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DDT is a very common POP
DDT was originally used for protecting soldiers from malaria during world war two. This use of DDT was very effective when it came to fight malaria, but the process was stopped because slowly the mosquitoes would build up a resistance to malaria.DDT was also extensively used in United States agriculture from 1945 to 1972, this process was once again stopped due to the realization that insects preying on the crops would build a resistance to the DDT and it would stay longer in the environment causing a negative effect on humans.
How do POPs get in and stay in the environment
These chemicals got into the environment due to the use by humans, these chemicals were used due to the fact that they were successful in pest and disease control for crops. At the time humans did not see the negative effects of POPs in the environment. These POPs were also unintentionally released into the environment by industrial processes and combustion. POPs stay in the environment because they resist the biological breakdown of biological, chemical, and photolytic, they can take up to a century to degrade. Precipitation has been found to carry POPs. Marine mammals carry an abundance of POPs due to the fact that POPs go through the process of bioaccumulation, the concentration of POPs rise as they continue up the marine food chain.
Negative Impact on the environment
POPs have a large effect on many ecosystems in the world, this is because POPs go through the process of bioaccumulation. They accumulate in the fatty tissues of living animals and the concentration of the POPs increase in each trophic level. Many observations have been made due to this negative effect, these observations include numbers of offspring and breeding behaviors of of animals. POPs are of great abundance in the atmosphere due to the products we use every day containing various POPs ( flame retardants or surfactants). POPs can take up to a century to biodegrade, as a result, POPs can be found virtually anywhere in great concentration.
When people started realizing it was bad, and what they started to notice
People started to realize POPs were bad in 1962 when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, this is what caused awareness of POPs to increase greatly and eventually resulted in the restriction and ban of many pesticides. People started to notice negative effects on many animals, they started to notice a change in numbers of offspring and breeding behaviors of animals. People began to notice how POPs cause endocrine disruption, reproductive and immune dysfunction, brain and nervous system disorders, and the development of cancer in humans. People also began to notice the effect on fetuses, the fetuses are exposed more to POPs because straight through the womb the mother transfers the POPs she has consumed and she transfers them to the fetus during critical stages of fetal development. This exposure at an early developmental stage has been linked to reduced immunity, development abnormalities, brain and nervous system impairment, and an increased chance for cancerous tumors.
Canadian government regulations put into place (what was done, and the goal, when they were put into place)
The Canadian government follows the Stockholm Convention, the Stockholm Convention is a environmental treaty that was signed in 2001 and has been in effect since May 2004, the aim is to restrict the production and use of POPs. Canada has added nine more POPs to the Stockholm Convention
Alternative technologies used in place of POPs nowadays
Many POP free projects have been conducted by by regional centres all around the world. One project is the IPENs Toxic toys campaign to eliminate POPs from children's toys and create new toys without the use of POPs.
The key is to shift from POPs to chemical and nonchemical alternatives, there are very little alternatives in today's world, it will take a lot of time, money, and research to develop these alternatives. For instance, replacing DDT with another chemical that can combat insects takes a lot of time to plan. Many countries lack the funds to invest in the creation of alternatives, many countries also lack awareness of POPs so they must be educated on the risks first in order for them to invest.
DDT was originally used for protecting soldiers from malaria during world war two. This use of DDT was very effective when it came to fight malaria, but the process was stopped because slowly the mosquitoes would build up a resistance to malaria.DDT was also extensively used in United States agriculture from 1945 to 1972, this process was once again stopped due to the realization that insects preying on the crops would build a resistance to the DDT and it would stay longer in the environment causing a negative effect on humans.
How do POPs get in and stay in the environment
These chemicals got into the environment due to the use by humans, these chemicals were used due to the fact that they were successful in pest and disease control for crops. At the time humans did not see the negative effects of POPs in the environment. These POPs were also unintentionally released into the environment by industrial processes and combustion. POPs stay in the environment because they resist the biological breakdown of biological, chemical, and photolytic, they can take up to a century to degrade. Precipitation has been found to carry POPs. Marine mammals carry an abundance of POPs due to the fact that POPs go through the process of bioaccumulation, the concentration of POPs rise as they continue up the marine food chain.
Negative Impact on the environment
POPs have a large effect on many ecosystems in the world, this is because POPs go through the process of bioaccumulation. They accumulate in the fatty tissues of living animals and the concentration of the POPs increase in each trophic level. Many observations have been made due to this negative effect, these observations include numbers of offspring and breeding behaviors of of animals. POPs are of great abundance in the atmosphere due to the products we use every day containing various POPs ( flame retardants or surfactants). POPs can take up to a century to biodegrade, as a result, POPs can be found virtually anywhere in great concentration.
When people started realizing it was bad, and what they started to notice
People started to realize POPs were bad in 1962 when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, this is what caused awareness of POPs to increase greatly and eventually resulted in the restriction and ban of many pesticides. People started to notice negative effects on many animals, they started to notice a change in numbers of offspring and breeding behaviors of animals. People began to notice how POPs cause endocrine disruption, reproductive and immune dysfunction, brain and nervous system disorders, and the development of cancer in humans. People also began to notice the effect on fetuses, the fetuses are exposed more to POPs because straight through the womb the mother transfers the POPs she has consumed and she transfers them to the fetus during critical stages of fetal development. This exposure at an early developmental stage has been linked to reduced immunity, development abnormalities, brain and nervous system impairment, and an increased chance for cancerous tumors.
Canadian government regulations put into place (what was done, and the goal, when they were put into place)
The Canadian government follows the Stockholm Convention, the Stockholm Convention is a environmental treaty that was signed in 2001 and has been in effect since May 2004, the aim is to restrict the production and use of POPs. Canada has added nine more POPs to the Stockholm Convention
- Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane (Alpha-HCH)
- Beta hexachlorocyclohexane (Beta-HCH)
- Lindane (gamma-HCH)
- Chlordecone
- Hexabromobiphenyl (HBB)
- Hexabromodiphenyl ether (Hexa-BDE) and Heptabromodiphenyl ether (Hepta-BDE)
- Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB)
- Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (Tetra-BDE) and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Penta-BDE)
- Perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluoro-octane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOS)
Alternative technologies used in place of POPs nowadays
Many POP free projects have been conducted by by regional centres all around the world. One project is the IPENs Toxic toys campaign to eliminate POPs from children's toys and create new toys without the use of POPs.
The key is to shift from POPs to chemical and nonchemical alternatives, there are very little alternatives in today's world, it will take a lot of time, money, and research to develop these alternatives. For instance, replacing DDT with another chemical that can combat insects takes a lot of time to plan. Many countries lack the funds to invest in the creation of alternatives, many countries also lack awareness of POPs so they must be educated on the risks first in order for them to invest.