Toxicity Part 2 Flashcards
What is phytoremediation?
The use of green plants to reduce contamination
What does EPA stand for and when was it founded?
Environmental protection agency, 1970
Which 2 incidents inspired the government to create laws concerning the environment?
Love canal, New York; and times beach, Missouri
What does RCRA stand for?
Resource conservation and recovery act
What is RCRA’s tag line?
“Cradle to grave”: handling, tracking, and management of toxins
What inspired RCRA?
Times beach and love canal
What does NPL stand for?
National priority list
What does the NPL consist of?
CERCLA and superfund
What does teratogenic mean?
It causes fetal abnormalities
What does CERCLA stand for?
Comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act
What is CERCLA’s tag line?
“Strict, joint, and severe responsibility”
What does PRP stand for?
Potentially responsible parties
What is the purpose of CERCLA?
Rapid containment and cleanup of abandoned toxic waste sites
What percent of money for CERCLA comes from superfund?
70-80%
What does SARA stand for?
Superfund amendments and reauthorization act
What is SARA’s tag line?
“Community right to know”
What does SARA do?
Notifies residents within a 1 mile radius of a superfund site
What are the 3 types of teratogens?
Viral, chemical, nutritional
What are 5 examples of teratogens?
DES, fetal alcohol syndrome, acne medications, Zika virus, thalidomide
What are brownfeilds?
Contaminated commercial property that is underused/ abandoned but can be considered for potential redevelopment
What are 3 advantages to brownfeilds?
Brings jobs, tax base, reduces urban sprawl
What does CAA stand for?
Clean air act
What does the CAA do?
Directs the EPA to protect air and ozone layer, requires emissions permits
What is the CWA?
Clean water act
What inspired the CWA?
Santa Barbara oil spill (1969) and cuyahoga river
What 2 things did the CWA do?
Set water quality standards and required discharge permits
What does the national energy security act do?
Increased R and D of ethanol fuel production
What inspired the energy tax act?
The 1970 oil embargo
What happened in Bhopal India?
MIC has leaked from union carbide (a pesticide company) and killed thousands
What are the 3 steps of the union carbide gas leak?
1) water entered tank of 42 tons of MIC
2) exothermic reaction: temp raised to 392 degrees, raising pressure
3) the tank vented, releasing the toxic gas into Bhopal
What are 3 things that caused the terrible effect the MIC had?
MIC stores at unsafe levels, safety systems failed or turned off, no catastrophe plan
Who is Aldo Leopold?
He wrote “sand country almanac” and emphasized interdependence of living things and abiotic factors
Who is Rachel Carson?
She wrote “silent spring” which discussed the effects of pesticides on the environment and helped lead to the DDT ban
Who is Gifford Pinchot?
He said “the greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time” and was the first head of the US forest service
Who is Steven Mather?
He was the first director of the national park service
Who is Garrett Hardin?
He wrote “tragedy of the commons” and thought that commonly owned resources are doomed to destruction bc humans are greedy
What did Teddy Roosevelt do?
He set aside millions of acres for national forests and wildlife refuges
Who is john Muir?
He founded sierra club, established Yosemite national park, and was a transcendentalist
Who is Henry David Thoreau?
He wrote “Walden” and “civil disobedience” and was a transcendentalist
Who is Ralph Waldo Emerson?
He was a transcendentalist and believed that people are naturally good
Who is wangari maathai?
She began the green belt movement
What 4 things has the green belt movement done?
Slowed soil erosion, improved land quality, provided work for 3,000 women, has planted 10 million trees
