LET’S CHECK

Activity No. 5. Now that you have known the most essential terms in
the study of environmental science. Let us try to check your
understanding of these terms. In the space provided, write the terms,
being asked in the following statements:
HEALTH 1. It is the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-
being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
DISEASE 2. It refers to the impairment of an individual’s well-being and
ability to function often due to poor adjustments between the
individual and the environment.
POLLUTIONS 3. It refers to the unwanted change in the environment
caused by the introduction of harmful materials or the production of
harmful conditions.
CARCINOGENS 4. It is a toxin that increases the risks of cancer.
ANTIGENS 5. It refers to substances that activate the immune systems.
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS 6. It refers to chemicals that disrupt normal
hormone functions.
MUTAGENS 7. It is an agent which damage or alter genetic materials in
cells.
BIOMAGNIFICATION 8. It occurs when toxic burden of many organisms
at a lower trophic level is accumulated and concentrated by a predator
in a higher trophic level.
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS 9. It is considered a natural bacterium and
one of the chief pest control agents allowed in organic farming.
TOLERANCE 10. It is the ability to resist or withstand stress from
exposure to a pollutant or harmful condition
LET’S ANALYZE
Activity No. 5. Getting acquainted with the essential terms in studying
environmental health and toxicology will not be sufficient. What
matters is that you should be able to identify and discuss different toxic
elements present in the environment, whether naturally occurring or
human induced. It is also important to determine the route and
persistence of these pollutants to develop measures and mechanisms
to reduce the risk of potential food contamination and other
agricultural resources. Now, I will require you to explain your answers
thoroughly.

1. What is biomagnification? Why is it essential in toxicology?

The term "biomagnification" refers to the rise or increase in
contaminated substances caused by an intoxicating environment.
Heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, as well as pesticides such as
polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT, may be contaminants.
Biomagnification is critical for toxicology because it provides detailed
information about the amount of pollutants in an area. This pollution
data also provides information about the impact on populations and
ecosystems.
2. Differentiate acute effects from chronic effects.
Acute effects are caused by a single exposure to the toxin and result in
an immediate health crisis of some kind. Chronic effects occur only
after a longer period of time under constant exposure of several days,
weeks, or years.
3. Identify and discuss comprehensively the components of risk
management.
There are 5 components of risk management the risk identification, risk
analysis, response planning, risk mitigation, and risk monitoring. The
process of documenting potential risks and then categorizing the actual
risks that the business faces is known as risk identification. Second, Risk
Analysis is to analyze their likelihood and potential impact .Third,
Response Planning answers the question, "What are we going to do ? ",
Fourth, risk mitigation is the execution of your response plan, and
finally, risk monitoring. Risks are not static; they evolve over time. The
potential impact and likelihood of occurrence change, and what was
once considered a minor risk can become a significant threat to the
business and its revenue. The process of "keeping an eye" on the
situation through regular risk assessments is known as risk monitoring.
4. How are toxic elements being deposited in the environment? Can
these toxic elements/ chemicals contaminate the food chain?
The majority of contaminants enter the environment through industrial
and commercial facilities, oil and chemical spills, non-point sources like
streets, parking lots, and storm drains, and industrial water plants and
sewage systems. These toxic elements and chemicals can enter food
chains through enrichment, posing risks to the ecosystem and human
health through long-term exposure, even at very small doses.

IN A NUTSHELL
Activity No. 5. Studying the environment and its components requires
a deeper understanding of the core areas of environmental science.
This involves understanding the influence of human dimensions as well
as the natural phenomena that resulted in different alterations of the
natural ecosystems, which eventually creates threats and danger both
the biological, physical, and chemical components of an ecosystem.
Also, this includes the analysis and understanding of how human made
and natural components react with one another. Based on the
definitions and the essential elements in the study of environmental
and the learning exercises that you have done, please feel free to
indicate your arguments or lessons learned below.
1. Different types of elements, whether naturally present or human-
induced, have implications for biological safety as these elements tend
to persist in the environment due to its non-biodegradable nature.
Since it continues, it poses threats to human health as well as security
and food safety.
2. The disease is considered an environmental response or an
imbalance within an ecosystem. This signifies that the carrying capacity
of the environment has been reached which makes a particular
ecosystem unable to function very well that resulted in the reduce the
ability to assimilate pollutants and recover.
3. Toxic elements and chemicals can enter food chains through
enrichment, posing long-term risks to the ecosystem and human health
even at very low doses.
4. A single exposure to the toxin causes acute effects, which result in an
immediate health crisis of some kind. Chronic effects appear only after
a prolonged period of constant exposure, which can last several days,
weeks, or years.
5. Biomagnification and bioaccumulation are important in toxicology
because they provide detailed information about the amount of
pollutants in a given area. This pollution data also includes information
on the impact on populations and ecosystems.
6. Neurotoxicity happens when the nervous system's normal activity is
disrupted due to exposure to natural or man-made toxic substances. It
can eventually destroy or even kill neurons (nerve cells), which are
responsible for signal transmission and processing in the brain and
other parts of the nervous system.
7. Determining how, where, and when a toxic material will move
through the environment is called solubility.
8. Toxicity is determined by the effect of a substance on an organism,
tissue, or cell.
9. The risk-assessment method simplifies many toxicology disciplines. It
consists of four general steps that include both qualitative and
quantitative components: hazard identification, dose-response
assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization.
10. Risk assessment can also define as the process of determining
potential adverse health effects of exposure to pollutants and
potentially toxic materials. Toxic air pollutants can aggravate your
health risks.