BIOL354 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Heavy Metals, Arsenic, Thallium
5 Aug 2013
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Document Summary
Inorganic pollutants are one of the major classes of environmental pollutants. Metal bioavailability and toxicity affected by chemical speciation. Metals can be required, toxic, or both: depends on metal and concentration. Metals with greater density of iron heavy metals. Many metals are required by organisms (ie. iron, copper, zinc//"d". ) Essential metals can be incorporated into macromolecules or . may act as enzyme cofactor. Classifications based on binding of metal to ligands. Associate with: sulphydryls (-sh), disulphites (-s-s), thioethers (-s-r), and amines (-nh2) Human activity greatly contributed to increase in metal levels in environment metal more bioavailable (alters distribution and availability) Because metals are not biodegradable they persist in the environment. Weathering of metal-bearing rock and soil plays role in distribution. Yellowknofe"s giant mine clean up costs to double. Giant mine operated as gold mine from 1940s to 2004. To release gold, ore roasted at extremely high temperatures. Result of how gold was mined at the site during gold roasting process.
