organic pollutants

Guest

What are organic pollutants and where do they come from? What are some examples?

Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2004 5:38 pm

Logan,

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can be trouble!

Persistent: they stay around for a long time, and can be carried by wind or water far from their origin

organic: carbon-based (like you, me, most every other living or once-living thing)

pollutant: not very nice to the environment! In the case of of persistent organic pollutants, they accumulate in the fatty tissue of the animals that are exposed to them, or in the animals that eat the animals, or the animals that eat the animals that eat the animals... you get the idea. Some cause cancer, birth defects and daim bramage, er, brain damage.

Check out the following URL for more specific information about POPs:
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/international/pops.htm
(The links at the bottom will give you more information about PCBs and dioxins too)

Cheers,

Guest

cool dude