Environmental Pollution and Disease

1- What are the differences between persistence, bioaccumulation and biological magnification? How are these chemical characteristics interrelated?

Persistence is a characteristic of certain chemicals that are extremely stable and may take many years to break down into simpler forms through natural processes.
Bioaccumulation is the buildup of a persistent toxic substance, such as certain pesticides, in an organism's body, often in fatty tissues.
Biological Magnification is the increased concentration of toxic chemicals, such as PCBs, heavy metals and certain pesticides, in the tissues of organisms that are at higher levels in food webs.
These are all related because they all exhibit ways that chemicals or toxins stick around in various ecosystems.


2- How did the 1980 chemical spill in Lake Apopka affect alligators?

After DDT was spilled in Lake Apopka, the alligator population suffered severe decline in population and a rise in infant mortality rate because of issues that arose with the alligators' reproductive systems. Males suffered low testosterone levels, and elevated levels of estrogen. The reproductive organs were either small or feminized, and the morality rate for eggs was extremely high. This happened because DDT is an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it is a chemical that mimics or interferes with the actions endocrine system in humans and wildlife.