Kate's Journal

Kate's Journal

Chapter 1: Reflection

The way I’m am going to reflect on each chapter of the book “Protecting New Jersey’s Environments: From Cancer Ally to the New Garden State” by Thomas Belton, is by picking a quote that I found to be significantly important in my journey though Senior Capstone. For chapter one, the quote I am going to reflect upon is, “The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection was specifically directed to develop a program to determine the presence of carcinogens in the environment by analyzing air, water, and waste materials” (pg.9). When I saw this quote I first thought about why we are not focused on it today. Back then, this was a major problem. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection does not seem to have a large presence anymore.

The quote honestly spoke to me because it made me realize that the NJDEP has not done much since them. Where are they? What have they been doing? Has politics got in the way of protecting the environment? Here are my thoughts, when we started this adventure (the NJDEP) it was started on the belief that there was something happening to the environment and it was impacting human life. That still holds true, but what are they doing now? I’m not trying to bash the NJDEP, what I’m trying to say is what have they been doing these past few years? The quote made me look in to what the NJDP have been doing and honestly it seems to that they have been doing the bare minimum because of politics.

Chapter 2 Reflection

This week’s quote that I will be reflecting upon is, "the primary health risk associated with the site is the accumulation of PCB's in the human body through eating contaminated fish" (pg.37). I would first like to talk about how we can become sick from eating the contaminated fish. It all start off with what the fish eats. There is a chain reaction called Biomaginifcaiton (concentration of a chemically stable substance along a food-chain, in extreme cases leading to physical ill effects. Source found on Encyclopedia.com), this starts off at the bottom of the food chain. The micro-organism that is being eaten has very small amounts of the contaminant, but when its energy is passed on to the next organism that eats it, the toxic chemical increases 10X. This process continues all the way up to the top of the food chain. If humans are at the top of the food chain in this case, it can cause severe sickness or even death depending on what toxic chemicals are present in the fish. That is also one of the reasons why they tell pregnant woman not to eat fish. The toxins can possibly cause birth defect or disabilities in babies.

This quote stuck out to me since I remember learning about the biomagnificaiton last semester in ecology. What really gets me upset though, is the fact that commercial fisherman still wanted to fish in the areas that were affected by the PCB’s. To me it seemed like they only cared about the money that they could be making and not the lives of their customers. There is the same problem happening today but with different toxins. There are toxic chemicals being dumped in to the oceans and rivers that are contaminating the waters. The waters that we get our fish from and in some places, the water that people drink.

Chapter 3: Reflection

For this chapter response, I came across something I did not know and decided to do some research.

While in the midst of reading chapter three, I came across this quote, “phthalates are added to plastics to increase their flexibility and can be found in many consumer products including detergents, food packaging, and personal care products such as soap, shampoo, and hairspray. Phthalates are also widely used in children’s toys, which has generated a lot of discussion between regulators and children’s public interest groups based on the toxicological uncertainties” (pg.56). I immediately stopped reading and I started to wonder: what are they? Why are they in children’s toys? Why would they be in personal-care products? I had so many questions that I just decided to look up what it was and here is what I found:

The CDC Says:

“People are exposed to phthalates by eating and drinking foods that have been in contact with containers and products containing phthalates. To a lesser extent exposure can occur from breathing in air that contains phthalate vapors or dust contaminated with phthalate particles. Young children may have a greater risk of being exposed to phthalate particles in dust than adults because of their hand-to-mouth behaviors. Once phthalates enter a person’s body, they are converted into breakdown products (metabolites) that pass out quickly in urine.”
“Some types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system of laboratory animals. More research is needed to assess the human health effects of exposure to phthalates.”
“CDC researchers found measurable levels of many phthalate metabolites in the general population. This finding indicates that phthalate exposure is widespread in the U.S. population.”

American Chemistry Council (https://phthalates.americanchemistry.com/):

Here is a fact sheet that was offered on the website: https://phthalates.americanchemistry.com/PDFs/Consumers/Phthalates-InformationSheet-July-2012.pdf

Here is what the FDA says:

“Historically, the primary phthalates used in cosmetic products have been dibutylphthalate (DBP),”
“It's not clear what effect, if any, phthalates have on human health. An expert panel convened from 1998 to 2000 by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), part of the National Institute for Environmental Safety and Health, concluded that reproductive risks from exposure to phthalates were minimal to negligible in most cases”
“In 2002, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reaffirmed its original conclusion (reached in 1985), finding that DBP, DMP, and DEP were safe as used in cosmetic products.”
“FDA continues to monitor levels of phthalates in cosmetic products.”

As you can see, the FDA and the CDC have both said that they are safe to use in cosmetic products. Though I am still a little nervous about these chemicals, I feel much better knowing more about it.

Chapter 4: Reflcetion

For chapter 4, I would like to reflect upon this quote: “The Radium ladies received no training or education as to the serious health hazards associated with radioactive materials” (pg.73). Now, I did not understand why this was important until I kept reading. These woman were unknowingly risking their lives, working with the hazardous materials. So I did some research and here is what I found:

So what did the Radium do to the environment? What are the risks? could be poisoned?

So with this new found knowledge, I would like to say that I would be scared if I was one of those woman. They honestly were just hard working woman who happened to be working with something dangerous.

Chapter 5: Reflection

This week’s quotes is about chromium… “The chronic effect of chromium exposure were first examined in the 1800s in occupational studies. Chromium is a steely grey metal that exhibits a wide range of possible oxidation states” (pg. 90). Lets talk about it! Here is what I found about chromium:

Group on periodic table: 6
Atomic number: 24
Melts at 3465°F
Boils at 4840°F
Was discovered by the French chemist Nicholas Louis Vauquelin at Paris in1798.
Appearance: hard, silvery metal and blueish tint
About 90% of all leather is tanned using chrome
An essential TRACE element for humans but
POISONOUS IN EXCESS

Information found from here: http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/24/chromium

Now I bring up #9 because of a documentary I just watched. It is called Earthlings. In one particular part, it discussed how the people in India are have to work with Chromium almost every day and eventually the get the long term effects of it. It makes me that that these people continue to use chromium and work with it, especially when they know the side effects!

Chapter 6:

"The amount of Dioxin in the dirt was so high, the test could not measure it” (pg. 100). What is Dixon? Let’s find out:

https://www.epa.gov/dioxin/learn-about-dioxin
- Dioxins are called persistent organic pollutants (POPs), meaning they take a long time to break down once they are in the environment.
- Dioxins are found throughout the world in the environment and they accumulate in the food chain, mainly in the fatty tissue of animals
- Dioxin looks like white crystalline needles.
- Dioxin is not produced or used commercially in the United States.
- Dioxins are formed as a result of combustion processes such as waste incineration (commercial or municipal) or from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil).
- Dioxin can get into drinking water from:
  - emissions from waste incineration and other combustion that get deposited into bodies of water; and
  - discharges into water from chemical factories.
- Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and can interfere with hormones.

Chapter 7:

Chapter 7’s Quote: “On December 11, 1980, the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund” (Pg. 116). Let’s talk about this today. So here we have what’s called a superfund.

Here is what I found:

https://www.hazardouswasteexperts.com/what-is-cercla-and-why-is-it-important-2/

Its purpose is to identify sites where hazardous materials threaten the environment and or public health as a result of leakage, spillage, or general mismanagement (particularly the lack of a good hazardous waste removal plan), and then to identify the responsible party.
CERCLA authorizes Superfund cleanup responses in two ways: short-term removal and long-term remedial action.
There is protocol and guidelines for these tanks contained in Subtitle I of the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to RCRA – however, the types of waste that are controlled are outlined by CERCLA.

https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-comprehensive-environmental-response-compensation-and-liability-act

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act -- otherwise known as CERCLA or Superfund -- provides a Federal "Superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment.
EPA is authorized to implement the Act in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

EPA History of superfunds: https://www.epa.gov/history/epa-history-superfund

Chapter 8:

This week’s quote is all about environmental justice. “It was not until 1991, however, the idea of environment justice would gain national attention, when the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit met in Washington D.C” (pg.137)

Here is what I learned the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit:

https://worldhistoryproject.org/1991/10/24/first-national-people-of-color-environmental-leadership-summit

The 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit was probably the most important single event in the movement's history. The Summit broadened the environmental justice movement beyond its early anti-toxics focus to include issues of public health, worker safety, land use, transportation, housing, resource allocation, and community empowerment.

https://www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html

This is the principals of Environmental Justice Document

https://www.nrdc.org/resources/principles-environmental-justice-ej

Delegates to the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit held on October 24-27, 1991, in Washington DC, drafted and adopted these 17 principles of Environmental Justice. Since then, the Principles have served as a defining document for the growing grassroots movement for environmental justice.

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

On March 25th, 2008, Governor Jon Corzine, in spite of this disagreement and the scientific uncertainties, signed a bill establishing a moratorium on harvesting horseshoe crabs in New Jersey (pg.179).

There is much to talk about here, but there is one thing I would like to discuss. The shore and the animals that live there. I will provide my findings on horseshoe crabs.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Horseshoe-Crab

Horseshoe Crabs:

Horseshoe crabs have been around for more than 300 million years, making them even older than dinosaurs.
The body of the horseshoe crab is divided into three sections.
The head also protects the largest set of eyes. Horseshoe crabs have nine eyes scattered throughout the body and several more light receptors near the tail.
The two largest eyes are compound and useful for finding mates
Female horseshoe crab are about one-third larger than the males. They can grow to be 18 to 19 inches (46 to 48 centimeters) from head to tail, while the males are approximately 14 to 15 inches (36 to 38 centimeters).
The horseshoe crab species found around the United States (Limulus polyphemus) lives in the Atlantic Ocean along the North American coastline.
The eggs are laid on coastal beaches in late spring and summer. After hatching, the juvenile horseshoe crabs can be found offshore on the sandy ocean floor of tidal flats. Adult horseshoe crabs feed deeper in the ocean until they return to the beach to spawn.
Horseshoe crabs like to dine at night on worms and clams, and may also eat algae.

Chapter 11:

The topic I chose to talk about is the Civilian Conservation Corp. I found them interesting since they were around during the time of the Great Depression… So here is what I found!

https://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/civilian-conservation-corps.htm

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established by Congress on March 31, 1933, provided jobs for young, unemployed men during the Great Depression.
The CCC made valuable contributions to forest management, flood control, conservation projects, and the development of state and national parks, forests, and historic sites
he North Dakota State Historical Society sponsored the three CCC companies that worked in the badlands from 1934 to 1941
The CCC sought to provide the maximum opportunity for labor at a minimum cost for materials and equipment.
In the badlands, the CCC, along with the Emergency Relief Administration (ERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), worked on numerous projects.
The CCC was open to unemployed men ages 17 to 23.5 who were U.S. citizens. Enrollees served 6-month terms, and were allowed to re-enroll at the end of each term up to a maximum of two years.
CCC worker’s salary was $30 a month, most of which the men sent home to their families
While the CCC men lived and worked on a regimented schedule, there was time for continuing their education through evening classes and for leisure activities on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Living and working together, the men learned to get along. Some formed life-long friendships.

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