Aquatic toxicity refers to how certain compounds interact with organisms in marine ecosystems. Human activities such as agriculture often require the use various compounds; many of these compounds, however, flow into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water via surface runoff. The compounds that we investigated in this experiment were atrazine (Figure 1), an herbicide that kills broadleaf and grassy weeds, and metalaxyl (Figure 2), a fungicide that kills oomycetes and water-mold fungi. Although compounds such as atrazine and metalaxyl are useful, they can be toxic in aquatic environments. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not atrazine and metalaxyl are toxic in aquatic environments by comparing experimentally derived logKOW and …show more content…
These techniques were used in the experiment to calculate atrazine and metalaxyl's logKOW and HOMO-LUMO ΔE values by creating calibration curves, calculating octanol-water partitions, and finding the EC50 (effective-concentration) of the ecotoxicity assay. Meanwhile, computational methods that were relevant to this experiment included HOMO-LUMO ΔE analyses on WebMO and referencing ChemSpider for predicted and literature logKOW values. It is important to note the controls that were used during this experiment; for the spectrophotometry, blank cuvettes and dark controls were used to ensure the accuracy of the absorbance and fluorescence data. Meanwhile, for the algae assay, the use of algae controls without pesticide provided a baseline for how much the algae grew without any pesticide. The species of algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) used and the conditions the algae were kept in (incubation and freezing) were universal for all ecotoxicity
Why? It’s because, the chemicals goes into the soil and makes runoff from the stormwater, and gets into the water, and pollutes it. The chemicals make the water polluted, which also harms the wildlife. Other things including sediments, dirt, and muck also get in the water
Insecticides are found in urban streams. Herbicides used in agricultural production are found in water from rural watersheds. Furthermore Bartram states that pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture frequently lead to the contamination of surface water and groundwater. According to Harrison pesticides in water aquifers are not easily degraded and persist in the aquifers due to reduced microbial activity, lower
According to the article “How Tap Water Became Toxic in Flint, Michigan,” written by Sara Ganim and Linh Tran, the residents of Flint, Michigan highly disapproved of the new water source. Around 2 years ago, the city of Flint was forced to switch their water supply from Lake Huron to a more local source, Flint River. Before, this was not a big problem to the residents of Flint because they were told that the water they were drinking was harmless. However, people began to doubt that the water they were drinking was safe because it looked like sewage. Over time, new evidence began to arise claiming that the water contained massive amounts of lead and iron.
Pesticides such as lampricides and chemicals are being used to target invasive species such as purple loosestrife and sea lamprey. Since prevention is not always guaranteed, these lakes should be closely monitored for invasive species and in a case where it occurs rapid eradication should be practiced to prevent their growth and save further
The European School of Molecular Medicine states that E. gracilis has a high sensitivity to environmental changes such as the change in pH levels (Petersen-Mahrt 1997). The pH level [of the environment] can directly distress the absorption of nutrients in marine environments. E. gracilis has been found to endure an expansive range [compared to] other algae (Danilov and Ekelund 2001). Through studies done by William J. Robbins, a botanist from Columbia University, E. gracilis has been found to grow best at a pH level of 3.0
“These water bodies supply our drinking water, water for agriculture and manufacturing, offer opportunities for recreation and provide habitat to numerous plants and animals.” Pollution is degrading our waters and one of the best forms to study the change in water quality is testing contaminants in fish that inhabit
In 1995, the National Water Quality Assessment Program collected water samples from thirty domestic wells to understand the concentrations and occurrence of pesticides and nitrates (Burow & Dubrowsky,
(2015). Frilled Sea Anemone. Retrieved from http://www.mun.ca/osc/oscedu/msenile.php Frazão B, Vasconcelos V, Antunes A. (2012). Sea Anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) Toxins: An Overview. Retrieved from http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=3447340_marinedrugs-10-01812-g002&req=4 Wikipedia.
Due to controversy over GMO foods this particular avenue of research has waned, but in recent years there has been a growing interest in using transgenic fish to study toxicology (Gong et al 213, Dai et al 11). One possible application of transgenic zebrafish is the detection and monitoring of aquatic pollution (Dai et al 11). Aquatic environments are a major route of distribution for pollutants such as pesticides, toxic heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors (Carvan et al 134). Fish and other aquatic organisms can accumulate these environmental contaminants via bioconcentration in the food chain or by directly absorbing them through the gills (Carvan et al 134). Humans are also at risk for exposure through the consumption of fish from polluted water (Carvan et al
Overview Fertilizers and pesticides both have definite pros and cons associated with their use. Both types of chemical tend to increase yields, and thus make a significant difference in food production, particularly in countries that struggle periodically with famines. On the other hand, they both can cause water pollution when erosion carries the chemicals off of farms along with eroded soils after each rainfall. There is also concern by some authorities that pesticides pose a risk, not only to nontarget animal and plant species, but to humans as well. Positive Effects of Fertilizers
In the first chapter of “Living Downstream” by Sandra Steingraber discussed about personal experiences living in Illinois and discovering how much the landscape has changed over the years. In addition to the changing landscape, cancer, especially breast cancer, has increased in the prairies of Illinois and pesticides usage may cause. Much of the discussion first begin with the change of landscape as the prairies of Illinois has become a place for farming and pesticides. As farming became an important aspect of Illinois, pesticides were created to remove any bugs or insects from the product that is being farmed. A few pesticides formulas that came to be are atrazine, dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Currently in the 21st century, there are many different issues arising among very diverse categories. One major issue which is currently emerging is the contamination and depletion of our water resources throughout America. Throughout the news, one is bound to see a story on the Flint Michigan water crisis, however, this is not the first case of water contamination occurring in the United States. In the United States, contaminated water can be found from Florida all the way to California. Not only are some of these water sources considered unsafe, but also the limited amount freshwater source are also being depleted at alarming rates.
These plants sometimes look red due to their photosynthetic pigments. Now they may not seem harmful, but they are a huge threat to fish and humans. The reason they are a threat to fish is because the algae irritates the fish’s gills, eventually suffocating them. The reason they are harmful to humans is because they cause millions of dollars of damage because of they have to clean up a massive amount of dead fish, beaches have to be closed to the problem is resolved, fisheries and shell fisheries are closed to harvesting. Unfortunately, people also have to go to the hospital to get the bio toxins removed because they ate this specific
Pesticides and How it Works Abstract: A pest is "a plant or creature unfavorable to people or human concerns". Pesticide is Chemical or natural substance intended to slaughter or retard the development of pests that harm or meddle with the development of products, bushes, trees, timber and other vegetation coveted by people. Keywords: Antimicrobials, Antimicrobials, Herbicides Introduction:
The effects of acute toxicity and chronic toxicity are dose-dependent; the greater the dose, the greater the effect. In characterizing the toxicity of a pesticide, it is evident that information is needed for the single-dose (acute) and the long-term (chronic) effects, including also information for exposure of intermediate duration. Delayed toxicity may occur many years after exposure to a