The document discusses organic and inorganic compounds, nutrients, and environmental chemistry topics. It begins by defining organic compounds as containing carbon and being essential for life, while inorganic compounds do not contain carbon. It then discusses the main organic compound categories - carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The document also covers inorganic macronutrients needed by plants and humans. Finally, it discusses human impacts on the environment such as agriculture, solid waste disposal, and industrial activities that can introduce chemicals into the environment.

1. Unit C: Environmental
Chemistry

2. Organic & Inorganic
Compounds

3. Organic & Inorganic Compounds
◦ Organic Compounds: complex molecules containing carbon
◦ Living things are made of organic compounds.
◦ They are the more complex compounds needed for life: sugars,
starches, lipids (fats, oils, waxes) and proteins, even fossil fuels are
organic compounds because they come from the fossils of things
that WERE living.
◦ Inorganic Compounds: substances that do not have carbon.
◦ They are often very simple compounds. Like N2(g), O2(g) or Baking
soda.

4. Organic & Inorganic Compounds
◦ All living things need nutrients to survive. Nutrients are the
elements and compounds organisms need to live, grow, and
reproduce.
◦ Macronutrients: substances that are required in large amounts
◦ There are 9 main ones: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sulfur
◦ (In fact, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up 99% of your
body’s mass!)
◦ Micronutrients: substances that are only required in small amounts.
◦ Examples are selenium and zinc.

5. Organic Compounds
◦ There are 4 main categories of organic compounds:
◦ Carbohydrates
◦ Lipids
◦ Proteins
◦ Nucleic Acids

6. Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates:
◦ contains C, H, and O atoms
◦ can form simple sugars or complex molecules
such as starch, cellulose, and glycogen.
◦ Example: Grains/bread, glucose

7. Organic Compounds
Lipids:
◦ contains C, H, and O atoms
◦ medium size CHO compounds in your body.
◦ Example: fats oils and waxes

8. Organic Compounds
Proteins
◦ (contains C, H, and O atoms)
◦ used for growth and repair, and a
source of energy.
◦ enzymes: catalysts that control
chemical reactions.
◦ amino acids: make up proteins.
◦ Example: Meat, Eggs, Nuts, Etc.

9. Organic Compounds
Nucleic Acids
◦ (contains phosphates, ribose, nitrogen
containing molectules)
◦ all cells contain two important nucleic
acids - RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)

10. Inorganic Compounds
◦ We will talk about 6 inorganic macronutrients and how they help
plants and humans survive & thrive
Copy the chart on the next page!

11. Inorganic Nutrients Importance
Nutrient In Plants In Humans
Nitrogen (N) • In chlorophyll and plant proteins
• Leaf and stem growth
• In proteins & nucleic acids in cells
• Grow and repair tissues
Phosphorus (P) • Roots & flower growth
• Cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• In bones, teeth & DNA
• Many metabolic reactions
Potassium (K) • Starts growth of plant
• Moves sugars
• Diseases resistance
• Chlorophyll Production
• Muscle contraction & nerve
Magnesium (Mg) • In chlorophyll
• Photosynthesis
• In bones & teeth
• Helps absorb calcium & potassium
Calcium (Ca) • Cell wall structure
• Cell division
• In bones & Teeth
• Helps Blood Clotting
• Muscle & Nerve function
Sulfur (S) • Production of fruits and grains • Helps cells make proteins
• Enzyme activation
• Detoxification

12. Organic & Inorganic Compounds

13. What’s In The Air?
◦ Even Pure Clean air is made of chemicals:
◦ Nitrogen (N) 78%
◦ Oxygen (O) 21%
◦ Argon (Ar) 0.93%
◦ Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 0.03%
◦ Neon (Ne) 0.002%

14. Optimal Amount
◦ Optimal amount: is the balanced amount of nutrients an organism
needs for best health.
◦ Kind of like goldilocks. You want just the right amount of
nutrients, not too much but not too little.

15. Elements in our Body
◦ 99% of the atoms in the human body come from six elements:
◦ Carbon (nearly 12%)
◦ Hydrogen (62.9%)
◦ Nitrogen (nearly 0.6%)
◦ Oxygen (almost 24%)
◦ Phosphorus (0.14%)
◦ Calcium (0.24%)
◦ Remember: CHNOPC

16. Chemicals in the
Environment

17. Nitrogen
◦ Nitrogen Travels in a cycle like other chemicals we have learned
about: Water cycle & Carbon Cycle

18. Nitrogen
◦ Sketch Nitrogen
Cycle in notes

19. Nitrogen

20. Nitrogen
◦ Free Nitrogen: Plain nitrogen gas (N2 – there are 2 nitrogen atoms stuck together)
◦ Nitrogen Fixation: changing "free" nitrogen so other elements can combine with
it for organisms to use.
◦ Examples:
◦ 1. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria:
◦ -Found on the nodules of beans or clover roots.
◦ -Separate the 2 atoms so each can combine with other elements like carbon or
oxygen.
◦ 2. Lightning:
◦ -Electricity gives them a negative charge which fills their outer orbitals. With
the outer orbitals filled, the two nitrogen atoms do not need to bond together.

21. Fertilizer
◦ Fertilizer: put nutrients back into the
soil.
◦ A bag of fertilizer often has three
numbers on it (like 15 – 30 – 15)
◦ nitrogen – phosphorus – potassium
◦ It is often remembered as N-P-K which
are the symbols of the elements. The
higher each number is the more of each
fertilizer there is up to 100%.

22. Fertilizer
◦ Nitrogen helps keep the leaves
healthy, green and large.
◦ Phosphorus helps with both the
flowers and roots. Growers
often use a fertilizer high in
phosphorus to grow super sized
flowers.
◦ Potassium helps to grow large
fruits and vegetables.

23. Eutrophication
◦ Eutrophication is excess algae growth
caused by fertilizers leaching into ponds,
lakes, rivers, and streams. The nutrients
in the fertilizer cause larger amounts of
algae to grow in an algal bloom
◦ The excess algae float on the surface of
the water and block sunlight from
reaching plants that grow in the water.
◦ This kills these plants which means that
they no longer put oxygen into the
water. Because there is less oxygen in
the water, other aquatic life like fish
suffocate leading to the collapse of the
ecosystem.

24. Pesticides
◦ Herbicides: kills weeds
◦ Insecticides: Also widely referred to as pesticide - kills insects
◦ Fungicides: kills fungi

25. Acids & Bases

26. Acids
◦ Pre-caution
◦ Many fluids we use are acids or bases however they do not injure
us.
◦ Too strong of an acid or a base can cause serious injury.
◦ Always be cautious when working with either substance.

27. Acids
◦ pH <7
◦ A substance that are soluble (dissolves) in water and increases
the hydrogen ion concentration of the solution.
◦ Taste sour and have a "stinging" feeling (like oranges, green
apples, and rhubarb)
◦ Can dissolve metals.
◦ Contribute to environmental issues like acid rain.
◦ Strong acids pH < 2

28. Acid Videos

29. Bases
◦ pH >7
◦ A substance that is soluble (dissolves) in water to produce more
hydroxyl ions (OH) than hydrogen ions (H).
◦ Taste bitter and feel slippery.
◦ An advantage to base cleaners: they do not react with metals.
The cleaners used to unclog sinks are strong bases that readily
dissolve hair and grease, but leave the pipes unscathed.
◦ Strong Base pH > 12

30. Neutral Substances
◦ Neutral Substance (pH=7)
◦ example: distilled water.

31. pH
◦ pH ("power of hydrogen")
◦ A measure of the concentration of
hydrogen ions in the solution.
◦ Measure of how acidic or basic a
substance is.
◦ Scale of 0-14; 0 is the most acidic, 14
is the most basic.
◦ A pH of 3 is 10X more acidic than a
pH of 4.
◦ A pH of 9 is 10X more basic than a pH
of 8.

32. pH
◦ To measure pH, use a pH scale or
indicators (litmus paper and universal
indicator)
◦ litmus paper: turns blue for base, red
for acid.
◦ universal indicator: turns a different
color for each number on the pH
scale.

33. Neutralization
◦ Neutralization: A base and an acid
react to form a salt and water.
◦ Acid + Base -> Salt + Water
◦ Example: HCl + NaOH -> NaCl + H20
◦ The products are less harmful than
the reactants.

34. Neutralization
◦ Strong Acid + Strong Base
= Neutral
◦ Weak Acid + Strong Base
= Basic
◦ Strong Acid + Weak Base
= Acidic
◦ Weak Acid + Weak Base
= Neutral/Acidic/Basic

35. Acid Rain
Acid Rain: Rainwater with a lower than normal pH (<5.6).
◦ "Normal" rain is slightly acidic, because it contains dissolved carbon
dioxide, and forms a weak carbonic acid.
◦ The rain becomes more acidic when water molecules react with other
gases in the air, usually sulfur dioxide and several forms of nitrogen
oxides. These gases are created by industrial factories, coal- fired
power plants, and vehicle emissions. So acid rain is actually a mixture
of weak carbonic, sulphuric, and nitric acids.
◦ Sometimes lime (calcium hydroxide) is used to neutralize lakes.

36. Transport of
Substances

37. Diffusion
Diffusion: The movement of particles from high to low
concentration. This is a passive process.

38. Osmosis
Osmosis: the diffusion of water through a membrane.

39. Active Transport
Active Transport: movement of nutrients from areas of low
concentration to high concentration that requires the use of
energy

40. Ingestion
Ingestion: taking in directly.

41. Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis: when enzymes and water are used to break larger
molecules into smaller ones.
Example: proteins will hydrolyze into amino acids.
Carbohydrates will hydrolyze into sugar.

42. Substrate
Substrate: The material on which an organism lives or moves
on provides it with nutrients.

43. Human Impacts on
the Environment

44. Human Impacts
What are some examples of how humans have
impacted the environment?

45. Human Impacts
Many Human Activities lead to chemicals being added
or changed and then released into the environment.
•Agriculture
•Solid Waste and waste disposal
•Industrial Activities

46. Agriculture
Agricultural Activities
To feed the worlds growing population much of our land is covered in
farms. This leads to 2 main contaminants being added to the
environment.

47. Agriculture
Fertilizers
• all fertilizers have 3 numbers
attached to them i.e. (15-30-15)
• This shows the amount of
chemicals that it contains N-P-K
(nitrogen-phosphorous-
potassium).
• Nitrogen and phosphorus can
lead to algal blooms and animal
death in aquatic environments
(eutrophication)

48. Agriculture
Pesticides - Chemicals that kill
pests, preventing the eating/destroying of
our food crops. However many of these
chemicals can enter us and other living
things when we eat the food or if it is
washed off of crops by rain.
Do you remember how this chemical
affected the birds of prey?
And Biomagnification / bioaccumulation?

49. Solid Waste
Solid Waste:
The garbage we make and dispose of
can cause many different chemicals to
enter the environment. These include
heavy metals, cleaning chemicals,
paints, etc.

50. Solid Waste
Landfills - we put our solid waste in
landfills.
Leachate: Rain water dissolves some of
the solid waste to create a toxic mixture
of chemicals known as leachate.
These toxins would normally seep into
the soil and cause major problems.
Landfills are designed to prevent the
transport of leachate into the soil and
water.
This is achieved by adding thick layers
of clay and plastic to the bottom layers
of a landfill preventing the leachate
from moving into the ground.

51. Waste Water
The water we use in our daily lives also
becomes contaminated with chemicals.
Sewage: contaminated wastewater
Septic tank: where sewage is store so
bacteria can help decompose the
organic wastes.
Sewage Treatment Plant: help
remove contaminants from the waste
water. This is not 100% clean and may
release some chemicals like phosphates
and chlorine entering the environment.
Effluent: cleaned sewage

52. Waste Water
Burning of fossil fuels generates
gases that cause acid rain and air
pollution
Pollution: is the introduction of
contaminants/chemicals into the
natural environment that cause change
and cause damage

53. Monitoring Water
Quality

54. Environmental Monitoring
All wastes entering the environment are potentially
harmful, but some more so than others. Pesticides,
petroleum products, and heavy-metal wastes are
examples of pollutants that can cause irreversible
damage to the environment.
Both persistent and non-persistent wastes are a
concern if they become concentrated enough to harm
living organisms. By monitoring the environment, we
can we detect the presence and determine the
concentration of harmful substances.

55. Water Quality Testing
A detailed knowledge of chemistry helps
understand and detect. Most pollutants eventually
find their way into water, either by being washed
out of the atmosphere in rainfall and snow such as
acid precipitation, or by direct seepage.
By knowing the correct chemical tests for a
pollutant, it is possible to determine the presence,
or absence, of that pollutant within a water sample.

56. Chemical Factors
Five important chemical factors are important in indicating the quality of
water.
1. Undissolved Solids
2. Phosphates & Nitrates
3. Dissolved Oxygen
4. Dissolved Carbon Dioxide
5. Heavy Metals

57. Undissolved Solids
Undissolved particles can make water look cloudy.
Often these solids are due to the erosion of land by
the river, but can also be due to untreated
wastewater and industrial waste that enters the
river.
It not only makes the water look unpleasant, but it
blocks sunlight, which means water plants can’t
photosynthesize and add dissolved oxygen to the
water, affecting the survival of fish and other
organisms.
Wastewater treatment plants usually remove all of
the undissolved solids from wastewater, unless the
city produces more waste than the wastewater
treatment plant can fully process.

58. Undissolved Solids
To measure undissolved solids you pass of water
from each sample through a piece of filter paper.
Before filtering the water you measure the mass of
the filter paper. After filtering, you allow the filter
paper to dry and then measure the mass of the
filter paper and undissolved solids combined.
The mass in milligrams of undissolved solids per
liter of water is equivalent to the concentration of
undissolved solids in parts per million (ppm).

59. Phosphates & Nitrates
Phosphates and nitrates are nutrients that help plants grow. They are found in plant
fertilizers as well as animal wastes. Phosphates have also been added to detergents
and soaps to help clean things efficiently.
Eutrophication is directly caused by phosphates and nitrates since they contain
phosphorus and nitrogen that are essential nutrients to algae growth.

60. Dissolved Oxygen
Many organisms require oxygen to survive. The number and type of
organisms living in the water is affected by the availability of dissolved
oxygen. Most organisms require dissolved oxygen concentrations above 5.0
ppm. Without enough oxygen, fish and other organisms can’t survive.

61. Measuring Dissolved Oxygen
To measure dissolved oxygen, you add manganese sulfate and alkaline iodine azide to the
samples, and stir the mixture. If oxygen is present, you expect a brownish-orange solid to
form. Once the solid settles, you add sulfamic acid to the sample, the solid dissolves, and the
water turns yellow. Finally, you add sodium thiosulfate one drop at a time until the sample
just turns clear. The number of drops of sodium thiosulfate needed to turn the solution clear
indicates the dissolved oxygen concentration.

62. Dissolved Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide, CO2, is produced by animals as a waste product of cellular
respiration. Plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In a water ecosystem, low
dissolved oxygen concentrations often occur at the same time as high carbon
dioxide concentrations because the organisms using up the oxygen are also
producing CO2. When the CO2 concentrations are high, fish and other organisms
can have a hard time taking in oxygen.

63. Measuring Dissolved Carbon Dioxide
To test for dissolved carbon dioxide, you add 5
drops of the indicator phenolphthalein to the
sample. If a pink colour forms and then quickly
disappears, there is carbon dioxide present.
Next, you add sodium hydroxide solution drop
by drop until the sample turns light pink.
The number of drops of sodium hydroxide
solution required to change the colour to pink
indicates the carbon dioxide concentration.

64. Heavy Metals
Elements like copper, lead, zinc,
mercury, cadmium and nickel that can
be present in products such as
batteries, rubber tires, gasoline,
paints, pipes, and thermometers.
Many industrial or manufacturing
processes result in these pollutants
entering water systems. They are
highly toxic to a many organisms.

65. Measuring Heavy Metals
Each heavy metal will have its own
chemical test to determine the
presence and amount of that element
in the water.

66. Other Water Pollutants
1. Acids
◦ With too much air pollution, acid rain forms and can affect water quality.
2. Pesticides
◦ Pesticides can be toxic, even in small doses.
3. Salts
◦ Salts such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) come
from many sources.

67. Biological Indicators
Biological Indicators are living things that can reveal the amount and
effects of pollution.
The health of aquatic organisms can determine water quality. Aquatic life
such as fish, insects, and micro-organisms.

68. Biological Indicators
Some species cannot survive in polluted water, while others are able to tolerate
polluted water.
Identifying the organisms present in a sample of water can help to determine
the relative quality of a body of water.
Stonefly larvae, water penny beetle larvae and gilled snails are examples of
aquatic species that are sensitive to poor water quality conditions, such as low
dissolved oxygen concentrations. Larger populations of these species indicate
higher water quality.

69. Biological Indicators

70. Monitoring Air Quality

71. Air Quality
When you breath, 78% is Nitrogen, 21% is Oxygen.
Which air would you rather breath in?
Houston, Texas New York City, New York

72. Air Quality
Many industrialized countries have air quality problems:

73. Air Quality
Many industrialized countries have air quality problems:

74. Air Quality
Air Quality is determined in two ways:
◦ measuring the levels of pollutants in the air (natural and man-
made).
◦ estimating the amount of emissions from pollution sources.

75. Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide:
◦ S8(g) + 8O2(g) -> 8SO2(g)
◦ forms smog and acid rain (sulphurous acid).
◦ affects your respiratory system and irritates eyes.
◦ source is the industrial process of oil and gas industries, or
when fuels like coal and oil are burned.
◦ industrial plants use "scrubbers" to reduce emissions of SO2
by 99%.
◦ scrubbers use limestone (calcium carbonate) to convert
sulfur dioxide to useful products like gypsum (calcium sulfate).
◦ 2SO2(g) + 4H2O(l) + 2CaCO3(s) + O2(g) -> 2CaSO4 2H2O(s) +
2CO2(g)

76. Nitrogen Oxides
Nitrogen Oxides:
◦ N2(g) + O2(g) -> NOx(g)
◦ mainly from the combustions in
vehicles, generating plants, and from
industrial processes such as oil
refining.
◦ brownish gas that gives smog its
color.

77. Ground Level Ozone
Ground Level Ozone [O3(g)]:
◦ odourless, colourless gas composed of three oxygen atoms.
◦ formed from reactions between oxygen, nitrogen oxides,
and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s - come from trees,
gasoline, and solvents).
◦ major source is fuel combustion in vehicle engines and
industry.
◦ can cause breathing problems and long term lung damage.
◦ can also cause serious affect with wheat, soybeans, and
onions, and cause plastics to deteriorate rapidly.

78. Monitoring the
Atmosphere

79. Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide:
◦ considered to be a greenhouse gas & pollutant.

80. Green House Gases
Greenhouse Gases: The
atmospheric gases that trap
heat.
Examples: water vapour, CO2,
NOx, CH4.

81. Green House Gases
How many of you have been to a
greenhouse?
Is it hot or cold?
How does it work?
Or when you get into a closed car
in springtime weather have you
ever notice that it is warmer in
the car than outside. How come?

82. Green House Effect
Greenhouse Effect: When
radiant energy from the sun
reaches Earth's surface, much
of it is reflected back to space.
Some is trapped near the
Earth's surface by a layer of
gases.

83. Green House Effect

84. Green House Effect

85. Enhanced Green House Effect
The enhanced greenhouse
effect: is the process
of trapping an increased
amount of the suns
energy within the earth's
atmosphere.

86. Enhanced Green House Effect
There are a number of ways to increase the greenhouse effect
1. Increased CO2 emissions and other atmospheric pollution
2. Deforestation

87. Enhanced Green House Effect
Carbon dioxide
By increasing the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
we add to the greenhouse effect.
CO2 traps in the suns energy by
reflecting it back down to earth
rather then letting the energy
escape back into space.

88. Enhanced Green House Effect
Deforestation is the process of cutting
down all or most of the trees in an area.
Without trees and a healthy forest the soil
losses most of its nutrients and there are far
fewer plants to remove greenhouse
gasses like CO2.
Often forests are destroyed and deforested
by fire. Burning the trees not only stops
them from removing CO2 but also adds CO2
into the air as a product of combustion.

89. Ozone Depletion
Ozone depletion and the green house effect are two different
processes. Ozone depletion is its own problem independent of
the greenhouse effect.

90. Ozone Depletion
The Ozone Layer/Atmospheric ozone:
The Ozone layer is an area in the upper
atmosphere high in atmosphere(~20-
50km up). Ozone is made of three
oxygen atoms covalently bonded
together (o-o-o) The ozone layer
protects the earth from ultraviolet (UV)
radiation from the sun. UV radiation
give us sun burns and skin cancer.

92. Ozone Depletion
Ozone depletion is caused be chemicals
released into the atmosphere called CFC's
that break down the ozone particles.
When they are broken down into oxygen
(O2) they no longer reflect UV radiation
into space and let it come to the surface
of the earth. The larger the holes in the
ozone layer the more solar energy allowed
to reach the surface of the earth.

93. Ozone Depletion

94. Ozone Depletion
Chloroflurocarbons:
◦ a class of chemical compounds
that depletes ozone
◦ Contains carbon, fluorine and
chlorine
◦ used as refrigerants, propellants
in aerosols and solvents

95. Ozone Depletion

96. Transporting
Chemicals

97. Transporting Chemicals
1. Transport in Air
◦ 3 stages: release, dispersion,
deposition. Release of the chemical at
the source, dispersion or scattering of
the chemical in the atmosphere,
deposition of chemical in soil or water.
◦ direction and distance determined by
pollutants' properties, wind speed,
direction of the prevailing
winds, precipitation.

98. Transporting Chemicals
2. Transport in Groundwater
◦ Ground water: zone where all spaces are filled with water
◦ groundwater can move sideways and up/down.
◦ moves 1 m/year - 1 m/day.
◦ Moves slow so does not spread out and may become concentrated
over time.
◦ number and connection of pores in the soil affects how fast water moves
◦ permeable soil: is one with interconnected pores or spaces.
◦ Pollutants will be transported farther by groundwater that flows through
permeable soil.

99. Transporting Chemicals

100. Transporting Chemicals

101. Transporting Chemicals
3. Transport in Surface Water
◦ chemicals enter water from air, groundwater, runoff from agricultural
fields and industrial sites and outflow from storm sewers and sewage
treatment plants.
◦ substance that dissolve easily in water may be carried a long way and
dispersed.
◦ substance that does not easily dissolve, attaches to solids and do not
travel as far. - they sink and become concentrated closer to source - builds
up at the bottom of the lake/river.

102. Transporting Chemicals
4. Transport in the Soil
◦ leachate - liquid that dissolves and carries substances as it passes through
soil.
◦ composition of soil can affect the rate at which a liquid moves through it.
◦ packed clay - impermeable - fluids cannot move through it because soil
grains are packed too closely.
◦ organic material can slow the movement of chemicals. Hazardous
materials can be changed by chemical reactions that occur in the soil.
◦ Hydrocarbon - spread over wide area, does not dissolve, coats soil grains
and fills pores.

103. Transporting Chemicals
Dispersion: scatterings of a substance
away from its sources.
ie: scattering fertilizer.
Dilution: reducing concentration of a
pollutant by mixing the polluting
substance with large quantities of air
or water.
ie: drop of bleach into a tub of water.

104. Transporting Chemicals
Biodegradation: breakdown of materials by
organisms such as earthworms, bacteria, fungi, and
microorganisms. ("Bio" = living things "degrade" =
break up)
aerobic biodegradation: oxygen present for bacteria
to grow andreproduce.
anaerobic biodegradation: environment
without oxygen.
ie: anaerobic bacteria that removes chlorine
from PCB's, replaces it with H atoms. Affected
by temperature, soil moisture, pH, oxygen supply,
and nutrient availability.

105. Transporting Chemicals
Phytoremediation: technique that can be
used to reduce the concentration of
harmful chemicals in soil
or groundwater, using plants. ("phyto" =
plant "remediation" = clean up)
plants have been used to clean up
metals, hydrocarbons, solvents,
pesticides, radioactive materials,
explosives, and landfill leachates.

106. Transporting Chemicals
Photolysis: breakdown (lysis) of
compounds by the sunlight (photo).
ie: formation of ozone. Nitrogen dioxide in
the presence of light breaks down to form
nitrogen monoxide and oxygen atoms.
Oxygen atoms then combine with
oxygen to form ozone.

107. Biomagnification

108. Biomagnification
On May 17, 2001, the city of Calgary sent out a press release showing that
the lead levels in the surface soil of the Lynnview Ridge area were above
the current environmental guidelines.
This was a problem because lead can damage the kidneys, nervous system,
reproductive system and can be especially damaging to young children
and fetuses.
So far you have learned how chemicals can be transported throughout the
environment. Chemicals can also accumulate in plants through the uptake
of water. It is possible for chemicals to increase in concentration as they
move up the food chain.

109. Biomagnification
Homeowners waited 8 years for cleanup
of former oil refinery site

110. Biomagnification
The Tale of the Bald Eagle

111. Biomagnification
Biomagnification/Bioaccumulate: is when a chemical gets stronger as
it moves up the food chain or food web.
Pesticides, Herbicides and heavy metals bioaccumulate

112. Biomagnification

113. Biomagnification
Example: Mercury pollution comes from emissions from coal-fired power
plants, waste incinerators, and commercial boilers and furnaces that
burn mercury-containing materials.
When mercury enters the food chain, it is concentrated through:
Water->algae->eaten by invertebrates->fish->humans
=1 x10 x10 x10 x10
=10,000 atoms of Hg!!!
If you eat enough mercury you may become ill, but what is worse is that it
may affect your future offspring.

114. Biomagnification
Using the hand out answer the following questions:
1. What is crude oil made of? What elements does it contain?
2. What happened to the light and heavy molecules spilled?
3. What impact did the spill have on the environment, including
plants, animals, and people.
4. What percentage of the oil was recovered? What happened to the rest?
5. What procedures are in place now to protect the environment of more
oil spills?