Question 1

a)
i)

Environmental toxicology - Environmental toxicology is an

interdisciplinary control, including the fields of biology, topography,
microbiology, atomic hereditary qualities, science and limnology,
among others. It analyzes dangerous chemicals, for example, lead
or mercury, and substances, and in addition their cooperation with
nature, people, plants and different species. Different subjects
examined are the manner by which they travel through nature and
what their definitive destiny is. Toxins can be engineered (manmade) or naturals.

ii)

Toxicant or poison are considered to be a quantitative concept Toxin is a quantitative idea, pretty much any substance being
hurtful at a few measurements yet, in the meantime, being without
unsafe impact at some lower measurement. Between these two
points of confinement there is a scope of conceivable impacts, from
unpretentious long haul endless harmfulness to quick lethality. The
meaning of a toxic substance, or toxicant, additionally includes a
subjective natural angle in light of the fact that a compound,
harmful to one species or hereditary strain, may be moderately
innocuous to an alternate.

iii)

Characteristic of environmental hazard Environmental hazards as

extreme geophysical events and major technological accidents,
characterized by concentrated release of energy or materials, which
pose an unexpected threat to human life and can cause damage to
goods and the environment (Keith Smith, 1992). Based on content
of definition by Keith Smith, the main focus is narrow down the
characteristic of environment hazard to concentrated release of
energy or material. The group characteristics are :1) Areal extent of damage zone
2) Intensity of impact at a point
3) Duration of impact at a point

4) Rate of onset of the event (rapid and slow)

b) Major causes of air pollution.

1. Blazing of Fossil Fuels: Sulfur dioxide discharged from the ignition of
fossil fills like coal, petroleum and other production line combustibles is
one the real reason for air contamination. Contamination discharging from
vehicles including trucks, jeeps, autos, trains, planes cause huge measure
of contamination. We depend on them to satisfy our every day essential
needs of transportation. However, there abuse is executing our
surroundings as risky gasses are dirtying the earth. Carbon Monooxide
created by shameful or deficient burning and for the most part radiated
from vehicles is an alternate significant toxin alongside Nitrogen Oxides,
that is delivered from both common and man made methods.
2. Agriculture activities: Ammonia is an extremely basic by item from
farming related exercises and is a standout amongst the most risky gasses
in the climate. Utilization of insect poisons, pesticides and manures in
agrarian exercises has developed a considerable amount. They emanate
unsafe chemicals into the air and can likewise cause water contamination.
3. Debilitate from manufacturing plants and businesses:
Manufacturing commercial enterprises discharge expansive measure of
carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, natural mixes, and chemicals into the air
consequently exhausting the nature of air. Fabricating commercial
ventures can be found at each corner of the earth and there is no region
that has not been influenced by it. Petroleum refineries likewise discharge
hydrocarbons and different chemicals that contaminate the air
furthermore cause land contamination.
Suggestion steps to overcome
1. Use public mode of transportation: Encourage people to use more
and more public modes of transportation to reduce pollution. Also, try
to make use of car pooling. If you and your colleagues come from the
same locality and have same timings you can explore this option to
save energy and money.
2. Conserve energy: Switch off fans and lights when you are going out.
Large amount of fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity. You can
save the environment from degradation by reducing the amount of
fossil fuels to be burned.
3. Understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Do not
throw away items that are of no use to you. In-fact reuse them for
some other purpose. For e.g. you can use old jars to store cereals or
pulses.

4. Emphasis on clean energy resources: Clean energy technologies

like solar, wind and geothermal are on high these days. Governments
of various countries have been providing grants to consumers who are
interested in installing solar panels for their home. This will go a long
way to curb air pollution.

Question 2
Experiment data on Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of water
a) Two methods to measure DO
1- Dissolved oxygen meter
2- Modified Winkler dissolved oxygen determination
b) Precautionary step while collecting the samples.
1- Samples are collected and transferred to 60-mL glass BOS bottles
2- DO must be determined immediately at the collection site.
3- Important to note is there no hold time.
4- Store in the dark at the temperature of the water source.

c) Calculate the amount of DO level in the water

(Normality of sodium sulphate 1mL) = 0.025M

mg/L DO =

(mL titrant x normality of titrant x 8000)

equivalent volume of sample titrated

For Trial 1

mg/L DO =

7.8 x 0.025 x 8000

=7.8
200

If a 200 mL sample and a 0.025 N titrant are used, then the formula can
be simplified to:
DO (mg/L) = Amount of Titrant Used (mL)

For Trial 2 & 3

DO = 7.9 mg/L

d) State whether the DO level in the pond is safe for aquatic life.
Yes. The DO level in the pond safe for aquatic life. Based on the result
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) in Table 1 shown that the average get is 7.87
mg/L. Dissolved oxygen levels below about 6mg/l can begin to have
detrimental effects on pond life. A lack of dissolved oxygen is the most
common cause of fish kills in ponds.

Question 3

a) Cause of asthmatism.
Asthmatism is caused by inflamed and constricted airways brought on by
an allergic reaction or an environmental trigger. Besides, genetic
susceptibility and viral infections are the factors believed to cause
asthmatism.
b) How can you tell someone suffers from asthma?

Stay calm and be reassuring. Help your friend relax. If someone who is
having a flare-up panics, it can make it even harder to breathe.
Take your friend away from any possible asthma triggers, like
smoke.
Have your friend sit upright. Lying down might make breathing more
difficult.
If your friend can talk, ask what his or her asthma action plan
says to do during a flare-up. If your friend is able to tell you, follow the
plan.
If your friend can't speak or doesn't remember what to do, ask if
he or she has an inhaler to use during flare-ups. If so, get the inhaler
and help your friend to use it.
Call 911 if:
o the inhaler doesn't help
o the inhaler helps at first but then your friend gets worse again
o an inhaler is not available
o your friend is having trouble talking or is struggling to breathe
o your friend's lips are turning blue
o your friend becomes unconscious

c) Explain why patients with asthma history get frequent attacks during hazy
season of the year.
First, Haze is an atmospheric condition where particles, smoke, dust, and
moisture suspend in the air obscuring visibility. Due to their small size,
these ultra small particles stay in the air longer and are easily carried over
long distances, increasing their chances of being inhaled by animals and
humans.
Known as fine particles, particles emitted by forest fires are found to be
toxic to the lungs, and are more toxic than particulate matter collected
from ambient air from the same region. (2). Fine particles can also bypass
normal body defence mechanisms and penetrate deep into the lungs due
to their small size. When inhaled, they can enter the bloodstream and get
absorbed by underlying tissue, potentially interacting with other
compounds and substances in the body, for example bad cholesterol, to
produce damaging effects such as inflammation.

Last, most patients with asthma complain more frequently about chest
tightness (in combination with shortness of breath or cough). The
diagnosis of asthma is usually obvious from the patient's history. It should
be highly suspected from a description of episodic and variable respiratory
symptoms (with or without wheezing) or recurrent chest colds and
bronchitis (productive cough).
d) Three ways to reduce asthma attacks :1) Limit dust exposure. Babies and toddlers spend eight to ten
hours a day in their rooms, so removing dust from their immediate
area is a great place to start.
2) Reduce or eliminate the pet factor. Many kids are allergic to pet
dander. It's best not to keep a pet at home if it triggers your child's
reactions. If that's not possible, at least keep the cat or dog out of
the baby's room.
3) Protect your child from tobacco smoke. This is a significant
asthma trigger. Some people think that smoking in a different room
or outside is safe enough, but tobacco smoke gets into your hair
and clothes, and your child then inhales it when you pick him up
and snuggle with him. Having everyone in your household quit is
the best option. If that's not possible, have smokers wear different
shirts and cover their hair when they smoke.
4) Monitor your asthma symptoms. When your asthma is well
managed you shouldn't have any asthma symptoms and your doctor
may be able to reduce your dose of preventer. Make sure you keep an
eye on your symptoms, and be aware when things start to change so
that you can act quickly.

Question 4
a) Using appropriate example explain the difference between toxicity
and hazard.
1) TOXICITY is the ability of a substance to produce an unwanted
effect when the chemical has reached a sufficient concentration
at a certain site in the body.
The more toxic a material is, the smaller the amount of it
necessary to be absorbed before harmful effects are caused.
The lower the toxicity, the greater the quantity of it necessary
to be absorbed. The toxicity of a chemical is generally
measured by experiments on animals (quite often rats). If it is
measured in terms of the amounts of material necessary to
cause death in 50% of the test animals. These values are called
LD50 (lethal dose) or LC50 (lethal concentration), and are
usually given in weight of material per kg of body weight or
airborne concentration of material per set time period
respectively.
2) HAZARD is the probability that this concentration in the body
will occur.
Toxicity is an inherent property of the material. A material
may be very toxic, but not hazardous, if it is handled properly
and is not absorbed into the body. On the other hand, a
material may have a very low toxicity, but be very hazardous.
Example:
1. An open container of an acid is much more hazardous than a
closed container of the same material.
b) There are three primary routes of entry into the body: ingestion,
skin or eye absorption, and inhalation.
Ingestion:- This means taking a material into the body by mouth
(swallowing). Ingestion of toxic materials may occur as a result of
eating in a contaminated work area.
Absorption- Substances that contact the eye and the skin may be
either absorbed into the body or cause local effects. For the
majority of organic compounds, the contribution from skin
absorption to the total exposure should not be neglected.
Inhalation- This means taking a material into the body by breathing
it in. In the lungs, very tiny blood vessels are in constant contact
with the air we breath in. As a result, airborne contaminants can be
easily absorbed through this tissue. In the occupational
environment, this is generally the most important route of entry.

c) This classification identifies toxic materials on the basis of biologic action.

Irritants - refers to some sort of aggravation of whatever tissue the material comes in
contact with.
e.g. ammonia, nitrogen dioxide.
Asphyxiants - exert their effects through a depletion of oxygen to the tissues
e.g. - simple asphyxiants - carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane, hydrogen
chemical asphyxiants - carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide.
Narcotics or Anaesthetics - the main toxic action is the depressant effect upon the
Central Nervous System.
e.g. - many organics, chloroform, xylene.
Carcinogens - agents/compounds that will induce cancer in humans.
e.g. benzene, arsenic, inorganic salts of chromium, nickel, beryllium.