AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
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Provide two examples of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Two common examples of POPs are DDT, an insecticide, and PCBs, which were used as industrial coolants and lubricants.
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Provide two examples of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Two common examples of POPs are DDT, an insecticide, and PCBs, which were used as industrial coolants and lubricants.
What is the relationship between a POP's solubility and its effect on ecosystems?
Because POPs are soluble in fat, not water, they accumulate in organisms' tissues rather than being flushed out, leading to toxicity and biomagnification through the food web.
If a POP like DDT is used in a tropical region, why might it be detected in arctic wildlife?
POPs can travel over long distances via global wind and water currents, allowing them to be deposited in ecosystems far from their original source.
What are Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)?
POPs are synthetic, carbon-based molecules, such as DDT and PCBs, that do not easily break down in the environment.
What chemical characteristic is common to POPs like DDT and PCBs?
A common chemical characteristic is that they are synthetic, carbon-based molecules, which contributes to their persistence in the environment.
Describe the two primary mechanisms for the global distribution of POPs.
The two primary mechanisms for the long-distance, global distribution of POPs are transport via wind and water currents.
A top predator, like a bald eagle, is found to have high levels of PCBs in its tissues, even though PCBs were not used in its immediate habitat. Explain how this is possible.
PCBs can travel long distances on wind and water to contaminate the eagle's habitat, and because they are fat-soluble, they accumulate up the food chain, concentrating in top predators.
What property of POPs allows them to accumulate in organisms' bodies?
Their solubility in fat allows POPs to be stored and build up in the fatty tissues of organisms, a process known as bioaccumulation.
How do POPs become toxic to organisms?
POPs are toxic because they are soluble in fat, which allows them to accumulate in an organism's fatty tissues to harmful concentrations.
Why are POPs resistant to environmental degradation?
POPs do not easily break down because they are synthetic, carbon-based molecules whose stable structure is not easily metabolized by organisms or natural environmental processes.