Murcury In Rice!!!!

I Know this isn't a current events post but i read this article and i felt i needed to share it with the class.
a study was done to the rice in a specific area in china and it turns out that the Mercury in their fish is not what they have to worry about, its the rice. this area was down wind from a coal plant. the fact is that rice paddies carry the types of bacteria that can convert inorganic mercury to its more toxic, methylated form. The rice sucks up the Mercury! It averaged 9.3 micrograms of this especially toxic mercury per kilogram of rice in an area where people down an average of more than a half-kilogram of the grain each day. why does this concern you do you say? Any tainted rice may not stay put for very long in our increasingly global economy.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58350/title/Mercury_surprise_Rice_can_be_risky

Wewage Treatment

At a sewage treatment center they sometimes use three steps to filter and clean the waste water.

Primary Treatment: Primary treatment is when all of the sewage is put in large tanks and allowed to settle. this separates each individual material. the sludge sinks to the bottom and is sent to a separate sludge treatment area and the grease and oil is scraped off the top. the treatable liquid id then sent to the next stage.

Secondary treatment: in the secondary treatment, aerobic and biological processes are used. there are two types of secondary treatment. fixed film treatment is when a fixed biomass is grown and the sewage passes over it. suspended growth is when the biomass i suspended within the sewage. these processes remove BOD or biochemical oxygen demand.

Tertiary Treatment: this is the last and most rare form of sewage treatment. it uses bacteria to denitrify nitrates in the water producing nitrogen gas which id then released into the atmosphere. the major purpose is to remove nitrogen and phosphates

Hopefully after all this you can drink some of it!

Cholera

Because Cholera is spread through insanitation and water pollution, I thought it would be interesting to find more details about this disease.

What is it: Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea (pleasant, I know.)

Symptoms:

Abdominal cramps

Dry mucus membranes or mouth

Dry skin

Excessive thirst

Glassy or sunken eyes

Lack of tears

Lethargy

Low urine output

Nausea

Rapid dehydration

Rapid pulse (heart rate)

Sunken "soft spots" (fontanelles) in infants

Unusual sleepiness or tiredness

Vomiting

Watery diarrhea that starts sudden

Causes: Cholera is caused by the bacterium vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water in the intestines, which produces severe diarrhea.

Cholera occurs in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Common locations for cholera include:

Africa

Asia

India

Mexico

South and Central America

The Mediterranean

People get the infection by ingesting contaminated food or water.

A type of vibrio bacteria also has been associated with shellfish, especially raw oysters.

Treatment: The objective of treatment is to replace fluid and electrolytes lost through diarrhea. Fluids may be given by mouth or through a vein. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed an oral rehydration solution that is cheaper and easier to use than the typical intravenous fluid. Their solution of sugar and electrolytes is now being used internationally.

Types of Water Pollution

1.) Sewage: Wastewater from household drains.

2.) Pathogens and waterborn diseases: Bacteria. They come from human and animal waste and can cause disease.

3.) Plant Nutrients: Phosphates and nitrates. Sources of these include sewage, feedlosts, paper mills and fertilizers. Plant nutrients can cause etrophication and the blue baby syndrome.

4.) Organic Compounds: Oil, gasoline, detergents and plastics. Sources of these materials include industrial waste, household cleaners and surface runoff. These can cause nervous system damage and can harm fish/wildlife.

5.) Toxic Inorganic Compounds: Lead, arsenic salts and acids. Sources include surface runoff and household cleaners. These compounds can lead to water becoming unusable, skin cancer and brain/nervous damage.

6.) Sediment: Soil and silt. These materials come from the erosion of land. These can cloud water, reduce photosynthesis and can carry pesticides.

Detroit Residents Press EPA for Stronger Air Pollution Monitoring

Residents of Detroit's industrial southwest neighborhoods have demanded higher air quality standards. A computer that measures air pollution has recently been revealing spikes around the industrial plants of southwest Detroit. Around these industrial plants are whole neighborhoods surrounded by oil recycling plants, asphalt makers, a steel plant, a stinky composting yard, a salt factory and an expanding oil refinery. A woman who lives in the area decided to take her own air samples with the help of the national environmental monitoring group, Global Community Monitor, and found lead-laden dust, which could come from a steel mill nearby. Additionally, a few months ago, similar sampling found a dangerous chemical in the air -- methyl ethyl ketone, a gas that can cause numbness, tremors and gait problems. Methyl ethyl ketone, is commonly found in manufacturing plant emissions as well as specific products such as industrial glue and the exhaust of cars and trucks, according to the Centers for Disease Control's toxic substances registry. Fewer than 50 air monitors are present in the state of Michigan and residents would like to see this improve in the near future. I thought this article was interesting because it is a specific example of how air pollution has been becoming such a problem.


http://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/04/19/detroit-residents-press-epa-for-stronger-air-pollution-monitoring/

Water and Water Pollution

Available Water:
Sea water -97.5%
Freshwater- 2.5%
Surface Water-1%
Groundwater- 20%
Ice caps/Glaciers-79%

Three main uses of water:
1. Domestic (drinking, cooking, toilets)
2. Industrial (Electric power, producing paper)
3. Agricultural (irrigation, animals, crops)

Water pollution: Any chemical, biological or physical change in water quality that has a harfull affect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses
Two types:
-Point source
Can be traced to a specific location
Ex) sewage or drain pipes, leaky gas tanks, ditchs
-Nonpoint source
Pollution that enters streams and waterways from a widespread area and cannot be traced to one particular site
Ex) agricultural, residential and industrial runoff, atmospheric deposition

Eutrophication and Dead Zones Review

Click on the picture to see the whole thing, it's helpful to understanding dead zones!

Eutrophication means "nutrient pollution", and a dead zone is an area where there is no to low oxygen in water.

Dead zones are caused by excess nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers, industrial runoff, and runoff from homes entering water sources. (Freshwater areas are affected more by the phosphates, while salt water areas are affected more by the nitrates). These excess nutrients cause an algal bloom. When all these algae die, they sink to the bottom. Decomposing bacteria consume the phytoplankton, and with all this excess food creates a growth in the population of the bacteria. They consume all the oxygen dissolved in the area, while the algae reduce the amount of light that reaches the depths of the ocean, and aquatic life begins to die. Anaerobic bacteria soon take over, and release hydrogen and sulfuric gas, making the water even more acidic and unsuitable for life.

More Related Terms:
Hypoxia- Waters that have dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations less than 2mg/L

Anoxia- No DO present in the water.

Oxygen depletion is further caused by stratification preventing oxygen refreshment.