Transcript How pollutants affect us

How pollutants affect us
Review
Four ways that pollutants can get inside our
bodies?
How do air pollutants get into our bodies?
Name three air pollutants and where they come
from, and what their effects on human health
could be.
Another way pollutants get into the
body: Ingestion
What is ingestion?
Ingestion is the process of eating or drinking.
Digestion
Digestion is the process food goes through
starting when it is first chewed.
Food goes down the esophagus, into the
stomach, then into the small intestine, then
into the large intestine and out the anus.
Digestion
• Other organs are involved in digestion
Food that goes into the small intestine is mixed
with fluids from the liver and pancreas.
Absorption
Nutrients and contaminants are absorbed in the
small intestine into the bloodstream.
Our intestines have tiny little folds in them so
we can absorb as many nutrients as possible –
these folds are called villi.
Ingesting contaminants
Contaminants that are ingested (eaten, drunk)
can damage parts of the digestive system –
like the stomach or the intestines and they can
enter the blood to affect the rest of the body.
Types of ingested contaminants
• Chemicals – PCBs (polychlorinated biphenol)
still in environment, agricultural chemicals
like lindane, BPA
• Heavy metals – lead, mercury
• Pathogens – Salmonella, Listeria (food
poisoning)
Impacts on human health
• Chemicals – immune/hormone system
disorders, links to cancer (depends on
chemical)
• Heavy metals – brain damage, kidney damage,
death
• Pathogens – diarrhea, vomiting, if not treated
- death
Defenses in the digestive system
• If the body senses a contaminant or a
pathogen, then it can empty its contents
through vomiting.
Digestion defenses
The liver:
The liver works like a filter to get rid of
contaminants in the blood.