MAKE A COPY OF THIS POWERPOINT AND

SHARE WITH YOUR GROUP MEMBERS SO YOU

CAN ALL COLLABORATE ON ONE SLIDESHOW.

Notable Toxins Bracket

Which is the WORST?
There are four divisions in your Notable Toxins
Competition
1. Manslaughtering Metals (Pb, Hg, As, Cd)
2. Punishing Pesticides (DDT, Atrazine, Aldicarb, Glyphosate)
3. Perpetrating Opposition to People being alive POPs (Dioxin,
PBDE, PCB, CFC)
4. Homicidal Household Hitmen (BPA, Asbestos, Radon,
Phthalates)
Research
Manslaughtering Metals
Metal Chemical Source Health Impacts Any other
Classification important
info?

Lead (Pb) post-transition PubChem anemia, weakness, and kidney and

metal brain damage. Very high lead
exposure can cause death.

Mercury liquid metal Britannica toxic effects on the nervous,

digestive and immune systems, and
(Hg)
on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Arsenic (As) metalloid Safteyunlimited.com can cause cancer and skin lesions. It
has also been associated with
cardiovascular disease and
diabetes.

Cadmium transition metal. PubChem.com (chills, fever, and muscle pain) and can
damage the lungs. Chronic exposure (low
(Cd) level over an extended period of time) can
result in kidney, bone and lung disease.
Punishing Pesticides
Pesticide Chemical Source Health Impacts Any other
Classification important
info?

DDT Organochloride atsdr.cvd.com vomiting, tremors or shakiness, and

seizures. Laboratory animal studies showed
effects on the liver and reproduction. DDT is
considered a possible human carcinogen.

triazine class including tremors, changes in organ weights, and

Atrazine PubChem.com damage to the liver and heart. Hexazinone is not
considered to be acutely toxic, but can cause
serious and irreversibly eye damage.

Aldicarb can affect you when breathed in and by passing

Aldicarb carbamate ncbi.nlm.nih.gov through your skin. * Exposure can cause rapid, severe
insecticide Carbamate poisoning with headache, sweating, nausea
and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination, and death.

Glyphosate glycine derivative National pesticide increased saliva, burns in the mouth
and throat, nausea, vomiting, and
information center diarrhea.
Perpetrating Opposition to People being alive POPs

Persistent Chemical Source Health Impacts Any other

Organic Classification important
Pollutant info?

Dioxin compounds www.who.int hormonal problems, infertility,

cancer, and possibly diabetes. High
levels of exposure over a short time
can lead to chloracne.

organobromine neurotoxicity, developmental neurotoxicity,

PBDE atsdr.cvd.com reproductive toxicity, thyroid toxicity,
Polybrominated compounds immunotoxicity, liver toxicity, pancreas
diphenyl ethers effects (diabetes) and cancer

chlorinated melanomas, liver cancer, gall bladder

PCB www.epa.gov cancer, biliary tract cancer, gastrointestinal
Polychlorinated hydrocarbons tract cancer, and brain cancer, and may be
biphenyl linked to breast cancer.

CFC halocarbons www.esrl.noaa.gov increased incidence of skin cancer and

Chlorofluoro- cataracts. immune system system
carbons damage.
Homicidal Household Hitmen
Metal Chemical Source Health Impacts Any other
Classification important
info?

BPA Estrogen PubChem coronary artery heart disease, angina,

heart attack, hypertension, and
Bisphenol A
peripheral artery disease

Asbestos Silicate minerals www.Atsdr.cdc.gov Scars the lungs, Lung cancer,

Mesothelioma

Radon (Rn) noble gasss PubChem Lung cancer

aromatic attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,

Phthalates www.Atsdr.cdc.gov breast cancer, obesity and type II diabetes,
chemicals low IQ, neurodevelopmental issues,
behavioral issues, autism spectrum
disorders, altered reproductive development
and male fertility issues.
To create your bracket:
- For each matchup, determine which toxin you think would “win” because
it is “worse.” You can choose how you evaluate toxicity - how long it
persists in the environment, how deadly it is (LD50), how hard it is to
avoid, etc.
- Under each winner, you will provide two pieces of evidence (reasons) you
chose to have that toxin advance (please write them in the “speaker
notes” section below the slide).
 Mercury Division 1 Competition:
Lead Manslaughtering Metals

Mercury
1-100

Mercury

Arsenic
13Arsenic

Cadmium
 Aldicarb Division 2 Competition:
2500DDT Punishing Pesticides

0.9Aldicarb
Alicarb

Glyphosate
1kAtrazine

5kGlyphosa
 Doxin
Division 3 Competition:
Dioxin0.02 Perpatrating Opposition POPs

3CFC
Doxin

PCB
5kPBDE

2-10PCB
 BPA
Division 4 Competition:
35BPA Homicidal Household Hitmen

7kPhthalate
s
Radon

Radon
50Asbestos

30Radon
Mercury Alicarb
The FINAL FOUR

Aldicarb Doxin

Doxin Doxin

Radon
When you are done...
Write a 3-5 sentence summary about what characteristics made it such a
formidable opponent: (this summary shouldn’t be exactly the same as your group
other group members. Please do your own!) The reason doxin was such a
formidable opponent is because it is one of the most toxic chemicals in the world
giving it an almost guaranteed edge in LD50 comparison. On top of this it is also
found in the food we eat making it even more difficult to avoid. On top of this
Doxins can linger in the environment for many years.