PAH-silver+class+'09

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 * Link to Best's page on Teachertube:** http://www.teachertube.com/my_video.php?

Background:
PAH’s aren’t “used”, per say. Rather they occur as a direct result of burning fossil and biomass fuels. PAH’s occur when you burn fossil and biomass fuels, tobacco, fat, coal, wood, diesel, and incense. PAH’s don’t benefit anything; in fact they just pollute the environment. However, it’s a necessary component in burning the previously said substances, which benefit the world. Wherever there’s things being burned, basically. In some places the government regulates the amount of fuels used due to pollutants, so no, it’s not banned, but it is occasionally regulated. Paragraph 2: Summarize the health, environmental, economic, and political implications.

Abstract:
Banning PAH’s would mean banning all fossil fuels, and in turn cars, most heating systems, most electricity, and basically every other technological advance made in the last 100 years. Ethanol and some other alternative materials have been suggested. However, no other well-known alternatives are known for electricity. Ethyl alcohol isn’t a very viable source of alternative because of the lack of its availability. We would quickly run out. A lot of oil comes from the middle east. Coal is mined throughout the entire world. Wood is everywhere, and sometimes there are naturally occurring forest fires, making the banning of this especially difficult. If it was banned, the people in whatever country you’re in (provided that its relatively urban) would basically riot. Governments wouldn’t even be able to really alert the public due to the lack of television.
 * I am aware that coal is not the only source of electricity. However, it is by far the most plentiful and common source.

Human health implications:
The effect that PAH has on human health all depends on how much you have been exposed to and how long you have been exposed to it. Being exposed to PAH for a long period of time could cause kidney and/or liver damage, skin can become inflamed. Studies have shown long term affects, you are very likely to get “skin, lung, bladder and gastrointestinal cancer.”
 * -What are the possible dangers associated with this chemical?**

The thing that happens is, when the chemicals from PAH enter your body, they start to kill of your read blood cells.
 * -How, specifically, does this chemical affect the body?**

The human body process that this chemical affects is, the reproductive system. It also makes it hard for you to breath since it has a big affect on your lungs.
 * -What human body processes does this chemical affect?**

-**What human system does this chemical affect? (Eg reproductive, endocrine)** Lab tests have shown that PAH has an effect on the reproductive system. Some women that have been exposed to PAH, when they are with fetus the chemical can sometimes enter their body and they end up having a miscarriage. If the woman does not have a miscarriage, the baby could be premature and have some birth defects.

When the chemical takes action in the body, you can have many different symptoms. The most common are eye irritation, regurgitation, diarrhea, and confusion. Like other chemicals and sickness where you get all these systems at a time, you are only known to have one when affected with PAH.
 * -Include chemical reactions that take place in the body.**

Action Plan:
There are a lot of variables to consider when taking sides in this instance. For one, you need to think about daily life. Until there are alternatives, we cant just get rid of them all in all. Restrictions would have to first be placed. Also, you need to think about the environmental effects. If we keep them legal, even if the use is restricted, there’s still a chance that it’ll mess up our environment over time. What I think should happen is that we should have more scientists working on the alternate fuel issue. Think, if all the scientists who make new versions of microwaves and all the engineers who work on futuristic cars worked on alternate affordable fuel and electricity, business in their given fields would extend by a good number of years. I’m tired of hearing about the environment being screwed by the lack of recycling while some of the greatest minds on earth are working on new types of skiis and the next advancement in Vacuum Cleaner technology. Have you seen the commercials for the odor blocking trash bags? Why is that useful? I want to stress to these idiotic geniuses that their lives and careers wont stay the same once the world starts to break apart due to radioactive deposits in the soil and stuff.

Bibliography:
1. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs69.html 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon 3. http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons.htm