Discussion Response- Environmental (2)

Reply to Discussion (add to the conversation) 250-275 words, APA format, scholarly source(s).

What are two pop chemicals that may have affected the environment that my family and I live in?  Two of the most common are the chemicals DDT and dioxins. According to (Beard 2006) was the first man made pesticide and is given credit for the elimination of malaria in the United States as well as Europe. Part of the reason that it works is that it lingered in the environment and did not need to be reapplied, this attribute also led to DDT being absorbed into living animals, and the food chain. Levels of DDT can spread from mother to child through breast milk. Levels of DDT in our food system can cause many cancers such as leukemia, prostate and brain cancer.  

    Like DDT, dioxins are also very detrimental to our health. Research by (Schecter et al. 2006) shows that dioxins did not exist prior to industrialization except for very small amounts. These chemicals can be found in bleached paper, incineration and pesticides. They were even used in the Agent Orange chemical weapons in the Vietnam War. Dioxins can cause many diseases in humans and animals such as but not limited to immune deficiencies, cancer, diabetes, skin rashes and much more.

           Is there being enough done to control human exposure to POPs? (Magulova & Priceputu 2016) states that the main system for controlling POPs was during the Stockholm convention, its goal is to protect the environment and people from POPs and their effects. The main way of doing this is through the Global Monitoring Plan. According to the environmental protection agencies’ website the U.S has stopped most uses of DDT in 1989 and stopped the production of its metabolite DDE. Dioxins were also name a priority toxic pollutant in the clean water act. The U.S along with the world have put many regulations in place to diminish the use of POPs in industry and agriculture starting with the Stockholm convention with the goal of one day making them obsolete. It is an import to recognize this problem gl and reduce future impacts of human disease and environmental impact.

References

Beard, J., & Australian Rural Health Research Collaboration. (2006). DDT and human health       Science of the Total Environment, 355(1), 78-89.                                                 doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.02.022

Magulova, K., & Priceputu, A. (2016). Global monitoring plan for persistent organic pollutants    (POPs) under the stockholm convention: Triggering, streamlining and              catalyzing global   POPs monitoring. Environmental Pollution, 217, 82-84. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.02

Schecter, A., Birnbaum, L., Ryan, J. J., & Constable, J. D. (2006). Dioxins: An overview.   Environmental Research, 101(3), 419-428.                                                                     doi:10.1016/j.envres.2005.12.003