ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND HUMAN HEALTH (PART 2)

Question 1

1. What are the effects of Cadmium on the body?

Answer 1

• renal dysfunction
• osteoporosis
• bone pain
• abdominal pain
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• anaemia
• bone marrow involvement
• cancer

Question 2

2. In which foods can we find Cadmium?

Answer 2

• shellfish
• molluscs
• leafy vegetables

Question 3

3. What was the Toyama Prefecture of Japan (1912)?

Answer 3

• Cadmium was released into the rivers by mining
  companies in the mountains
• this water was used in rice fields
• the rice absorbed the cadmium
• the cadmium accumulated in the people who were
  eating the infested rice

Question 4

4. What is the name of a disease caused by Cadmium poisoning?

Answer 4

• Itai Itai disease

Question 5

5. What are the symptoms of Itai Itai disease?

Answer 5

• weak and brittle bones
• bone fractures
• severe pains in the spine
• severe pains in the joints
• kidney failure
• anaemia
• death

Question 6

6. Where does Mercury originate from?

Answer 6

• 50 % of it originates from natural sources
• 50% of it originates from industrial processes

Question 7

7. What are examples of natural sources that produce Mercury?

Answer 7

• volcanoes
• weathering of rocks

Question 8

8. What are examples of industrial processes that produce Mercury?

Answer 8

• paper production
• pulp production
• this is released into the water by companies
  (fresh or salt water)
• the seafood become contaminated with mercury
  (fish, shellfish)

Question 9

9. What are the effects of Mercury Poisoning?

Answer 9

• it affects the Nervous System
• effects the skin
• effects the kidneys
• effects the bone marrow
• effects the blood cells
• effects the immune system
• effects the bone formation

Question 10

10. What was the Japanese Minamata Bay Disaster of 1950-1960?

Answer 10

• Minamata bay was heavily polluted by waste water
• this was because it had mixed with the mercury
  dumped into Hyakken Harbour
• this was done by the Chisso Chemical factory
• the highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish
  and fish
• this happened in both Minamata Bay and Shiranui Sea
• people consumed the polluted fish
• they got mercury poisoning

Question 11

11. What are the symptoms of Minamata Disease?
    (Methyl-mercury Poisoning)

Answer 11

• Ataxia
  (poor muscle control that causes clumsy voluntary
  movements)
• numbness in the hands and feet
• general muscle weakness
• loss of peripheral vision
• damage to hearing and speech
• a congenital form of the disease can affect the foetus
  in the womb

Question 12

12. What are extreme symptoms of Minamata Disease?

Answer 12

• insanity
• paralysis
• coma
• death

Question 13

13. What is the source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)?

Answer 13

• the combustion of organic matter

Question 14

14. What are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)?

Answer 14

• they are major carcinogenic constituents
• they are isolated from cigarette tar
• they are products of air pollution

Question 15

15. What are common sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons?

Answer 15

• they are found in non-processed foods
• they are found when these foods have undergone
  thermal treatments and processing procedures
  (grilling, roasting, baking, frying)

Question 16

16. In which foods are the highest levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons found?

Answer 16

• grilled food
• smoked fish
• mussels from polluted waters
• leafy vegetables grown in areas that are heavily
  exposed to air pollution

Question 17

17. What are three major chemical classes of Pesticides?

Answer 17

• organochlorines
• organophosphates
• carbamates

Question 18

18. What are some Health risks associated with Pesticides?

Answer 18

• nausea
• vomiting
• headaches

THIS IS ALL CAUSED BY THE FOLLOWING DISRUPTIONS:
- teratogenic
- carcinogenic
- immunotoxic
- endocrine

Question 19

19. What are Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)?

Answer 19

• they are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• they are resistant to environmental degradation

Question 20

20. Where do Polychlorinated Biphenyls accumulate?

Answer 20

• in animal feeds that are introduced into the food chain
  (specifically of animals of marine origin)
• milk is a useful indicator of PCB environmental
  pollution

Question 21

21. What are Dioxins?

Answer 21

• they are Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• they have a half life of about 7-11 years

Question 22

22. How are Dioxins introduced into the environment?

Answer 22

• they are introduced as by-products of industrial
  processes
• they can result from natural processes
  (volcanic eruptions, forest fires)
• they also accumulate in animals feeds
• they are absorbed by fatty tissue
• they accumulate in the food chain

Question 23

23. What are health risks of Dioxins?

Answer 23

• they are highly toxic
• they cause reproductive and developmental problems
• they damage the immune system
• they interfere with hormones
• they cause cancer

Question 24

24. What are Phthalates?

Answer 24

• substances that are used in a wide range of household and consumer goods
• they are used in plastic food packaging

Question 25

25. Why are phthalates found at low levels in foods?

Answer 25

• they are extensively used
• they have a moderate resistance to degradation
• they are widely distributed in the environment

Question 26

26. What health issues are Phthalates linked to?

Answer 26

• endocrine disruption
• lower sperm count

Question 27

27. What are Nitrates and Nitrites?

Answer 27

• they substances that are not carcinogenic by themselves
• they are used to form Nitrosamines
• when reacting with dietary amines
• this results in a potent form of liver cancer

Question 28

28. What are Nitrates and Nitrites used for?

Answer 28

• preserving meat products

Question 29

29. Answer this question.

Answer 29

• B

Question 30

30. Read through this summary.
    Does everything make sense?

Answer 30

• yes