________________________________________
• perceived obsolescence
example________________________________________________________

13a. What is happening to the levels of measured happiness?

13b. What reasons are given?

14. Draw or summarize the steps in the treadmill.

15. One solution which many countries use to deal with increasing waste is to burn it. What
problem is associated with burning rubbish?

16. How does recycling help?

17. Why is recycling not enough? (Clue: How many rubbish bins are needed to produce one
bin of recycled materials?)

3
I. Sources of Pollution
Objective:
• Identify differences between point and nonpoint sources of pollution

Waste should be viewed as a _____________ , just like other materials.

Human systems:
Inputs Outputs

Waste:___________________________________________________________________________
Is natural waste “useful” or not?

_________________________________ : Produced from a single, identifiable location. Examples:

_______________________________________: Produced from a more diffuse, broadly defined area
Examples:
How is it helpful to a community to identify point sources of pollution?

Which type of pollution is more difficult to control and why?

II. Human Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems

Objective:
• Describe negative environmental impacts on suffered by coral reefs.
• Explain how oil spills happen, and their negative economic consequences and effects on
aquatic ecosystems.
• Explain what a dead zone is and how it forms.
• Describe how heavy metals can impact water supply.
• Identify the major sources of solid waste pollution.
• Explain the harmful effects of sediment pollution.

Why are coral reefs important?

4
 THREATS:
Chemical
Physical
•
•
•
•
• •
• •
•
•
Indirect
Biological

Natural Threats How does human activity exacerbate (magnify) this threat?

Storm impacts

Temperature changes

Salinity changes

Predation

Algal overgrowth

à Article: The Problem with Nurdles. https://www.nurdlehunt.org.uk/the-problem.html

What are nurdles? (don’t copy word for word! Explain in your own words)

Why are nurdles likely to be ingested by sea animals?

How are nurdles harmful when they are eaten?

5
How are nurdles harmful to beach ecosystems?

Hover over the images in the infographic to see more information

List five of the specific species (not just “birds”) that have been documented in research
studies to have ingested large amounts of plastic.

How do most of the nurdles end up in the ocean?

Hover over the images in the infographic to see more information

Draw a simplified diagram showing where nurdles get lost during their life cycle.

Define primary vs. secondary microplastic.

Explain whether it is better to focus on cleaning up the nurdles or preventing them at the
source and why.

Hover over the images in the infographic to see more information

What causes nurdles to get even smaller?

What are POPs? (These will come up again later)

Hover over the images in the infographic to see more information

Which of the 4 groups of chemicals...
_______ Interferes with hormones, causes developmental abnormalities—found in coolants
_______ Found in pesticides, concentrates up the food chain

6
 Oil spills
Cause harm from surface to bottom of ocean, at all trophic levels
1. Marine mammals and birdsà
2. Fishà
3. Invertebrates à

Case Studies

1. __________________________________________
× Supertanker crashed into a reef in Prince William
Sound, AK
× 42 million liters (11 million gallons)
× Half a million birds and thousands of marine
mammals killed
2. _________________________________________
× Exploration might yield up to 1.4 trillion L of oil
and natural gas
× Opponents: will harm pristine habitat and the
human population as well

3. _________________________________________
× Explosion at a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico
× Released 780 million L (206 million gal)—87 days
× 6000 sea turtles, 26,000 marine mammals,
82,000 birds killed

BP Oil Spill Timeline (2:58) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiF-X-Ez9Bs

BP Oil Spill 5 Years Later: Wildlife Still Suffering MSNBC (5:53)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcZ9MLDuIl0
Why were there so many birds on the neighboring barrier islands off the Lousiana coast at
the time of the spill?

What occurred with the land and mangroves? (positive feedback loop!)

7
 Why are they in danger of losing the pelican population?

What are the steps being taken right now to protect the pelicans? Who is supporting and not
supporting?

Deepwater Horizon disaster, five years later (10:24)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZKBDVurCdk
How does Correctsit dispersant work?

Physical evidence that remains even 5 years later

Human medical issues

BP’s responses to the complaints

Economic issues in Grand Isle

______________________________ : Produced by livestock operations and human activities

Types:
Why is wastewater a problem? ________________________________________________________
à more oxygen is required for the bacteria to decompose all the organic material
à _______________ BOD = ___________ pollution
à High BOD = Less ________________________________________ for other forms of life;
may cause ______________________________

BOD in the waters of North America has (increased/decreased) since 1976 because:

BOD in the waters of Africa and Asia has (increased/decreased) since 1976 because:

8
 How is the creation of a dead zone
in the ocean or river an example of a
positive feedback loop? (Draw it)

Oxygen Sag Curve

Trout, perch, bass, No fish Pollution- Trout, perch, bass,
Pollution-tolerant
mayfly, stonefly Fungi, sludge, tolerant fishes mayfly, stonefly
fishes (carp, gar)
(clean water orgs) worms, bacteria (carp, gar) (clean water orgs)

Clean Decomposition Septic Recovery Clean

ßZonesà

Sediment Pollution (_______________________________________)

• Caused by construction, agriculture, erosion
• Increases _____________________________, reduces sunlight
• Clogs gills
• ______________________________________

9
Heavy metals used for industry, especially mining and burning of fossil fuels, can reach the groundwater, impacting the
drinking water supply
Heavy Metals and other toxins
Metal/Toxin Source Removal Health Effect
Water filtration Nervous system and kidney damage to
Laws banning lead paint, import of fetuses and infants
toys
Replacement of old pipes
Federal guidelines for building
Filtration and reverse osmosis Skin, lung, kidney, bladder cancers

Reduce use of coal Biomagnification—can damage CNS,

esp. fetuses/children

Coal scrubbers Lethal to many forms of life, food web

Water treatment effects
Destroy statues, bridges, roads, buildings

Use organic methods Kill many non-target organisms

Ban certain chemicals (DDT)

Proper waste disposal Varying effects on food web

Other compounds: _________________________ (rocket fuel), __________--polychlorinated biphenyls (plastics/electrical transformers),

__________ (flame retardants)

10
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/chemical-study-ground-zero-house-flint-water-crisis-
180962030/
Scientists Now Know Exactly How Lead Got Into Flint's Water –Smithsonian magazine
What was the root cause of the crisis and what happened in 2014 that exacerbated it?

What safety measures might have prevented the problem, but were not being followed by
Flint?

What has Flint done since 2014, and is it working for the long term?

Is Flint the only place this contamination could be a problem?

III. Endocrine Disruptors

Objective:
• Identify endocrine disruptors and describe the effects of endocrine disruptors on
ecosystems.

_______________________________________________ : Mimic hormones causing

overstimulation, or bind to a receptor within a cell and block the real hormone, stopping
response.

Examples:

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals https://youtu.be/ibfAF66JzFE (2:54)

11
IV. Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves
Objective:
• Describe wetlands and mangroves, and the ecological services they provide.
• Describe the impacts of human activity on wetlands and mangroves.

____________________ : a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either

permanently or seasonally, where anaerobic processes prevail

Ecological Services provided by Wetlands

1.
2.
3.
4.
• 5,000 species of plant life
• 1/3 of all species of birds
• 190 species of amphibians
• ALL of America's wild ducks and geese need
wetlands to survive

___________________________ :
• ___________________________ that grow along tropical shorelines
• inhabit the _________________________________
• ______________________________________
× substrate for inverts like corals, sponges, tunicates
× shelter many species of juvenile fish

Threats to Mangroves and Wetlands

•
•
•
•

12
 àThe Disappearing Wetlands in California’s Central Valley, High Country News 2/29/16
https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-disappearing-wetlands-in-californias-central-valley
What are the natural and anthropogenic causes of the wetland loss in CA?

What are two ways that bird populations are impacted by shrinking wetlands?

What was a mitigation solution that conservationists came up with to preserve some habitat
for migrating birds?

Why is that no longer a viable solution?

How does the Central Valley Project Improvement Act fit into the story?

V. Eutrophication
Objective: Explain the environmental effects of excessive use of fertilizers and detergents on aquatic
ecosystems
• Define eutrophication and algal blooms.
• Discuss the characteristics of hypoxic, oligotrophic, and eutrophic waterways.
• Describe anthropogenic causes of eutrophication.
Excess nutrients in the water à __________________________ (anthropogenic causes =
____________________ eutrophication)
à especially _______________
à _______________________
à again leads to High BOD and dead zones
Waterways low in oxygen = ____________________________
_____________________________ waterways: low nutrients,
stable algae populations, high DO

13
 1.

2.

4.

5.

3.

VI. Thermal Pollution

Objective:
• Define thermal pollution and describe its causes.
• Describe the effects of thermal pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
Also called ________________________
Temp vs. DO
• Power plants/factories use cooling water, pump hot water back
into waterways
• Warm water contains less _______________________
• Decreased respiration, suffocation
• To reduce temperature: use of ____________________

VII. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Objective:
• Define POP and identify examples.
• Explain how and why POPs are toxic to organisms and how they can spread long distances.

POPs are types of pollutants that are especially harmful because

1.
2.
3.

Stockholm Convention:
14
 5 examples of POPs

VIII. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

Objective:
• Define bioaccumulation and biomagnification and explain the difference between them.
• Describe harmful effects on ecosystems and humans that are a result of bioaccumulation and
biomagnification.
• Identify examples of substances that are capable of bioaccumulating and having measurable
negative environmental impact.

_________________________________ : Increase in
concentration of a pollutant in an organism
_________________________________ : Increase in
concentration of a pollutant in a food chain
à Effects on top carnivores—thinning eggshells,
reproductive malformities
à DDT banned after Rachel Carson wrote about its
effects on songbirds in
___________________________________
à Human body systems that can be most severely
affected: _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Food Web
Activity
Consider the
food web
diagram and
the passage
of the
pesticide
DDT from
organism to
organism.
(Organic
debris =
decomposed
organic
matter from
dead
organisms)

1. Label each plant/animal as a primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, or

tertiary consumer. You can use the standard abbreviations PP, 1° C, 2° C, and 3° C.

15
2. Which of the following groups is most susceptible to problems from DDT: primary producers,
primary consumers, secondary consumers, or tertiary consumers? Why?

3. What are some differences between the food chain of ospreys and the food chain of northern
harriers? How might these differences in the diet of osprey and northern harriers result in exposure
to different amounts of DDT?

4. Suppose an osprey eats 300 g of fish per day. The fish tissue consumed by the osprey has an
average DDT concentration of 0.1 μg/g. How much DDT is the osprey consuming in one day?

5. Now suppose a bald eagle also eats 300 g of food per day. But, the bald eagle eats seal carcasses
that have washed up on the beach. The seal had eaten fish-eating fish with 1.0 μg/g DDT in their
tissue. Much of the seal’s body is made of blubber (a fatty substance) and the DDT
bioaccumulates in the seal. So, the seal has 2.0 μg/g DDT in its tissue. If the bald eagle eats 300 g
of seal, how much DDT does the bald eagle consume in one day?

6. Rank the relative concentration of DDT using the following scale: 1 = lowest concentration, 10 =
highest concentration. You should consider this approximate, just use your best judgment to
guess.

à Article: High Level of Mercury Found in Pumas Linked to Coastal Fog

https://www.worldatlas.com/news/high-level-of-mercury-found-in-pumas-linked-to-coastal-fog.html

Explain how a puma is a victim of BOTH bioaccumulation and biomagnification due to

methylmercury in the fog.

16
IX. Solid Waste Disposal

Objective:
• Define solid waste and how and where it is generated.
• Describe the negative impacts of improperly designed landfills.
• Define e-waste and discuss its recent prevalence.
• Describe the design of sanitary municipal landfills.
• Describe factors in landfill decomposition rates.
• Explain the pros and cons of incineration as an alternative.
• Identify items that cannot be accepted in landfills, such as rubber tires
• Discuss the prevalence and negative impacts of ocean dumping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkfAnQtIUCw Where is the Biggest Garbage Dump on Earth?

(4:03) How has it formed? What is it composed of?

17
Landfills
à Traditional landfills must confront two large environmental problems:
1.
2.
__________________ : Contaminated water that passes through MSW into the soil and
waterways

___________________________________________ aim to contaminate the surrounding

environment as little as possible.
Important
Features:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

How fast will decomposition happen? Depends on...

1.
2.

_________________________________ : Burn waste to reduce volume and mass; sometimes can

generate electricity or heat (called a ______________________________ system)
à _______ : Residual non-organic material that does not combust

18
à Article: Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Dispose of It? PBS KQED
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/is-burning-trash-a-good-way-to-dispose-of-it-waste-incineration-in-charts
What does the author consider negative impacts of burning waste?

Why is the U.S. waste incineration industry declining?

________ incinerators operate in the U.S., and ________ % are in “environmental justice
communities”. How are these communities defined?

Where specifically in the U.S. are most of them?

What has changed over the last 50 years in terms of what is burned?

What are some modern solutions that are being demanded by the public?

How do incinerator plants compare to natural gas power plants in terms of emissions?

NIMBY! =

Some items are not accepted in landfills and are prone to be disposed of illegally

19
 _________________________________ is only ______ of the waste stream. Why is it such a
significant concern?

___________________________________________
• Prohibited in 1972 by _______________________________________________
• China, Indonesia, Phillippines, Vietnam, Thailand dump more than the rest of the world
combined
• Animals ingest trash and become entangled
Explore: Nat Geo’s Planet or Plastic?
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/planetorplastic/planetorplastic-backup/
__________________________________________________ : Consider all materials and energy
used in the lifetime of a product, from raw materials to final disposal
The life cycle of a T-shirt (6:03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiSYoeqb_VY

Which is better for the environment??? None of these have a simple answer…write down
both pros and cons for both.
Paper vs. Plastic cup?
We predict: Studies suggest:

Disposable vs. Cloth diaper?

We predict: Studies suggest:

Notebooks or an iPad?
We predict: Studies suggest:

20
X. Waste Reduction Methods
Objective: Describe changes to current practices that could reduce the amount of generated
waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks
• Define recycling and discuss its pros and cons.
• Define composting and discuss its pros and cons.
• Discuss options for disposing of e-waste and the issues with improper disposal.
• Describe landfill mitigation strategies.
• Describe the option of methane recapture in landfills.

How much waste is produced by a nation has a direct correlation to that nation’s ____________.
_________________________________________: Refuse collected by municipalities from
households, small businesses, and institutions.
What caused the shift to the “throw-away
society”?

How does our industrialization lead to developing countries’ increasing their MSW?

Undercover in a Bangladesh clothing factory (CBS news)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1mvcFuiTts (4:39)

Composition of the Waste Stream (flow of solid waste before

recycling)

is
recycled.

But 75% of recycled

material is
_______________

21
The Three Rs and Composting
1. _______________
à____________________________ : Reduce use of potential waste materials in early
stages of design and manufacture. Examples:

2. _______________ : increase of ___________________________ in the system

• Better if reuse does not require much additional energy
Examples:

3. _________________ : objects converted to raw materials which can be used to

produce new products
2 Types of Recycling:
_______________________ _______________________

Recycling Pros? Recycling Cons?

_______________________ : Creation of organic matter (humus) by decomposition under

controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material that enhances soil structure,
cation exchange capacity, and fertility.
• Ensure a good _________ ratio that will boost _________________ activity
• Layer “dry” material (leaves, grass) will “wet” (kitchen scraps)
• Rotation and aeration to provide ______________ . If decomposition occurs
anaerobically like in landfills, _________________ will be produced (bad
greenhouse gas!)
• Drawbacks:

22
 Solid Waste Management Hierarchy
Most preferred

Least preferred
(last resort)

_________________________________ : Liquid, solid or gas that has been shown to be harmful

to humans or the environment

Examples of Hazardous Waste

What’s the best option?

à
à __________________________________________ happens first
à__________________________________________ is best!

Legislation: ______________________________________
• Taxes on chemical and petroleum industries
• Funds cleanup of non-operating hazardous waste sites

23
 • Authorizes federal government to respond immediately to release of hazardous
substances
à__________________________ : Newer federal program (1995) to clean up industrial sites that
do not yet have Superfund status
Important Case Study: ________________________
• Used to be a hazardous waste landfill
• Benzene, dioxin, and trichloroethylene (carcinogens) found in basements in 1978
• Residents evacuated in 1983
The Love Canal Disaster (11:02) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjobz14i8kM
Where did the chemicals come from originally, and when?

What were some of the health problems people experienced?

Why did residents protest against the EPA and the government?

How many toxic sites has the Superfund Act remediated at the time of this video? _______
Was Love Canal remediated? What happened to it?

Why did activists continue to protest when Love Canal was repopulated in 1998?

Why is it so hard to identify and eliminate carcinogens around us?

____________________________________________
• Burning waste for energy and to reduce volume
• Restoring habitat for use as parks

24
XI. Sewage Treatment
Objective:
• Describe best practices in sewage treatment.
• Explain primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment, and disinfection.

Treating wastewater
1. ____________________________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IftsX9Z7vHI How a septic system works (2:09)

2. ___________________________________________ : centralized systems in large

municipalities in developed countries
1) ___________________________________________ :
× Physical removal of large objects through the use of screens and grates
× Settling of waste at the bottom of the tank

2) ___________________________________________ :
× Water _____________, _____________ added, promotes growth of aerobic bacteria
× Bacterial breakdown into CO2 and inorganic sludge
× _________________________________________:
3) ___________________________________________ using chlorine, ozone, UV light
--Released to waterway
Heavy rain and flooding—plants can __________________________ raw sewage into bodies
of water

__________________________________ : man-made outdoor earthen basin filled with

animal waste that undergoes anaerobic respiration as part of a system designed to manage and
treat refuse created by CAFOs. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/drone-factory-farm-pig-feces-lakes

25
XII. Lethal Dose 50% (LD50) & XIII. Dose Response Curve (Hazards and Risk)
Objective:
• Identify the five major types of hazards.
• Differentiate between transmissible and non-transmissable diseases, with examples.
• Describe at least three emergent diseases and the pathogens that cause them.
• Discuss ways to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases, and the roadblocks.
• Identify important toxic substances.
• Describe their effects on the different physiological systems of the body.
• Define LD50 and compare the toxicity of different substances.
• Explain and evaluate dose response curves.

Five types of Hazards:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

________________________________: caused by non-living factors; does not spread

__________________________________: (also transmissible/contagious/communicable): caused
by pathogens

Look up 5 examples each of diseases caused by….

Add VA if there is a vaccine, add A if there is an antibiotic

Virus Bacterium Protist (Protozoan) Fungus

26
Methods of transmission

________________________: regional large- scale outbreak

________________________: worldwide outbreak
Copy the 5 deadliest diseases in history, their pathogen, and method of transmission
Vaccine
International Transmission Pathogen or
antibiotic?
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7xlGcLGTu8 1918 Pandemic: The Deadliest Flu in History (6:08)

the 1918 flu was also known as _________________________________
Why did many countries not report the flu?

What percent of the world was infected?

Flu viruses are categorized by two types of _______________________________________

H5N1 Virus = Bird Flu
H1N1 Virus = Swine Flu (2009 pandemic)
Small mutations that your immune system can protect against: ___________________________
Large mutations that your body cannot protect against: ______________________________

Why did it especially affect 20-40 year olds? (2 reasons)

1.

2.

27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySClB6-OH-Q The Past, Present and Future of the Bubonic
Plague (4:12)
Visit the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website and the WHO (World Health Organization)
website for information about current disease concerns in the US and internationally. Write
down at least 5 of each, and put VI, B, P, or F for pathogen, and VA or AN for vaccine or
antibiotic.
https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html CDC
http://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/en/ WHO

Vaccine or Vaccine or
United States Pathogen
antibiotic?
International Pathogen
antibiotic?

Antibiotic Resistance https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-antibiotics-become-resistant-over-time-

kevin-wu#watch (4:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yybsSqcB7mE (2:02) Watch Antibiotic Resistance Evolve
Draw a positive feedback model showing how antibiotic resistance occurs.

Solutions to the Problem of Infectious Disease:

There are CHEMICALS in my food!!!

Name something that has scary CHEMICALS in it: ____________________________________
Penn & Teller get hippies to sign water banning petition 3:23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3erdgVVTw&t=41s

28
 Top 5 Toxic Substances 3 Types Toxic Agents
Examples
(What they are) (What they do)
1.
1.

2. 2.

3.
3.
4.

5.

Other Hazardous Effects:

System Example Disease/Effect
Weaken the immune system, leaving it
vulnerable to infection

Mercury poisoning
ADD
Paralysis
Learning disabilities
Prevention of hormone from working
properly
Birth defects
Developmental delays and disabilities

______________________________: a measure of the harmfulness of a substance—ability to

cause injury, illness, or death to a living organism
Answers the question: At what level of exposure to a particular toxic chemical will the chemical
cause harm?
____________: The amount of a harmful chemical that a person has ingested, inhaled, or
absorbed at one time
What factors affect toxicity?
Variables
•
•
•
•
•
•

29
Types of Response:
___________________: immediate, rapid, possibly temporary
___________________: permanent, long-lasting
What’s a safer chemical: a naturally occurring one, or a synthetic (human-made) one?

_____________ (Lethal Dose 50) : Amount of a substance required to kill 50% of the test
population (you might also see reference to _________ )

Remember:
1.
2.

___________________________________________
(Refer to LD50 Brine Shrimp Lab)
× Shows the response of a population to a dose
of a chemical/toxin

_____________________________________________________________ :
When there is substantial preliminary evidence that an activity/technology/chemical substance
can harm humans or the environment, we should take precautionary measures to prevent/reduce
harm, rather than wait for more conclusive scientific evidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1SWkqZCD24 The Precautionary Principle Animation (1:43)

What are some other issues besides toxins to which we could/should be applying the
Precautionary Principle?

_____________: probability of suffering harm (usually percentage or fraction)

____________________________________________: Use statistical methods to estimate risk
____________________________________________: Whether and how to reduce risk, and at
what cost
Refer to Risk Survey Lab

30
 Which of these do people consider to be riskier? What are the reasons behind these
perceptions?
Being pushed out of an airplane with a Sky-diving
parachute

Government chlorination of drinking water Using a chemical water softener in your

home

Hiking on an open cliffside trail Living next to an oil refinery

Driving in a car Living near a nuclear reactor

Or
Driving in a car Flying in a jet airplane

Using tobacco Using a product containing dioxin

Drinking tapwater in your house in Drinking tapwater from a well in Senegal

Cupertino

Living near a factory that exports goods Living near a factory that sells goods you use

XIV. Pollution and Human Health

Objective:
• Explain the difficulty behind establishing cause and effect between pollutants and
human health issues.
• Identify the probable pollution-related causes of human diseases such as dysentery,
mesothelioma, asthma, and respiratory problems.
https://time.com/4982099/quackery-medicine-history/ (1:43) 3 Strange Treatments Doctors Used
to Think Were Good for You
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/57983/9-terrifying-medical-treatments-1900-and-their-safer-modern-
versions
× Difficult to establish ____________________________ between pollutants and human
health issues
× humans are exposed to a variety of chemicals and pollutants

Disease Cause

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XV. Pathogens and Infectious Diseases
Objective: Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment.
• Discuss how and why pathogens may appear in certain locations.
• Explain how climate change is affecting the spread of pathogens.
• Explain why poverty-stricken regions are more in danger of the spread of infectious
diseases.
• Define and explain the spread of plague, tuberculosis, malaria, West Nile virus, SARS,
MERS, Zika, and cholera.

× Pathogens ___________ to take advantage of

new opportunities to infect and spread
through human populations

× Specific pathogens can occur in many

environments regardless of the appearance of
sanitary conditions

× _________________________ leads to
pathogens and associated diseases spreading
into new areas

× Poverty-stricken areas more often lack

________________________________
_____________ and have
_________________________________
____________________________________

à so they have a much _________ likelihood for spread of infections disease

Wastewater carries a wide variety of __________________ (disease-causing microorganisms
and viruses)
Examples:

32
Notable Pathogens

Disease Transmission
infected organism bites human or contact with
contaminated fluids or tissues
breathing bacteria from bodily fluids of an infected
person
bites from infected mosquitoes
Sub-saharan africa
bites from infected mosquitoes

inhaling or touching infected fluids

transferred from animals to humans

-bites from infected mosquitoes
-Sexual contact
from infected water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2j_Ka3XTgA Ganges: India’s dying mother (3:13)

What are some sources of the pollution in the Ganges?

REMEMBER!!!!
• __________________________ people do not sufficient access to safe water
• About _______ of the world’s population lacks access to proper sanitation and hygiene
• In __________________________, up to 64% lack access

___________________________________: indicates whether or not pathogens are present

à _______________________________________ such as E. coli shows human waste has entered

the water (not necessarily pathogens)

33
If a species is highly sensitive to pollution, what does
its presence indicate?

If a species has a wide range of tolerance, will it

dominate a habitat in low pollution or high pollution?
Why?

Bozeman Review Videos

Water Pollution (9:07) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNGKsubYJ9U

Health Impacts of Pollution (8:09) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcDjyxanOyk

Solid Waste (7:39) http://www.bozemanscience.com/ap-es-031-solid-waste

34
FRQorner 2002 #3
An experiment is performed to test the
toxicity of copper sulfate (CuSO4) using
brine shrimp as a test organism. Six
different concentrations of CuSO4
solution are prepared in separate petri
dishes, and 100 brine shrimp are placed
in each dish. After 48 hours, the number of brine shrimp that have died is counted and recorded. The
results of this experiment are shown in the table.

a) Plot the data on the blank semi-log graph provided below. Draw a smooth curve through the data
points to illustrate the overall trend of the data.

b) Explain the meaning of the term LD50. What is the LD50 concentration of CuSO4 for
brine shrimp?

c) Explain the meaning of the term “threshold level of toxicity”. What is the threshold
level of toxicity of CuSO4 for brine shrimp? Label this point on the graph.

d) Provide one argument for extending these toxicity results to humans and one argument
against doing so.

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