3. Environmental Disasters & Persistent Problems Flashcards
What is the dilution paradigm?
the solution to pollution is dilution
What is NIMBY?
- Not in my backyard
- Nobody wants the band environmental things to happen to them / right next to them
What is the boomerang paradigm?
what you throw away can come back and hurt you
What is the precautionary principle?
The absence of complete scientific evidence to take precautions does not mean that precautions should not be taken – especially when there is a possibility of irreversible damage.
Can the precautionary principle be harmful in itself?
Yes
Quebec wildfire, 2023: what?
Unprecedented fires in Quebec
Quebec wildfire, 2023: toxicant
PM2.5
Quebec wildfire, 2023: who’s affected? and how are they affected?
- humans and animals
- air pollution
What is PM2.5?
Particulate matter 2.5 microns and less
What is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death?
Pollution
What type of pollution is the most consequential on human health?
Air pollution
Why does air pollution have such a big affect on human health?
Because humans consume 11,000L of air per day
(versus 2L of water, and 2kg of food)
Love Canal, 1978: what?
- A chemical waste dump was filled over with clay and a neighborhood was built on top
- Wet winters raised the water table which caused the chemicals to leach
Love Canal, 1978: toxicant? (3)
- PCBs
- dioxin
- benzene
Love Canal, 1978: who was affected and how?
- Neighborhood, school children
- Birth defects, miscarriages, inexplicable illnesses resulted
Agent orange, 1961-71: what?
Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide used by the US military during the Vietnam War to defoliate the entire area, flatten the exostem
Agent orange, 1961-71: key toxicant
dioxin (contaminant within the herbicide)
Agent orange, 1961-71: who was affected and how?
- killed 300,000 people; 3M Vietnamese ppl affected
- illnesses, disabled, birth defects
Dark Waters, 1999: what?
- The chemical company Dupont contaminated the water in West Virginia and Ohio
- Cattle was fouled, and that is how they figured out the water was contaminated
Dark Waters, 1999: toxicant?
PFAs
Dark Waters, 1999: who was affected?
The people and the cows drinking from the contaminated water
Dark Waters, 1999: bioindicator species?
Cow
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, April 20, 2010: what?
- Largest oil spill
- 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, April 20, 2010: toxicant? (3)
- benzene
- BTEX
- PAHs
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, April 20, 2010: who was affected?
- killed 11 people
- adverse health effects to marine animals
Minamata disease, 1950s: what?
- Traced to Chisso chemical company
- Linked to eating shellfish and fish
Minamata disease, 1950s: toxicant
methylmercury
Minamata disease, 1950s: who was affected and how?
- population of Minimata
- cats
- severe neurological disease
Minamata disease, 1950s: what did we learn? (3)
- Biomagnification: the amount of Hg released by the company was at safe levels, but because of biomagnification the levels increased for humans and cats eating fish
- Bio indicator species: cats
- Dilution is not always the solution
Acid Rain,1970s: what?
- Burning fossil fuels releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere
- There they react in the atmosphere to form acidic compounds
- They then fall to the earth as precipitation or dust
Acid Rain,1970s: how did they recognize it
Damage to limestone architecture
Acid Rain,1970s: effects?
Damage to aquatic and terrestrial habitats
Acid Rain,1970s: why was it a cross-border issue?
because of long-range transport
Acid Rain,1970s: Canadian research on acid rain
- Whole ecosystem experiment at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA)
- Scientists added sulphuric acid to one lake to lower the pH to 5.0
- Previous studies had shown that pH 5.0 is not harmful to fish
Exxon Valdez, 1989: what?
37 million of oil spilled off the coast of Alaska
Exxon Valdez, 1989: lessons learned (3)
- oil spill responses
- lasting damage (effects still >20 years leater)
- out of sight out of mind?
Types of oil spill responses (4)
- light on fire
- try to absorb it
- dispersants (what they did for exxon valdez and deepwater horizon)
- natural attenuation
What is the Montreal Protocol (1985) ?
Phase out on the use of CFCs in aerosol cans and as refrigerants
Why was the Montreal Protocol put into place?
Depletion of stratospheric ozone and increased ultraviolet-B radiation in the troposphere
What was the Stockholm Convention (2001) ?
Banned 9 of the Dirty Dozen
(Dirty Dozen = POPs persistent organic pollutants)
Why was the Stockholm convention implemented?
Reproductive failure of predatory fish and wildlife due to high persistence, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification
What was the European REACH Agreement (2006)?
A regulatory initiative for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
Regulations for all chemicals imported, manufactured, or used in amountss of more than 1 tonne per year per producer or importer
Why was the European REACH Agreement (2006) implemented?
General concerns about chemical safety
What was the Minimata Convention on Mercury (2013)?
It was a convention on mercury to control the anthropogenic releases and toxic effects of mercury by banning or restricting products containing mercury and controlling emissions to air, land, and water
What are some persistent problems (7)?
- Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
- Microplastics
- Pesticides
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Oil spills
- Replacement chemicals
- Government regulation and animal use
What is 6PPD-quinone and what is the issue with it? (5 points)
- Put into tires to prevent them from cracking
- In 2020, mass mortality of coho salmon linked to a chemical that comes from rubber tires
- Parent compound is 6PPD
○ 6PPD-quinone is a product of a reaction between 6PPD and ozone - Other fish species are also sensitive to it (rainbow trout, brook trout)
- But on the other hand, some fist species are not affected (arctic char, white sturgeon)
Lessons learned from 6PPD-quinone? (2)
- Tire companies were unaware the 6PPD-quinone was being produced
* Consider hazard of metabolites and degradation products - Not all species are equally sensitive
- Consider the adequacy of toxicity testing
