Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
list.recently,.which.included.some.lame.retardants.(such.as.polybrominated.
diphenyl.ethers,.PBDEs).and.pesticides.(such.as.lindane).(Secretariat.of.the.
Stockholm.Convention.2009)..The.172.countries.that.signed.the.legally.bind-
ing.treaty.have.to.prepare.their.national.plan.to.ensure.reduction.or.elimina-
tion.of.these.chemicals.in.the.environment.
There. is. suficient. information. related. to. the. sources,. fates,. and. effects.
of. these. chemicals,. notably. pesticides. such. as. DDT. (Wong. et. al.. 2005),. and.
dioxins/furans.(Zhang.et.al..2011)..Basically,.these.POPs.share.four.common.
characteristics..(1).They.are.highly.persistent.and.resist.biological,.chemical,.
and.photolytic.degradation..(2).Being.fat.soluble.(lipid.seeking),.they.can.be.
eficiently.stored.in.fatty.tissues.of.living.organisms,.and.some.of.them.can.
be.biomagniied.in.food.chains,.resulting.in.extremely.high.concentrations.in.
top.carnivores.such.as.tuna,.sword.ish,.and.shark..(3).They.are.highly.toxic,.
causing.adverse.health.effects.by.disrupting.normal.developmental.functions.
(serving.as.endocrine.disruptors),.and.lowering.immunity,.leading.to.lower.
reproductive. success,. especially. in. some. more. sensitive. living. organisms.
(and.hence.lowering.biological.diversity)..(4).Due.to.their.semivolatile.nature,.
they. can. be. transported. long. distance. through. air. and. water,. resulting. in.
high.concentrations.of.body.loadings.of.some.of.these.chemicals.(DDT.and.
PCBs).in.animals.(polar.bear).and.residents.(Eskimos).(Whylie.et.al..2003).
Flame Retardants
PBDEs. are. added. into. daily. products. (e.g.,. furniture,. carpets,. clothes,. elec-
trical,.and.electronic.products).to.slow.down.burning.process.and,.thus,.to.
save.human.life..Due.to.the.fact.that.PBDEs.are.not.chemically.bound.to.the.
products,.they.can.be.leached.into.the.environment.easily..Human.beings.are.
exposed.to.low.levels.of.PBDEs.through.oral.consumption.of.contaminated.
food.and.inhalation;.even.from.indoor.household.items..This.has.become.a.
more.recent.public.health.concern,.as.PBDEs.have.the.same.persistent.and.
bioaccumulative.and.endocrine-disruptive.properties.as.other.POPs.(Harley.
et.al..2010).
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Although.not.included.in.the.list,.polycyclic.aromatic.hydrocarbons.(PAHs).
are.one.of.the.most.widespread.air.pollutants,.mainly.derived.from.fuel.and.
biomass.(such.as.crop.residues).combustion..They.are.also.found.in.cooked.
food. (especially. meat. cooked. under. high. temperature,. and. smoked. ish)..
Some. of. these. compounds,. in. particular. benzo(a)pyrene,. are. carcinogenic,.
teratogenic,.and.mutagenic,.hence.causing.adverse.health.effects.(Luch.2005).
Emerging Chemicals of Concern
The.term.“emerging.chemicals”.is.indeed.a.moving.target..A.very.good.exam-
ple. is. polybrominated. diphenyl. ethers. (PBDEs),. which. have. been. recently.
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