Introduction
Bioaccumulation is a process resulting in the concentration of substances in living tissues. It can be a natural healthy process or a toxic one. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses the term persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants (PBTs) to categorize substances that raise human health and environmental health concerns.
In this assignment you will choose a topic, read a database article and fill in the worksheet. You will learn how to evaluate a scientific claim made in the article based on the quality of the source and evidence provided to back up the argument.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Select one of the following topics, read the article and complete the worksheet.
Note: these articles will open at school, but you can also access them at home with a password; ask your teacher-librarian or public librarian for the password to the Proquest Database.
TOPICS:
1. Why is it dangerous to eat oysters and other shellfish in some months? What is red tide?
2. Through mercury contamination, Inuit Communities are experiencing higher levels of health problems. Why and what have the effects been on the health of the Inuit?
3. Mercury has also been found in birds and even communities in the United States. What is the message of this article?
4. Nutritionists recommend that you eat fish for health benefits. Environmentalists warn that eating some fish may be dangerous due to the toxic levels of mercury in them. Should you eat fish?
5. Small amounts of PCB’s are found in salmon. This does not pose a problem for humans; however, it does pose a problem for killer whales off the West Coast of North America. Why?
6. Due to the accumulation of PCB’s in their living environment, the citizens of Sydney, Nova Scotia are experiencing higher levels of health problems compared to other neighbourhoods in Canada. Why and what health problems have they experienced in Sydney?
7. “A new study shows the typical pregnant woman has dozens of potentially toxic …chemicals in her body -- including ingredients found in flame retardants and rocket fuel.” What are the implications of this?
8. According to this article, the government needs to do more to regulate a common chemical found in electronics and home furnishings that make it difficult for them to burn. Should we follow the lead of Sweden in banning the chemical?
9. Water bottles with the number 1 or 7 are no longer sold in many stores because they contain the chemical BPA. Some say their fears are unfounded. Read and make up your own mind.
10. High levels of toxins such as mercury and DDT are found in polar bears and other animals in the Arctic north, thousands of miles away from pollution sources. Find out how they got there according to the following article.
11. Poor Polar Bears! They are ingesting chemicals from another source as well.
12. Birds in Alaska are also being affected by bioaccumulation. Find out what is happening to them as a result of PCB’s and other chemicals.
13. Why are some of our becoming fish sad – according to this article?
14. There is concern about the effects of radiation from the nuclear reactors that are leaking as a result of the earthquake in Japan. These concerns are valid based on what is happening almost 25 years after the nuclear accident in Chernobyl.
15. The effects of bioaccumulation are being felt in our backyard as well.
- SOCKEYE FACE CHEMICAL SOUP OF 200 CONTAMINANTS IN THE FRASER RIVER
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WORKSHEET Download fill in worksheet
BIOACCUMULATION ASSIGNMENT - EVALUATING A SCIENTIFIC CLAIM BASED ON THE SOURCE AND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE (35 MARKS)
1. What is the title of your article? What are two questions you predict the article will answer? (3)
2. Who is the author of your article and what are his/ her/ their qualifications? (This might be found at the end of the article) If it is not listed, why might this be a problem? (1)
3. When was this article published? Is it a recent date? If not, would it affect the findings of the article? (1)
4. What is the title of the publication from which the article comes? Do you think it is a reliable source? Why or why not? Explain your answer. You might have to do some research here. (2)
5. Read the article and make brief notes below. Include at least 6 facts or ideas in point form (no sentences). (6)
6. Write a 2 or 3 sentence SUMMARY of the article in your own words. This is called a PARAPHRASE.
If you use any of the author's exact words, you must enclose them in quotation marks, and put her/his name in brackets.
Spelling and grammar are part of the criteria (5).
Example:
Original - "And before contemplating actual attempts to clone humans, there are severe technical hurdles that must be overcome." - David Suzuki
Paraphrase including quote - Cloning is presently difficult because of "technical hurdles." (Suzuki)
7. Find another website or article that either supports or contradicts the claim of your article.
- What is the title of the article or page of the website? (1)
- What is the name of the magazine, newspaper, or website? (1)
- When was it published? If not listed, what are the implications of this? (1)
- Who is the author? If not listed, what are the implications of this? (1)
- List three main ideas of this article. (3 marks)
1.
2.
3.
8. Based on your articles, make a simple comic strip (6 panels minimum) that shows the effects of bioaccumulation. (10 holistic marks)
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OBJECTIVES:
- RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY, AND THE TECHNOLOGY ON INDIVIDUALS, SOCIETY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
- EVALUATE A SCIENTIFIC CLAIM BASED ON THE SOURCE AND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE