cadmium-gold+class+'09

__Abstract__

Cadmium is a chemical element that is a poisonous carcinogen. Its symbol is Cd and it’s atomic number is 48. Cadmium is very dangerous if humans and animals are exposed to it. It can be inhaled through smoke, and ingested through drinking water and food. It can also be found in batteries and paint.

Cadmium is and should be a health concern. The damages it can do to the lungs can be fatal. It can cause respiratory disorders that can make it extremely hard to simply breathe. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, is only where it begins, however. Studies have shown it can progress to chemical pnuemonitis, pulmonary edema. It has been shown to be related to cancer. In many biological systems it can replace zinc, magnesium, and calcium. It can be inhaled through cigarette smoke, cadmium paints. In fact, exposure to cadmium has become a very big problem in battery and paint factories. It can also contaminate our drinking water. Economically, It would cost a lot to filter it out of our drinking water. If it was banned in paint than the prices of paint would most likely rise. Politically, problems would start with the tobacco companies because if cadmium were to be banned in the U.S., they would not be able to import cigarettes.

Personally, we think cadmium is a real danger and we should all we can do to limit our exposure to it. By all means necessary, this chemical needs to be banned, especially in cigarettes where it is increases the risk of lung cancer. __Background__

Cadmium -How/why do we use this chemical? This product is mostly used in NiCd rechargeable batteries. Also to smoothen steel. It is used in paint because it can form a very unique pigment.

-What products is it used in? We use this chemical in coatings, stabilizers, pigments, electronic alloys, paint, cigarettes, batteries, etc.

-What benefits does this chemical offer these products? Well to start, This element is very abundant and cheap. It benefits steel by putting preventing corrosion of the steel. It is found in food because it naturally replaces the element Zinc in many biological systems.

-Where in the world is it used? All over the world.

-Is it banned anywhere? It is in the process of being banned in Europe and the U.S.

__Synthesis/Production Section:__

-How is the chemical made/refined? Cadmium is in the environment naturally but there are also man-made cadmium emissions from pollution. So it can't be intentionally made. It also gets in our food and water, but the amounts of it in there are not enough to kill us in most cases. Cadmium can also be formed into compounds. Cadmium Sulfide is a yellow powder used as paint. It is made through combining cadmium and sulfur. -How are common products that contain this chemical made? Cigarettes are made by growing tobacco, wrapping it in a special paper with a filter attached to the end. Steel is made using mostly carbon and iron. -Include at least 3 balanced chemical reactions related to the synthesis of the chemical and/or products. CD+S→CdS which Is in paint, Cd+2F→CdF2, Cd+2I→CdI2 -Include a drawing/diagram of the chemical’s structure. Cadmium is an element and not a compound, therefore it does not have a chemical structure. However, the element structure looks something like this:

Economic/Political Impact -What/who would be affected if the chemical were banned? The Cigarette industry would be at war because even if we ban cadmium here, we also would not be able to import cigarettes from other countries that don’t ban cadmium. -What are the costs of alternatives? The price of Paint would rise because it would cost more to filter out the cadmium from the paint. Also, the prices of cigarettes would sky-rocket. -What products would we not have if it were banned? Cigarette companies would have to reinvent the way they make their cigarettes. -What countries export and/or use this product? China, whom we rely heavily on for products, uses cadmium in their paint, which is harmful. -How would a ban affect you (or the average American)? I don’t know if this would have a huge affect on Americans. Sure, paint prices would rise, but that’s not devastating. A lot of Americans so, so the tobacco industry having to possibly recall their products would have an affect on them. -What are the political ramifications of banning this chemical? The public should react in a good way, knowing that their government is trying to ban harmful substances from products. It would also costs a lot to filter out of our drinking water, but a lot of Water Plants are already doing that.

__Human Health Implications__

-What are the possible dangers associated with this chemical? Possible dangers associated with cadmium is that it can cause some horrible respiratory diseases, and can even be fatal, when inhaled or ingested. Humans can be exposed to cadmium usually by smoking or inhaling fumes in industrial areas, even in cadmium rich foods such as mushrooms. -How, specifically, does this chemical affect the body? It’s toxicity acts as poisoning, the cadmium binds up strongly with different parts of the body, becoming extremely difficult to remove. It starts replacing Zinc. -What human body processes are affected by this chemical? The process of simply breathing becomes increasingly difficult for someone who is constantly exposed to cadmium. It can also have many other side affects when it travels, through blood, throughout the body: - Diarrhoea, stomach pains and severe vomiting - Bone fracture - Reproductive failure and possibly even infertility - Damage to the central nervous system - Damage to the immune system - Psychological disorders - Possibly DNA damage or cancer development -What human systems are affected by this chemical? (eg reproductive, endocrine) -Include chemical reactions that take place in the body. ? It deteriorates the abilities of your respiratory system, the lungs specifically leading to pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. The chemical reaction: Cadmium is carried into the body by zinc binding proteins, and can replace zinc in your body. It can also accumulate in the kidneys damaging filtering mechanisms

__Environmental Implications__ -What specific environmental systems/processes does your chemical interact with? It is found in the earth’s crust. It can enter to the environment through the ground. 25,000 tons of cadmium contaminates our rivers, water supply, soil, etc. -How does the chemical interact with the environment? It can contaminate plants and therefore be passed on to humans, and animals dependent on plants, possibly poisoning them. It can also effect aquatic animals if there is cadmium presence in water. -What happens when this chemical degrades? What byproducts are formed? This chemical is closely related to Zinc. So, it becomes an impurity that can be in Zinc. -How long does it take to degrade? It can take years. -How is it disposed of? It can be naturally disposed off into rivers, soil, plants, etc. -Include at least 3 balanced chemical reactions.

__Summary__

What we need to do to get rid of Cadmium in the environment: Cadmium, is poisonous and very dangerous to humans and our environment. We can breathe it in through smoke, and it can contaminate our drinking water. We can better purify our water so that we limit or eliminate our ingestion of Cadmium. And we play a part to it’s release into the environment via us burning fossil fuels and mining. Therefore, we should cut back on those things, especially burning fossil fuels for the sake of our environment and out health.