Tungsten

Narayan El

I was part of the Carver Science Fair, so I only was accountable for the PSA.

toc __**PSA Outline**__


 * Specific health/environment issue (1 sentence): || People exposed to tungsten in forms such as tungsten carbide can receive a lung disease called hard-metal disease. Tungsten carbide has a major use in metal cutting tools such as rock drills. The dust created from the use of the tools gets inside the bodies of construction workers who use them, which gives the workers hard-metal disease. ||
 * Who is your audience? (1 sentence): || My audience is people who work in construction, and anyone else who wishes to listen to what I have to say. ||
 * Desired action (1 sentence): || Get workers to use protective face ware when they use tools that create dust of any kind, not just dust with tungsten carbide., and possibly encourage the temporary banning of tungsten, until more is known about it. ||
 * Attention getter - include description of images, voiceover and/or text you will use to capture audience’s attention. || I will use pictures of people doing construction work who are exposed to dust from machine use. Also, I will use pictures of people getting sick from inhaling dust particles that have chemicals in them and people in the hospital, or pictures of the effects of hard-metal disease. What will be talked about is how people get exposed to tungsten, what happens after, and what can be done to prevent the effects of the chemical inside your body. ||
 * Brief history of issue (1-2 sentences for voiceover) || The amounts of tungsten in the bodies of people have been recorded since the late 1990s. People exposed to tungsten usually have a measurable amount of tungsten in their urine. ||
 * 5 facts to support your argument (voiceover and/or text on screen) || * Tungsten is a gray to white metal found in the earth’s crust, usually occurring as scheelite, and it is used mainly for hard-metal production. For example, tungsten is used for the production of tungsten carbide, a metal used for rock drills and other metal cutting tools.


 * It is still unknown as to what adverse health effects in humans besides hard-metal disease can be caused by tungsten. Information relating to the toxicity of tungsten is limited.


 * Hard-metal disease is an extreme lung disease caused from exposure to tungsten carbide, a material used in construction tools.


 * Most exposure to tungsten in the environment comes from soluble forms of the chemical, including tungsten salts.


 * The hard-metal disease that workers receive from working with tungsten carbide may not come solely from the hard-metal. The ailment could possibly be a result of previous exposure to cobalt mixed with tungsten carbide, rather than tungsten carbide alone. ||
 * 3 or more images to support your facts/help convince audience. (Include all citations at end of PSA and on wiki.) || [[image:tungsten.jpg]]tungsten

victim of hard-metal disease

construction site

(extra) lungs undergoing hard-metal disease ||
 * Arguments against/difficulties in solving (1 sentence for voiceover/text on screen) || * Everyone isn’t a construction worker, so there is little concern for those who aren’t exposed to certain forms of tungsten during their jobs.


 * There is still little information on the adverse health effects that tungsten can cause and how much of a threat the element poses. ||
 * Answers to those arguments/difficulties (1 sentence for voiceover/text on screen) || * Even if you aren’t a construction worker, the dust from tools containing tungsten is carried through the air. Also, you may come across people who have been exposed to tungsten, and thereby receive it in your body against your will.


 * Just because it is unknown how dangerous something is, that doesn’t mean you should be careless about it. Better to avoid finding out what bad things can really come from the metal, so take precautions now. ||
 * Primary Action (what you’d like your audience to do right away): || Spread the word and encourage people in the construction industry to use protective wear when they are at work. Also, avoid inhaling dust and other small particles from ANYTHING that you are unsure of the risks. ||

media type="custom" key="635537"
 * __PSA Presentation__**