POPs Quiz

When was the Stockholm Convention adopted?

2001

Which POP is a problem for the Love Canal, Times Beach and Vietnam?

Dioxins

Where does much of our research about POPs come from today?

Great Lakes region

What organ in the body is the primary detoxifier?

Liver

What does POP stand for?

Persistent organic pollutants

What are the four characteristics of POPs?

Toxicity; Persistence; Long-Range transport; Bioaccumulation/biomagnification

persistence

ability to last for a long time, possibly forever

Long-Range Transport

ability to travel long distances

What process is depicted in the graphic ?

biomagnification or bioaccumulation??

What does organic mean?

chemical compounds that contain carbon (with a few exceptions like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide)

endocrine disrupting chemicals

chemicals that disrupt normal hormone function

What is the Stockholm Convention

global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Why was DDT banned in the US

it was causing the decline in our national bird the bald eagle and other bird species like the peregrine falcon

Why was DDT controversial?

led to widespread environmental contamination and bioaccumulation in wildlife

How POPs be transferred to other organisms

mainly through the food chain (biomagnification)

What is meant by the "Dirty Dozen"?

nickname for 12 banned POPs

Categories of POPs

pest and disease control chemicals, crop production, and industry (some intentionally and unintentionally produced)

toxicity

poisonous at some level

Immune system depressants

pollutants that suppress the immune system

Carcinogens

substance that causes cancer, invasive out-of-control cell growth that results in malignant tumors

antigens

substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies (receptors to recognize foreign matter)

allergens

substances that activate the immune system. Some allergens act directly as antigens.

How do toxins damage or kill living organisms?

the toxins react with the cellular components to disrupt metabolic functions

What type of foods would give you a greater chance of POP exposure?

those higher on the food chain

POPs are harmful

to farmers; human health and environments close to where wastes are burned; ecosystems and indigenous people far away from where they are used

How do POPs travel?

wind, water, animals, geological cycle