abuse me and you'll see group 9(st.charles)

Abuse Me And You’ll See

Group 9- III-St. CharlesMEMBERS:

Kyle SomeraKajaana Sibal

Abdullah ShariefMarc Sabatin

Elbert Renand Orgil

IntroductionElements are very helpful in our

daily lives. They make our lives easier because people have developed ways to make these elements useful to us gradually through time . But we don’t know that we are already abusing the products the elements have given to us. The improper use and improper disposal of these elements results to these threats that affect us and our environment.

Beryllium (Be)

Beryllium Boron Aluminum Sulfur Cadmium Barium Platinum Mercury Lead Uranium

Usefulness Beryllium can be used as X-ray tubes and lightweight

component of military equipment and in the aerospace industry. It is used in high-speed aircraft, missiles, space vehicles and communication satellites and beryllium mirrors can be used in telescopes.

How it is AbusedBeryllium is usually improperly disposed and can pollute the land and small bodies of water which can affect the organisms living in there. Factories that produce metals and power plants that combust coal and oil are some of the major causes of beryllium pollution.


Harmful Effects on Humans

Intake of beryllium can: -damage the lungs and cause

pneumonia.-Berylliosis, (damages lung and other organs, such as the heart)

-Chronic Beryllium Disease(allergic reactions, cause a person to be seriously ill, weakness, tiredness and breathing problems, blueness of hands and feet, and can cause their death.)-increase the chances of cancer development and DNA damage.

Harmful Effects on the Environment

Humans add beryllium through production of metal and combustion of coal and oil. In water, chemicals will react with beryllium, causing it to become insoluble. This is a good thing, because the water-insoluble form of beryllium can cause much less harm to organisms than the water-soluble form.


Boron (B)


Usefulness Boron is used as insulation for fiberglass, cleaning

agents like detergents, and component for glass and ceramic production. Boron is sometimes used as insecticides and as a magnet in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), cellular phones, and CD and DVD players.

How it is AbusedBoron is abused when it is not disposed properly. It can contaminate bodies of water and the soil when it is not disposed properly. Boron is usually found in cleaning agents and we know that water is used to wash it then that water with boron will end in small bodies of water.



Intake of large amounts of Boron can: -infect the stomach, liver, kidneys and

brains -can eventually lead to death

When exposure to small amounts of boron takes place

-irritation of the nose, throat or eyes may occur

Boron does not accumulate within the

tissues of animals.


Plants absorb boron from the ground and through plant-consuming animals it can end up in food chains. Boron has been found in animal tissue, but it is not likely to accumulate.

When animals absorb large amounts of boron over a relatively long period of time through food or drinking water the male reproductive organs will be affected. When animals are exposed to boron during pregnancy their offspring may suffer from birth defects or delayed development. Furthermore, animals are likely to suffer from nose irritation when they breathe in boron.


Aluminum (Al)


Usefulness Aluminum can be used in Electrical

transmission lines, packaging (cans, foil, etc.) and it has many uses in transport and construction industry for its unbeatable strength to weight ratio.

How it is AbusedAluminum is abused by overusing it. We see aluminium almost everywhere. Because of human’s carelessness, it is usually improperly disposed which leads to the contamination of bodies of water and the soil we use to plant the food we eat.



Long lasting uptakes of significant concentrations of aluminum can lead to serious health effects, such as:

- Damage to the central nervous system- Dementia- Loss of memory- Listlessness- Severe trembling

Aluminum is a risk in certain working environments, such as mines, where it can be found in water. People that work in factories where aluminum is applied during production processes may endure lung problems when they breathe in aluminum dust. Aluminum can cause problems for kidney patients when it enters the body during kidney dialyses.


Aluminum may accumulate in plants and cause health problems for animals that consume these plants.

Due to reactions of aluminum ions with proteins in the gills of fish and the embryo's of frogs the number of organisms in some bodies of water decline. The consequences for birds that consume contaminated fish are eggshell thinning and chicks with low birth-weights.

There are strong indications that aluminum can damage the roots of trees when it is located in groundwater.


Sulfur (S)


Usefulness Most sulfur is converted to sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is extremely

important to many industries around the world. It is used in the manufacture of fertilizer, oil refining, processing wastewater, lead-acid batteries in cars, mineral extraction, removing rust from iron, making nylon and producing hydrochloric acid. Sulfur can be used as a pesticide and fungicide. Sulfur is also one component of gunpowder.

How it is Abused


Sulfur when abused can pollute our soil, food, and our water. It is caused by the improper disposal of Sulfur that is mainly used In pesticide and fungicide.


Globally sulphuric substances can have the following effects on human health:

- Neurological effects and behavioural changes- Disturbance of blood circulation- Heart damage- Effects on eyes and eyesight- Reproductive failure- Damage to immune systems- Stomach and gastrointestinal disorder- Damage to liver and kidney functions- Hearing defects- Disturbance of the hormonal metabolism- Dermatological effects- Suffocation and lung embolism


Sulfur can be found in the air in many different forms. The damaging effects of sulfur with animals :-irritations of the eyes and the throat -brain damage, through malfunctioning of the hypothalamus, -damage to the nervous system-serious vascular damage in veins of the brains, the heart and the kidneys. -cause fatal damage and congenital effects-Mothers can even carry sulfur poisoning over to their children through mother milk.-sulfur can damage the internal enzyme systems of animals.


Cadmium (Cd)


Usefulness It's principal uses include: protective plating for steel,

stabilizers for polyvinyl chloride, pigments in plastics and glasses, electrode material in nickel-cadmium batteries, and as a component of various alloys Because it is used as a pigment, it is often found in plastic toys and food containers.

How it is AbusedCadmium are usually found in plastic materials and fertilizers that when not moderately used or not disposed properly may pollute soil and our water. This may then affect the organisms living in the place contaminated by the cadmium.



Cadmium accumulates in kidneys, where it damages filtering mechanisms. This causes the excretion of essential proteins and sugars from the body and further kidney damage. It takes a very long time before cadmium that has accumulated in kidneys is excreted from a human body.

Other health effects that can be caused by cadmium are:

- Diarrhoea, stomach pains and severe vomiting- Bone fracture- Reproductive failure and possibly even infertility- Damage to the central nervous system- Damage to the immune system- Psychological disorders- Possibly DNA damage or cancer development


Part of the cadmium ends up in the soil after the fertilizer is applied. Soils that are acidified enhance the cadmium uptake by plants. This is a potential danger to the animals that are dependent upon the plants for survival. Cadmium can accumulate in their bodies, especially when they eat multiple plants. Cows may have large amounts of cadmium in their kidneys due to this.

In aquatic ecosystems cadmium can bio accumulate in mussels, oysters, shrimps, lobsters and fish. Animals eating or drinking cadmium sometimes get

-high blood-pressures l -iver disease -nerve or brain damage.


Barium (Ba)


Usefulness Barium is usually used in making rubber, pyrotechnics and

as weighting agent in oil well drilling fluids. It can be also used as rat poison, bleaches, dyes, fireworks, ceramics glasses, and as a coating for the digestive tract when taking x-ray pictures of the body. barium coating will be illuminated on the X-ray allowing for the diagnoses of certain abnormalities in the stomach, esophagus, intestines, or colon.

How it is AbusedExcess barium that are improperly disposed by factories have already contaminated small bodies of water. Improper disposal of barium leads to catastrophic effects.



The uptake of very large amounts of barium that are water-soluble may cause -paralysis

-death

Small amounts of water-soluble barium may cause a person to experience -breathing difficulties-increased blood pressures-heart rhythm changes-stomach irritation-muscle weakness-changes in nerve reflexes -swelling of brains and liver-kidney and heart damage.


Some barium compounds that are released during industrial processes dissolve easily in water and are found in lakes, rivers, and streams. When fish and other aquatic organisms absorb the barium compounds, barium will accumulate in their bodies.


Platinum (Pt)


Usefulness Platinum is mainly used in jewellery and as Auto

Catalyts. Auto catalysts converts harmful emissions into harmless carbon dioxide and water. Platinum is now also used in our hard disks that used for storing our computer files. Platinum bonds are often applied as a medicine to cure cancer.

How it is Abused


Platinum is abused when its overly used. Platinum is abused since it is needed or a component in production of different materials such as hard disks.


Platinum as a metal is not very dangerous, but platinum salts can cause several health effects, such as:

- DNA alterations- Cancer- Allergic reactions of the skin and the mucous membrane- Damage to organs, such as intestines, kidneys and bone marrow- Hearing damage

Finally, a danger of platinum is that it can cause potentiating of the toxicity of other dangerous chemicals in the human body.


It can cause serious health conditions in the working place environment. What the effects of platinum on animals and the environment may be has not yet been researched very extensively. The only thing we know is that platinum will accumulate in the roots of plants after uptake. Whether eating platinum-containing plant roots can do any harm to animals and humans, is not yet clear.


Mercury (Hg)


Usefulness Metallic mercury is used in a variety of household

products, such as barometers, thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs. The mercury in these devices is trapped and usually does not cause any health problems. However, when a thermometer will break a significantly high exposure to mercury through breathing will occur for a short period of time while it vaporizes.

How it is AbusedMercury is used fluorescent light bulbs, thermometers, and barometers that usually after its service are improperly disposed which may lead to its breakage which results to the release of mercury inside these items.



Mercury has a number of effects on humans, that can all of them be simplified into the following main effects:

- Disruption of the nervous system- Damage to brain functions - DNA damage and chromosomal damage- Allergic reactions- Negative reproductive effects( sperm damage, birth defects and miscarriages)- kidney damage-lung and eye irritation

Damaged brain functions can cause degradation of learning abilities, personality changes, tremors, vision changes, deafness, muscle in coordination and memory loss. Chromosomal damage is known to cause mongolism.


Once mercury has reached surface waters or soils microorganisms can convert it to methyl mercury, a substance that can be absorbed quickly by most organisms and is known to cause nerve damage. As a The effects that mercury has on animals are -kidneys damage-stomach disruption-damage to intestines-reproductive failure -DNA alteration.


Lead (Pb)


Usefulness Lead is a soft metal that has known many applications over the

years. It has been used widely since 5000 BC for application in metal products, cables and pipelines, but also in paints and pesticides. Lead is one out of four metals that have the most damaging effects on human health. Foods such as fruit, vegetables, meats, grains, seafood, soft drinks and wine may contain significant amounts of lead. Cigarette smoke also contains small amounts of lead.

How it is AbusedLead can be found in pesticides that when not moderately used can pollute the soil and even the food we eat. Paints that contain lead are usually not disposed properly that leads to the pollution of small bodies of water.



Lead can enter (drinking) water through corrosion of pipes. Lead fulfils no essential function in the human body, it can merely do harm after uptake from food, air or water.

Lead can cause several unwanted effects, such as:- Disruption of the biosynthesis of haemoglobin and anaemia- A rise in blood pressure- Kidney damage- Miscarriages and subtle abortions- Disruption of nervous systems- Brain damage- Declined fertility of men through sperm damage- Diminished learning abilities of children- Behavioural disruptions of children, such as aggression, impulsive behavior and hyperactivity

Lead can enter a fetus through the placenta of the mother. Because of this it can cause serious damage to the nervous system and the brains of unborn children.


Not only leaded gasoline causes lead concentrations in the environment to rise. Other human activities, such as fuel combustion, industrial processes and solid waste combustion, also contribute.Lead can end up in water and soils through corrosion of leaded pipelines in a water transporting system and through corrosion of leaded paints. Lead accumulates in the bodies of water organisms and soil organisms. These will experience health effects from lead poisoning. Soil functions are disturbed by lead intervention, especially near highways and farmlands, where extreme concentrations may be present and can contaminate our food.


Uranium (U)


Usefulness Uranium is used to fuel the nuclear

fission reactor in nuclear power plants. It can also be used to power nuclear powered submarines and ships.

How it is AbusedWhen Uranium is not properly placed or disposed may pose a threat to the community. It is human activities tha actually make Uranium a threat.



People that live near hazardous waste sites, people that live near mines, people that work in the phosphate industry, people that eat crops grown on contaminated soil or people that drink water from a uranium waste disposal point may experience a higher exposure than other people. Chemical effects may occur after the uptake of large amounts of uranium and these can cause health effects such as kidney disease.


Water containing low amounts of uranium is usually safe to drink. Because of its nature, uranium is not likely to accumulate in fish or vegetables and uranium that is absorbed will be eliminated quickly through human waste.

The compounds in the soil will combine with other compounds, which can stay in the soil for years. Uranium concentrations often do not exceed normal ranges for uncontaminated soil.

Plants absorb uranium through their roots and store it there. Root vegetables such as radishes may contain higher than usual concentrations of uranium as a result. But when the vegetables are washed the uranium will be removed.


ConclusionElements have many uses and it

should be used responsibly and with proper knowledge about the element. I have learned that we all benefit from these elements but if we don’t know how to use them properly then it will result to consequences that can affect us and our environment. Use of the elements should come with responsibility to avoid the “abuse” of the element.

abuse me and you'll see group 9(st.charles)

Documents

waterwith boron

cleaning agents boron

eyes mayof boron

andform of beryllium

small bodies of water

cancontaminate bodies

waterinsoluble problems

water andthe soil