Lead (Pb), a heavy metal element is found in the Earth, in small amounts in ore along with other metals. Lead due to its high abundance is also an environmental pollutant found in lead-based paints, soil, fuel, some toys and jewelry, and metal pipes and toxic if ingested [1]. Another environmental pollutant is 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), also known as dioxin. TCDD is the most toxic organic pollutant in the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins(PCDD) family. TCDD is produced from the unwanted byproduct of industrial processes and combustions emissions and has no known function for industrial or commercial use. TCDD is found throughout the environment in low levels but main exposure is caused by consuming dairy, meat and fish products, …show more content…
3] [4], but studies involving, low level chorionic exposure are scarce. Normally, people are not exposed to high levels of Lead or TCDD, instead people are exposed to small levels or undetectable traces and over the years of constant exposure and the human body’s lack of ability to metabolize Lead and TCDD, allow the pollutants to accumulate into high concentration and become toxic [2].The toxic effect caused by Lead and TCDD exposure include adverse effects and damage to the gastrointestinal system, immune system, nervous system, endocrine and reproductive system, brain, kidney, liver and cause cancer and in extreme cases death [1].Assessing toxicological effect can be done by blood samples but are not always detectable. There is also an issue that different pollutants and toxins are distributed and accumulate differently in each organ. To get improved understanding of toxicity, a biopsy, a small sample of an organ is need. Biopsy are invasive and for organs like the brain or a fetus during pregnancies are extremely dangerous and difficult to obtain, so alternative methods of determining toxicity for these chemicals needs to be
This last process is significant not only because it brought dioxin the current notoriety but it also is a chemical process used to make products that were used and are still been used in many applications. These applications include pesticide, herbicide, defoliating agent such as Agent Orange, cleaning agent and electrical insulation. Consequently, human exposure to dioxin is not a recent phenomenon and the dangers of dioxin are not unknown. Only in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War, has the media concentrated on the dangers and impact of dioxin.
The charge transfer complex was studied from the reaction of iodine with mesitylene in pentane. From the relationship between concentration of iodine over its absorbance and concentration of mesitylene, the equilibrium constant was determined to be 0.4183, and the molar absorptivity to be 1.3780*104 M-1cm-1. Besides, the energy of photon needed to get excited was 369.52 kJ/mol, and the binding energy (W) of the excited state of charge transfer complex was 145.82 kJ/mol which was much larger than expected of only 9 kJ/mol for iodine and
Lead is a metal found virtually everywhere even today. Sources of lead include auto body shops, electric storage batteries, glazes for china dishes, crockery, insecticides, electric cable insulation, hose, pipe, sheet and floor coverings. Lead is associated with stain glass work, jewelry making and antique ceramic doll painting. Although lead in paint was outlawed, there are still many homes that have lead paint (White et al, 1990). Lead found in gasoline was found in one study to account for 23--27% of the lead blood levels in the people tested (Wagner, 1991). This exposure to lead sources is more of a concern for children due to the characteristic habit of children to taste everything they touch; this characteristic is known as pica. Children are also in closer contact with their lead polluted environment during play. They are more active and exposed to outdoor contaminates and they inhale dust and dirt that are lead contaminated. Furthermore, the adsorption rate of lead in the digestive tract is up to 10 times greater in chil...
There are many other ways that a child, especially under the age of six can be diagnosed to lead poison besides air pollution. One of the most common ways is when a child eats or chews on an object that has lead based paint chips in or on its surface. Parents can easily prevent this from happening by reading labels or buying objects which are not painted. Another way in a child can be affected is by drinking water that comes from lead pipes.
The reason that this dioxin is so dangerous is that the “dioxin is persistent organic pollutant that is toxic over many decades, is not water-soluble and does not degrade easily. Clinging to soil particles carried by water runoff from spills or sprayed areas downstream into the sediments of lakes or streams; it is consumed by mollusks, fish and waterfowl, easily entering the human food chain.” It is chemically stable and is retained in the human fatty tissue. If it is detected early it can be treated by surgery or medication but usually if it is found to late then it can’t be treated (make agent orange
There are many factors that are integrated into the successful development of a child from Prenatal growth into toddlerhood. Teratogens (outside factors) have a great impact on the babies’ inutero development. Some outside factors like second-hand smoke, smog, or fumes from cleaning chemicals can cause negative effects on the child inside the womb. A few major affects from teratogens could result in low birth weight, head circumference, slow physical growth as well as an effect on mental, behavioral and motor skills (Berk, 2003). The environment around the mother provides many of these outside factors affecting the baby’s growth. But the main link to teratogens during the gestation period is most likely the mother. Daniel S. Messinger and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 2.8% of pregnant women admitted to using illicit drugs during their pregnancy (1996). Through illicit drug use, tobacco use and alcohol use, the mother disrupts her baby’s growth with possibly permanent damage.
The birth of a healthy child is a blessing. The prenatal period is susceptible in terms of embryonic development, and some exposures to teratogens can have adverse and lifelong affects on a baby. Although physical outcomes resulting from teratogen exposure cannot be reversed, with hope, some of the behavioral effects of Teratogens may have a decreased impact on the life of the child, though all mothers should pay special attention to the health of their child throughout their pregnancy.
Chemical pollution into the environment can cause both genotypic and phenotypic changes in many organisms, including humans. More specifically, environmental pollutants like BPA can act as xenoestrogens (estrogen imitators), ultimately affecting hormonal activity and production in an organism. This alteration in activity and production can be termed as endocrine disruption. The endocrine system regulates a variety of processes responsible for growth and development, including gonadal formation and function, digestion, metabolism, sex differentiation, and embryonic development (reviewed by Flint et al., 2012). Chemicals that interfere with the function or structure of the endocrine system can be defined as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007).
Exposure to medications or drugs during pregnancy can result in abnormalities such as withdrawal symptom, respiratory problems, growth retardation, developmental retardation, congenital heart defects, caudal deficiency and CNS defects. Known prenatal birth defects resulting from environmental toxins such as Lead, mercury or PCB’s are miscarriage, CNS damage, spasticity, mental retardation, skin discoloration and low birth weight.
During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems including cancer, decreased fertility, and abnormalities in newborns.
• The use of a catalyst will speed up the reaction as long as the catalysts electrode potentials are feasible for each step in the reaction. Since a catalyst lowers the activation energy and takes the reaction through a different route, according to the Maxwell-Boltzmann diagram, at a constant temperature more particles are able to react as demonstrated by the diagrams below:
A radioisotope is an isotope that emits radiation as it has nuclear instability(Prostate Cancer; Fusion imaging helps target greater doses of radiation).Those who are not too familiar with radioisotopes may think their use is for harmful radiation, nuclear weapons, and the possibility of turning into a giant, raging, green monster. However, there are much more positive uses for radioisotopes. There have been many medical advances thanks to the benefit and practice of radioisotopes in nuclear medicine. These advances have been able to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases.
Lead and lead compounds can be highly toxic when eaten or inhaled. Although lead is absorbed very slowly into the body, its rate of excretion is even slower. Thus, with constant exposure, lead accumulates gradually in the body. It is absorbed by the red blood cells and circulated through the body where it becomes concentrated in the soft tissues, especially the liver and kidneys. Lead can cause damage in the central nervous system and apparently can damage the cells making up the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain from many harmful chemicals.
Heavy metal poisoning may be detected using blood and urine tests, hair and tissue analysis, or x rays. In childhood, blood lead levels above 80 µg/dL generally indicate lead poisoning, however, significantly lower levels (>30 µg/dL) can cause mental retardation and other cognitive and behavioral problems in affected children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a blood lead level of 10 µg/dL or higher in children a cause for concern. In adults, symptoms of lead poisoning are usually seen when blood lead levels exceed 80 µg/dL for a number of weeks. Another important factor is that blood levels containing mercury should not exceed 3.6 µg/dL, while urine levels should not exceed 15 µg/dL. Symptoms of mercury poisoning may be seen when mercury levels exceed 20 µg/dL in blood and 60 µg/dL in urine. An interesting way to test for the amount of mercury in someones system, is to test hair a follicle, and record the levels of mercury in order to gauge the severity of chronic mercury exposure. Furthermore, arsenic is rapidly cleared from the blood. Blood arsenic levels may not be very useful in diagnosis. Arsenic in the urine (measured in a 24-hour collection following 48 hours without eating seafood) may exceed 50 µg/dL in people with arsenic poisoning. If acute arsenic poisoning is suspected, an x ray may reveal ingested arsenic in the abdomen. It is visible because the arsenic appears solid on an x-ray. Arsenic may also be detected in the hair and nails for months following exposure.
In recent years it has become clear that some environmental chemicals can cause risks to the developing embryo and fetus. Evaluating the developmental toxicity of environmental chemicals is now a prominent public health concern. The suspected association between TCE and congenital cardiac malformations warrants special attention because TCE is a common drinking water contaminant that is detected in water supplies throughout the U.S. and the world. There is a lot of concern about the clean up of toxic pollutants from the environment.