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3 min read•june 18, 2024
Harrison Burnside
Jenni MacLean
Harrison Burnside
Jenni MacLean
In Unit 8 of APES, we’ll discuss how humans have altered ecosystems 🌵 on the ground (as opposed to in the atmosphere ☁️ in the previous unit) and those effects in the short-term and long-term ⏳ Here are some questions to guide your thinking 🤔 and possibly be answered 🙋♂️ in this unit:
APES isn’t just a class about the natural world, it is also imperative to think about how human actions impact other more vulnerable populations of humans! Historically, people in lower socioeconomic communities have to deal with the consequences of pollution more than people of higher economic classes might have to. For example, they may not have access to clean drinking water (having to settle for polluted water for survival), general sanitation, and may be more exposed to carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, because organic produce is expensive! 🍎 To understand the science of these chemicals, we will have to think back to biology class and take a look at how the human body works. By studying LD-50 and the Dose Response Curve, scientists can assist in creating legislation that sets safe limits for contaminants. We will also take a look at how human actions have created the opportunity for more infectious diseases to spread and how that also tends to impact populations without access to expensive, modern medical advances.
In this unit, it will also be very important to review the legislation (to remediate pollution) and the disasters that inspired that legislation. To review those fully, make sure to check out these study guides:
📝 Read: APES - Major Environmental Disasters
📝 Read: APES - Required Legislation
Piece of Legislation | "Tagline" |
RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | Cradle-to-Grave Disposal of Hazardous Materials |
CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act | Superfund to help clean up after abandoned waste sites become toxic |
CWA: Clean Water Act | Unlawful to discharge waste in waterways without a permit |
SDWA: Safe Drinking Water Act | Allows EPA to set Health Standards for Drinking Water Sources |
Delaney Clause: of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act | Carcinogens (that cause reasonable harm) cannot be added to food or drugs |
At the end of unit 8, come back to this list and quiz yourself. Can you explain each of these terms to someone else?
Unit 7 – Atmospheric Pollution
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3 min read•june 18, 2024
Harrison Burnside
Jenni MacLean
Harrison Burnside
Jenni MacLean
In Unit 8 of APES, we’ll discuss how humans have altered ecosystems 🌵 on the ground (as opposed to in the atmosphere ☁️ in the previous unit) and those effects in the short-term and long-term ⏳ Here are some questions to guide your thinking 🤔 and possibly be answered 🙋♂️ in this unit:
APES isn’t just a class about the natural world, it is also imperative to think about how human actions impact other more vulnerable populations of humans! Historically, people in lower socioeconomic communities have to deal with the consequences of pollution more than people of higher economic classes might have to. For example, they may not have access to clean drinking water (having to settle for polluted water for survival), general sanitation, and may be more exposed to carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, because organic produce is expensive! 🍎 To understand the science of these chemicals, we will have to think back to biology class and take a look at how the human body works. By studying LD-50 and the Dose Response Curve, scientists can assist in creating legislation that sets safe limits for contaminants. We will also take a look at how human actions have created the opportunity for more infectious diseases to spread and how that also tends to impact populations without access to expensive, modern medical advances.
In this unit, it will also be very important to review the legislation (to remediate pollution) and the disasters that inspired that legislation. To review those fully, make sure to check out these study guides:
📝 Read: APES - Major Environmental Disasters
📝 Read: APES - Required Legislation
Piece of Legislation | "Tagline" |
RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | Cradle-to-Grave Disposal of Hazardous Materials |
CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act | Superfund to help clean up after abandoned waste sites become toxic |
CWA: Clean Water Act | Unlawful to discharge waste in waterways without a permit |
SDWA: Safe Drinking Water Act | Allows EPA to set Health Standards for Drinking Water Sources |
Delaney Clause: of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act | Carcinogens (that cause reasonable harm) cannot be added to food or drugs |
At the end of unit 8, come back to this list and quiz yourself. Can you explain each of these terms to someone else?
Unit 7 – Atmospheric Pollution
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