Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification: Minamata Disease History of Minamata Disease. In 1908 the Chisso Corporation, a major chemical manufacturer in Japan, opened a nitrogenous fertilizer factory in the small fishing town of Minamata (figure 1). Over time the corporation chose to branch out and began producing other chemicals such as acetylene, acetic acid, vinyl chloride and octanol. The waste product from these chemicals was released into Minamata Bay via the factories wastewater system, causing
The Minamata Disease as an Example of Government Weakness The effects of Minamata disease, which originated in Minamata, Japan, first came to the attention of local fishermen. They referred to cats afflicted with the disease as “the suicide-prone group of dancing cats” due to their tendency to ‘dance’ around, and then jump into the nearby bay (Ui, 1992). From 1940 through the late 20th century, thousands of inhabitants of Minamata developed that same neurological disease that resulted from
The Minamata Bay incident also known as the Minamata disease was the largest and most tragic case of industrial pollution to be recorded in history. In the late 1950’s, the consequences of dumping methylmercury into the ocean from the formation of acetaldehyde was not taken into account by the Japanese authorities of the Chisso Corporation chemical factory at that time. As a result, the methylmercury infected water was taken up by the marine life and caused major food poisoning when consumed by the
A blessing or a curse, you deside. In the next 20 years British Columbia's population is expected to flourish by approximately 40% and the power use is expected to expand by 50%. With the expected demand in power many have turned to the Site C Dam as an easy out. This project would be built on the Peace River and it would be the third dam on the river. This project is so big it would cost 7.9 billion dollars. Many would benefit from the project, but the same breath many would have a great deficiency
Mercury: A toxic poison No other metal better illustrates the diversity of effects caused by different chemical species than does mercury. On the basis of chemical speciation, there are three forms of mercury: elemental, inorganic, and organic compounds. The major source of mercury is the natural degassing of the earth's crust, including land areas, rivers, and the ocean, and this source is estimated to produce on the order of 2700 to 6000 tons per year. The total man made release into the
Today when people think of heavy metal, they think of numerous rock bands such as Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC, or Led Zepplin. However the more health conscious person should think of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. The most common metal to come in contact with humans, with possibly the most serious effects, is mercury. Mercury is a natural substance that can be found in the environment. It is the only common metal that is a liquid at room temperature, but at high temperatures it can evaporate
Mercury in the Everglades Everglades Background Information: * Established in 1947 on 1.4 million acres in southwest Florida * Sunny, Semi-Tropical Swamp Setting. Experiences near daily downpours (http://srv3sftpa.er.usgs.gov/sofl.fact.html) Mercury's Effect on the Everglades: * A small amount of mercury is found in the crust of the earth. This is not the problem. The anthropogenic mercury is the problem. The mercury that is growing dangerously in size is known as methylmercury
Mercury Pollution Imagine that every fish you have been eating and every fish on the market is contaminated with mercury; would you want to take action to improve this situation in order for yourself and everyone else to have healthy fish to eat? Most of the fish today are exposed to mercury, and mercury toxicity threatens the health of everyone who eats fish. Mercury pollution has been a well known ocean pollution for many years, and United States remain to be one of the top nations with the most
many kinds of treatments and therapies for certain diseases and disorders. For example, cancer patients might receive chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Although these treatments may work or help some patients, there is another option that is evolving. Research and experimental testing have helped scientists discover a new way of treating and possibly curing various diseases and disorders such as influenza, HIV, hepatitis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.Gene Therapy was first discovered
As I walk down the cold, marble, soulless streets of Blackdale, I hear the birds chirping an almost programmed sound which reverberates across the tall, white buildings. I see a plain blue sky with cartoon clouds. Health agents are watching all of us. Why are they watching us? We’re not the problem, the virus is. The whole town is made to look wonderful; televisions line every blank, white wall, spoon-feeding us information. “The Health Organisation is great. Trust them.” Why do we have to be told
Caprine arthritis encephalitis is a viral disease of goats. Caprine arthritis encephalitis, also known as CAE, is a lentivirus that is part of the retrovirus family. Another type of retrovirus is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. CAE is normally spread orally through goats. It has been linked to being spread through semen of an infected buck. CAE is a virus that can attack the nervous system. All potential buyers need to have their animals tested before purchasing. Bringing just
Alejandra Gonzales December 7, 2014 Benchmark Essay English 105 Final Draft Childhood Cancer There are many different illnesses out right now that are affecting a lot of children around the world, ranging from diabetes to pneumonia, but the one making the biggest impact would have to be cancer. There are many different types of cancers and anyone can get it not just kids or adults. It is a serious illness that they have been trying to find the cause of it and most importantly a cure. There is new
Introduction Research indicates that when people are diagnosed with cancer, they inherit a variety of financial issues associated with time spent receiving medical care, time is also taken off from work and other activities. Not only do the patients' inherit the financial cost their caregivers and family member also do. (Yabroff, Lund, Kepka, Mariotto, 2011) For instance, the cost of patients that receive cancer treatment will experience a variety of symptoms that may affect one's diet and dietary
As can be seen, cancer is a disease human kind has yet to find a cure to. Cancer is a very serious disease that can lead to the news that can change someone’s life forever. Cancer does not involve one specific location of the human body. Instead it involves multiple organs and tissues that leads to over one hundred types of cancer. History of cancer is a very interesting topic, the first case of cancer dates back to 3000 BC back when the Egyptians were alive. Humans did not know where to really begin
Pancreatic Cancer: An Exploration of a Deadly Disease and its Impact on Embalming Sasha Zazzi-Western Pathology Dr. de la Cruz 23 November 2014 1. Pancreatic Cancer: A Brief Introduction Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease. The cancer metastasizes quickly and relentlessly. Even if diagnosed early by a medical professional, the prognosis generally has a poor outlook. Not only does the cancer wreak havoc on the body, but the aggressive chemotherapy treatments used to override it
on two leading causes of death in Cuyahoga county, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. To conclude this post I will write two priority health nursing diagnoses. According to Ohio Department of Health (2014), cardiovascular disease is a primary cause of death in Cuyahoga county, as well in the United States. Death rate, in Cuyahoga county, due to cardiovascular disease is is 203.9 per 100, 000 population. Cardiovascular disease involves a number of heart conditions, such as heart valves problem
Mitochondrial disease is an inherited chronic, genetic disorder that results from failure of mitochondria in the cell to produce the amount of energy needed for cell and/or organ function (About). The disease is an inherited condition that runs in families. Every 30 minutes a child is born that will at some point develop mitochondrial disease by the age of 10 (What). Mitochondria, also known as, the powerhouses of the cell, are responsible for producing more that 90% of cellular energy (About)
Broder’s quote, the U.S. government doesn’t work well in the disease curing business. His metaphor using the iron lung to describe the pitfalls of having a federal directed research is interesting because he’s criticizing his own organisation. As the former head of the National Cancer Institute, it’s interesting
world of healthcare has changed drastically since the 1950’s. Reflecting upon how Mrs. Henrietta’s cervical cancer was treated it is apparent that treatment options for patients have came a very long way. However, it is not just the treatment of disease and cancer that have changed. Over the past few decades there has been a massive shift toward a more patient centered system. It was almost hard to fathom some of the examples of tests and treatments that were done with little to no communication
effects of being a heterozygote for the mutant allele that cause Huntington’s disease; however, homozygotes for the defective alleles still develop the disease with its normal consequences. Assume everyone who needs it is able to get this treatment. How would you expect the frequencies of the Huntington’s allele and the disease itself to change over a long period following the introduction of this treatment. Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that is caused by an autosomal dominant