Instructions (100-150 words):
Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing astatement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale,challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationshipbetween two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.
What are the health effects that the pesticide exposure caused in humans?
Endrin was used as a insecticide and pesticide before the 1980’s. It wasfound to have human harming effects. Some of these effects includedizziness, headaches, nervousness, confusion, vomiting, and convulsions.Severe poisoning effects the nervous system and can be fatal in minutes(ASTDR, 1996).
What are the steps that could have been taken to prevent the adverse health outcomes from occurring?
Little to nothing could have been done to protect people from endrineffects. The sole reason for that is lack of research and understanding.Once the effects were clearly shown, endrin as banned by the EPA.
What are the changes required in the existing law that could discourage the re-occurrence of such exposures?
Since the use of endrin is banned, and no endrin production occurs intoday’s time, the laws should oversee the protection of the public toendrin levels in soil at dump sites.
Apart from law enforcement, what are the other ways to prevent future occurrences of such episodes?
proper protective equipment for anyone who may come into contact withdangerous substances. Water filtration is also a good way of preventingendrin poisoning. The EPA has standards set on all water to have anendrin concentration of less than 0.0002 milligrams per liter (ASTDR,1996).
Explain the association between exposure to pesticides and health effects.
Pesticides are often toxic to humans. The main use of pesticides is tokill insects and vermin. Because of this, they can be very toxic toother organisms as well. Endrin is known to be resistant toenvironmental degradation, and therefore stays around for a long time inthe environment. Upon coming into contact with people, it causednervous system damage once ingested, breathed in, or touching the skin.Once inside the body it is stored in adipose tissue and acts as aneurotoxin, impairing the nervous system.
ASTDR, (1996). Public health statement for endrin. Agency for ToxicSubstances & Disease Registry. Retrieved from:http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=615&tid=114
Friis, Robert H. (2012). Essentials of Environmental Health, 2ndEdition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Page 32. Retrieved fromhttps://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9781449632380/
