BIO374H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Geobacter, Xylene, Biosensor
Document Summary
Bioremediation use of living organisms e. g. , bacteria, fungi, and plants to break down, or degrade, chemical compounds in the environment. Organisms break down compounds to obtain nutrients + derive energy. Cleans up environmental sites contaminated with pollutants by using living organisms to degrade hazardous materials into less toxic substances. Short- and long-term chemical exposure and its effects. >200 million tons of hazardous materials produced in u. s. each year. Superfund program initiative of u. s. environmental protection. Agency (epa) to counteract careless and even negligent practices of chemical dumping + storage; concerns over how these pollutants might affect human health and the environment. Purpose: locate+clean up hazardous waste sites to protect. 1 in every 5 americans lives within 3-4 miles of a polluted site treated by the epa. Cleaned up more than 700 sites in the u. s. Estimated cleanup costs = over . 0 trillion. Environmental genome project study + understand the impacts of.
