1. Chapter 17 Environmental Hazards and Human Health

2. Core Case Study: Are Baby Bottles and Food Cans Safe To Use
Core Case Study: Are Baby Bottles and Food Cans Safe To Use? The BPA Controversy
Some synthetic chemicals act as hormone mimics and disrupt the human endocrine system
93% of Americans older than 6 have BPA levels above the threshold level set by the EPA
Higher in children and adolescents
BPA (bisphenol A)
Estrogen mimic – excess effects on males
In polycarbonates and other hardened plastics
Baby bottles, sipping cups, reusable water bottles, sports drinks, microwave dishes, food storage containers. liners of most food and soft drink cans

3. We Face Many Types of Hazards
Biological:
Pathogen: an organism that causes disease in other organisms
Chemical
Physical
Cultural
Lifestyle choices
Risk
Probability of suffering harm from a hazard

4. Some Diseases Can Spread from One Person to Another
Infectious disease
Pathogen invades the body and multiplies
Transmissible disease
Contagious or communicable disease
Infectious disease transmitted between people
Flu, tuberculosis, measles
Nontransmissible disease
Not caused by living organisms
Heart disease, most cancers, diabetes

5. Some Diseases Can Spread from One Person to Another
Infectious diseases spread through
Air, water, food, body fluids
Can cause epidemics and pandemics. Can also build up resistance to drugs and pesticides
Since 1950, death from infectious diseases have declined due to
Better health care, better sanitation, antibiotics, vaccines

6. Science: Pathways for Infectious Diseases in Humans
Figure 17.3: Science.
There are a number of pathways on which infectious disease organisms can enter the human body. Question: Can you think of other pathways not shown here?
Fig. 17-3, p. 439

7. Major Causes of Death from Infectious Diseases in the World, 2007
Figure 17.4: Global outlook: The World Health Organization estimates that each year, the world’s seven deadliest infectious diseases kill 11.3 million people—most of them poor people in less-developed countries (Concept 17-2). This averages about 31,000 mostly preventable deaths every day—roughly the same as wiping out everyone in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Alabama or all the people in Delhi, India, each year. Question: How many people, on average, die prematurely from these diseases every hour? (Data from the World Health Organization, 2007)
Fig. 17-4, p. 439

8. Case Study: The Growing Global Threat from Tuberculosis
One in ten will become sick with TB
1.8 million deaths each year, primarily in less-developed countries
Why is tuberculosis on the rise?
Not enough screening and control programs
Genetic resistance to a majority of effective antibiotics
Person-to-person contact has increased
AIDS individuals are very susceptible to TB

9. Lung Tissue Destroyed by Tuberculosis
Figure 17.5: The colorized red areas in this chest X-ray show where TB bacteria have destroyed lung tissue.
Fig. 17-5, p. 440

10. Viral Diseases and Parasites Kill Large Numbers of People
#1 Killer - Influenza or flu virus
#2 Killer - HIV
#3 Killer - Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
Emergent diseases: West Nile virus
Reduce chances of infection:
Wash your hands
Avoid touching your face
Avoid sick people

11. We Can Reduce the Incidence of Infectious Diseases
Good news
Vaccinations on the rise
Oral rehydration therapy
Bad news
More money needed for medical research in developing countries

12. Some Chemicals Can Cause Cancers, Mutations, and Birth Defects
Toxic chemicals
Carcinogens
Chemicals, types of radiation, or certain viruses the cause or promote cancer
Mutagens
Chemicals or radiation that cause mutations or increase their frequency
Teratogens
Chemicals that cause harm or birth defects to a fetus or embryo

13. Case Study: PCBs Are Everywhere—A Legacy from the Past
Class of chlorine-containing compounds
Very stable
Nonflammable
Break down slowly in the environment
Travel long distances in the air
Fat soluble
Biomagnification
Food chains and webs
Banned, but found everywhere

14. Potential Pathways on Which Toxic Chemicals Move Through the Environment
Figure 17.9: PCBs and other persistent toxic chemicals can move through the living and nonliving environment on a number of pathways.
Fig. 17-9, p. 447

15. Some Chemicals May Affect Different Systems
Some natural and synthetic chemicals in the environment can weaken and harm our
Immune system
Nervous system
Neurotoxins: PCBs, arsenic, lead, some pesticides
Endocrine system

16. Many Factors Determine the Harmful Health Effects of a Chemical
Toxicity dependent on
Dose
Age
Genetic makeup
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)
Solubility
Persistence
Biomagnification
Response
Acute effect: immediate or rapid
Chronic effect: permanent or long-lasting

17. Toxicity Ratings and Average Lethal Doses for Humans
Table 17-1, p. 453

18. Are Trace Levels of Toxic Chemicals Harmful?
Insufficient data for most chemicals
We are all exposed to toxic chemicals
Are the dangers increasing or are the tests just more sensitive?

19. Some Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found in Most Homes
Figure 17.15: A number of potentially harmful chemicals are found in many homes. Most people have traces of these chemicals in their blood and body tissues. We do not know the long-term effects of exposure to low levels of such chemicals. (Data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and New York State Department of Health) Questions: Does the fact that we do not know much about the long-term harmful effects of these chemicals make you more likely or less likely to minimize your exposure to them? Why?
Fig , p. 455

20. Why Do We Know So Little about the Harmful Effects of Chemicals?
Severe limitations estimating toxicity levels and risks
Only 2% of 100,000 chemicals have been adequately tested
99.5% of chemicals used in the United States are not supervised by government

21. Global Outlook: Number of Deaths per Year in the World from Various Causes
Figure 17.16: Global outlook: Scientists have estimated the number of deaths per year in the world from various causes. Numbers in parentheses represent death tolls in terms of the number of fully loaded 200-passenger jet airplanes crashing every day of the year with no survivors. Because of the lack of media coverage of the largest annual causes of death and its sensational coverage of other causes of death, most people are misinformed and guided by irrational fears about the comparative levels of risk. Question: Which three of these items are most likely to shorten your life span? (Data from World Health Organization, 2007)
Fig , p. 458

22. Chapter 21 Solid and Hazardous Waste

23. Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem
Electronic waste, e-waste: fastest growing solid waste problem
Most ends up in landfills and incinerators
Composition includes
High-quality plastics, valuable metals, toxic and hazardous pollutants
Shipped to other countries - What happens in China and India?
International Basel Convention
Bans transferring hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries

24. Core Case Study: E-waste—An Exploding Problem
What should be done?
Recycle
E-cycle
Reuse
Prevention approach: remove the toxic materials

25. We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (1)
Solid waste
Industrial solid waste
Mines, farms, industries
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Trash
Hazardous waste (toxic waste)
Threatens human health of the environment
Organic compounds
Toxic heavy metals
Radioactive waste

26. We Throw Away Huge Amounts of Useful Things and Hazardous Materials (2)
80–90% of hazardous wastes produced by developed countries
U.S. is the largest producer - Leader in solid waste problem; Leader in trash production, by weight, per person; Recycling is helping
Why reduce solid wastes?
¾ of the materials are an unnecessary waste of the earth's resources
Huge amounts of air pollution, greenhouse gases, and water pollution

27. Natural Capital Degradation: Solid Wastes Polluting a River in Indonesia
Figure 21.3: Natural capital degradation.
These solid wastes pollute a river in Jakarta, Indonesia, a city of more than 11 million people. The man in the boat is looking for items to salvage or sell.
Fig. 21-3, p. 560

28. We Can Cut Solid Wastes by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
Six strategies:
Redesign manufacturing processes and products to use less material and energy
Develop products that are easy to repair, reuse, remanufacture, compost, or recycle
Eliminate or reduce unnecessary packaging
Use fee-per-bag waste collection systems
Establish cradle-to grave responsibility
Restructure urban transportation systems

29. We Can Burn or Bury Solid Waste or Produce Less of It
Waste Management
Reduce harm, but not amounts
Waste Reduction
Use less and focus on reuse, recycle, compost
Integrated waste management
Uses a variety of strategies

30. We Can Use Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste
Integrated management of hazardous wastes
Produce less
Convert to less hazardous substances
Rest in long-term safe storage

31. Case Study: Recycling E-Waste
70% goes to China
Hazardous working conditions
Includes child workers
Reduce toxic components in electronics
Dell and HP take recycle their products
Europe has high-tech smelters with strict standards

32. Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States (1)
1976: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
EPA sets standards and gives permits
Cradle to grave
Covers only 5% of hazardous wastes

33. Case Study: Hazardous Waste Regulation in the United States (2)
1980: Comprehensive Environmental, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
National Priorities List
2010: 1300 sites, 340 sites cleaned so far
Pace of cleanup has slowed
Superfund is broke
Laws encouraging the cleanup of brownfields

34. International Treaties Have Reduced Hazardous Waste (1)
Basel Convention
1992: in effect
1995 amendment: bans all transfers of hazardous wastes from industrialized countries to less-developed countries
2009: Ratified by 195 countries, but not the United States

35. International Treaties Have Reduced Hazardous Waste (2)
2000: Delegates from 122 countries completed a global treaty
Control 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) - “Dirty dozen” includes DDT, PCBs, dioxins. Everyone on earth has POPs in blood
2000: Swedish Parliament law
By 2020 ban all chemicals that are persistent and can accumulate in living tissue

36. We Can Make the Transition to Low-Waste Societies
2000: Swedish Parliament law
By 2020 ban all chemicals that are persistent and can accumulate in living tissue
Norway, Austria, and the Netherlands
Committed to reduce resource waste by 75%
East Hampton, NY, U.S.
Reduced solid waste by 85%

37. Unit 7 test review
According to 2003 CDC study what % of Americans over 6 showed trace BPA level above EPA thresholds?
What are the 5 main types of hazards?
Examples of biological hazards, natural hazards, viral diseases, transmissible and non-transmissible diseases.
Terms – pandemic, epidemic, malaria, west nile virus, lyme disease, carcinogen, immune system, endocrine system, toxicity, dose, biomagnification, chronic effects, acute effects.

38. The top toxic substances in terms of human and environmental health.
% of e-waste components containing materials that could be recycled/reused?
US produces how much of the world’s solid waste?
Approaches for dealing with solid waste (waste reductions, integrated waste management, etc.)
% of solid waste buried in US landfills.
Most efficient beverage container on the market.
What can people do to save resources?