Harmful Elements

SOPHIA YSABEL D. COMIA

8-ST.LUKE
•RADON HAS BEEN USED IN SOME SPAS FOR
PRESUMED MEDICAL EFFECTS. IN ADDITION, RADON IS
USED TO INITIATE AND INFLUENCE CHEMICAL REACTIONS
AND AS A SURFACE LABEL IN THE STUDY OF SURFACE
REACTIONS. IT HAS BEEN OBTAINED BY PUMPING THE
GASES OFF OF A SOLUTION OF A RADIUM SALT, SPARKING
THE GAS MIXTURE TO COMBINE THE HYDROGEN AND
OXYGEN, REMOVING THE WATER AND CARBON DIOXIDE
BY ADSORPTION, AND FREEZING OUT THE RADON.
• RADON HOME EFFECTS ON HUMANS•RADON IS
THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER
AND A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN.•THE
PRIMARY ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECT ASSOCIATED
WITH CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO RADON IS LUNG
CANCER (TYPICALLY BRONCHOGENIC): -
SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA -SMALL CELL
CARCINOMA -ADENOCARCINOMA -LARGE CELL
• RADON HOMEEFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT• EXPERIMENTAL
INVESTIGATIONS USING ANIMALS, MINERS, AND MOLECULAR AND
CELLULAR STUDIES PROVIDE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE AND SOME
UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH RADON (I.E.,
ALPHA RADIATION) CAUSES LUNG CANCER. THESE TYPES OF
STUDIES ARE NOT DIRECT INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING THE
EFFECTS OF RADON AND MAY HAVE CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
THAT NEED ATTENTION.• HEALTH EFFECTS OBSERVED IN ANIMALS
EXPOSED TO RADON AND RADON DECAY PRODUCTS INCLUDE LUNG
CARCINOMAS, PULMONARY FIBROSIS, EMPHYSEMA, AND A
SHORTENING OF LIFE-SPAN.
•
NICKEL PURE NICKEL IS SILVERY GRAY
IN APPEARANCE, AND IT CAN BE POLISHED
TO A BRIGHT SHINE. THE METAL IS ALSO
FERROMAGNETIC, AND VERY DUCTILE,
MEANING THAT IT CAN EASILY BE MELTED
AND WORKED. IT IS RELATIVELY HARD AND
STRONG, MAKING IT A GREAT ADDITION TO
ALLOYS WITH SOFTER OR MORE FRAGILE
METALS.
• NICKEL HOMEUSES• NICKEL IS A COMPOUND THAT
OCCURS IN THE ENVIRONMENT ONLY AT VERY
LOW LEVELS. HUMANS USE NICKEL FOR MANY
DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS. THE MOST COMMON
APPLICATION OF NICKEL IS THE USE AS AN
INGREDIENT OF STEAL AND OTHER METAL
PRODUCTS. IT CAN BE FOUND IN COMMON METAL
PRODUCTS SUCH AS JEWELRY. NICKEL CAN ALSO
BE FOUND IN DETERGENTS.
• NICKEL HOMEEFFECTS ON HUMANS• AN UPTAKE OF TOO LARGE
QUANTITIES OF NICKEL HAS THE FOLLOWING CONSEQUENCES: -
HIGHER CHANCES OF DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG CANCER, NOSE
CANCER, LARYNX CANCER AND PROSTATE CANCER - SICKNESS AND
DIZZINESS AFTER EXPOSURE TO NICKEL GAS - LUNG EMBOLISM -
RESPIRATORY FAILURE - BIRTH DEFECTS - ASTHMA AND CHRONIC
BRONCHITIS - ALLERGIC REACTIONS SUCH AS SKIN RASHES,
MAINLY FROM JEWELRY - HEART DISORDERSNICKEL FUMES ARE
RESPIRATORY IRRITANTS AND MAY CAUSE
PNEUMONITIS.EXPOSURE TO NICKEL AND ITS COMPOUNDS MAY
RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OFA DERMATITIS KNOWN AS
“NICKEL ITCH” IN SENSITIZED INDIVIDUALS.
• NICKEL HOMEEFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT• FOR ANIMALS,
NICKEL IS AN ESSENTIAL FOOD STUFF IN SMALL AMOUNTS. BUT
NICKEL IS NOT ONLY FAVORABLE AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT; IT
CAN ALSO BE DANGEROUS WHEN THE MAXIMUM TOLERABLE
AMOUNTS ARE EXCEEDED. THIS CAN CAUSE VARIOUS KINDS OF
CANCER ON DIFFERENT SITES WITHIN THE BODIES OF ANIMALS,
MAINLY OF THOSE THAT LIVE NEAR REFINERIES.• NICKEL IS
RELEASED INTO THE AIR BY POWER PLANTS AND TRASH
INCINERATORS. IT WILL THAN SETTLE TO THE GROUND OR FALL
DOWN AFTER REACTIONS WITH RAINDROPS. IT USUALLY TAKES A
LONG TIME FOR NICKEL TO BE REMOVED FROM AIR. NICKEL CAN
ALSO END UP IN SURFACE WATER WHEN IT IS A PART OF
•CESIUM IS VERY PRETTY. IN ITS INERT FORM, IT'S A
SERIES OF DELICATE STRUCTURES THAT LOOK A LITTLE LIKE A
SNOWFLAKE UNDER A MICROSCOPE. IT'S ALSO A METALLIC
GOLD COLOR, SO THAT'S NEAT — AND, IN FACT, POPULAR
MECHANICS SAYS IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GOLD. THERE'S
ONLY A CERTAIN KIND OF PERSON THAT WOULD MAKE A
WEDDING RING OUT OF IT, THOUGH, BECAUSE CESIUM REACTS
WITH BASICALLY EVERYTHING. LEAVE A SAMPLE OF CESIUM
EXPOSED TO PLAIN OLD AIR, AND IT'LL SPONTANEOUSLY
COMBUST INTO PINK AND PURPLE CHEMICAL FLAMES. DROP IT
INTO WATER, AND IT'LL EXPLODE — EVEN IF IT'S SUBJECTED
TO TEMPERATURES DOWN TO -177 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
RADIUM
• ACCORDING TO LIVESCIENCE, RADIUM WAS DISCOVERED BY MARIE AND
PIERRE CURIE IN 1898, AND IT WAS NAMED FOR THE LATIN WORD FOR "RAY,"
BECAUSE THEY KNEW EARLY ON THAT IT GAVE OFF RADIATION ABOUT
THREE MILLION TIMES HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS GIVEN OFF BY URANIUM...
THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW HOW BAD THAT WAS. IT TYPICALLY ENTERS THE
BODY WHEN IT'S INHALED OR SWALLOWED, AND IT CAUSES ALL KINDS OF
HORRIBLE THINGS. MOST OF THOSE THINGS ONLY SHOW UP IN THE LONG-
TERM, SO FOR A WHILE, THE WORLD LOVED IT AND ITS GLOW-IN-THE-DARK
PROPERTIES, ESPECIALLY FOR PRACTICAL USES LIKE ILLUMINATING WATCH
DIALS. ONLY RADIATION ON THAT SCALE IS INCREDIBLY DEADLY. TAKE THE
TALE OF THE RADIUM GIRLS, THE WATCH DIAL PAINTERS WHO TWIRLED
THEIR BRUSHES TO A POINT BETWEEN THEIR LIPS, AND LOVED THE WAY IT
MADE THEIR MOUTHS AND SKIN GLOW. SOME WASTED AWAY FROM
CANCERS, OTHERS SIMPLY ROTTED WHERE THEY LAY.
• URANIUM HOMEUSES• URANIUM IS ALSO USED AS THE
FISSILE EXPLOSIVE TO CREATE NUCLEARWEAPONRY.•
URANIUM IS USED TO POWER NUCLEAR POWERED
SUBMARINES AND SHIPS.• URANIUM WAS USED IN
PHOTOGRAPHIC CHEMICALS, LAMP FILAMENTS, TO IMPROVE
THE WHITENESS OF DENTURES AND IN THE LEATHER AND
WOOD INDUSTRY AS STAINS AND DYES.• URANIUM IS ALSO
MINED TO ISOLATE RADIUM FOR USE IN GLOW IN THE DARK
PAINTS FOR CLOCK FACES AND AIRCRAFT DIALS.• THE
RADIOISOTOPES FROM URANIUM ARE USED IN SMOKE
DETECTORS.• URANIUM METAL IS USED AS BALLASTS IN
YACHTS AND AIRPLANES.
• URANIUM HOMEEFFECTS ON HUMANS• URANIUM IS HARMFUL TO
HUMANS BECAUSE IT IS AN ESSENTIAL NUCLEAR ELEMENT. AS FAR AS
HUMAN KNOWLEDGE KNOWS ANYTHING THAT HAS A NUCLEAR
COMPOSITION IS NOT GOOD TO HUMANS. URANIUM EXPOSURE CAN
AFFECT THE HUMAN BODY SYSTEM. IT CAN DEPRECIATE THE FUNCTIONS
OF VITAL ORGANS SUCH AS THE HEART, BRAIN, LIVER AND KIDNEY.
URANIUM CAN BE RETAINED IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. IT HAS SMALLER
COMPONENTS KNOWN AS RADON. THIS CAN BE EXHALED THROUGH
CONTAMINATED FOOD OR WATER. BUT, SUCH EXPOSURE IS ONLY MINOR.
MAJOR EXPOSURES INCLUDE WORKING IN FACTORIES OR GOVERNMENT
FACILITIES THAT USES URANIUM.
• URANIUM HOMEEFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT• URANIUM IS A
POSSIBLE POLLUTING AGENT OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.•