7
Farmers use pesticides to kill pests. This increases food production, but destroys
wildlife. In addition, pesticides contaminate food intended for humans. Pesticides
can be blown into streams and contaminate drinking water. Fertilizers are used as
additional nutrients to accelerate plant growth. They can also be washed from soil
in lakes and rivers and contaminate drinking water supplies (Petrie et al. 2015).
Pollution of water with fertilizers can lead to pollution of drinking water pools,
the most important of which are lakes. Fertilizer causes increased growth of plants
in the water (Richardson and Kimura 2016). Those plants that compete for light will
die out. Microorganisms feed on dead plants, increasing their numbers. An increasing number of microorganisms consume more oxygen than water. Fish and other
aquatic animals die from lack of oxygen.
1.1.2 Bio-toxic Hazards
Toxic effect unites a set of disorders, physiological, biochemical and structural,
which occur in the body under the action of a toxic substance. Toxic substances can
be defined as the extent to which a certain substance will be toxic depending on the
intensity of the processes that take place in the body at the same time: resorption,
detoxification, deposition, and elimination. Toxic substances usually enter the
human body through the skin, through the mouth and digestive organs, or through
the lungs.
After resorption, they reach the blood and then the liver and organs, which are
less sensitive to toxic substances. The liver is the most important organ in which
toxic substances are broken down by a process called detoxification. Through this
process, the products of metabolism, toxic substances, are less toxic and are excreted
from the body.
A part of the resorbed toxins reaches the organs that are less sensitive to them
and remain there for a longer time (deposition). Thus, many insecticides are retained
in the adipose tissue and strontium and lead in bone tissue. One part of the toxin is
excreted from the body (elimination) through the kidneys (the largest part), feces
(insoluble compounds such as metals), and the lungs (gaseous toxins).
The effect of toxic substances on the body can be:
(a) Local – action of toxins in the immediate place of contact with the organism –
skin, mucous membranes, and eyes.
(b) Systemic – the action of toxins after their resorption in the body is manifested
on the organs and systems of organs (digestive organs, lungs, blood, etc.).
Short-term exposure to toxins causes acute and long-term exposure to chronic
poisoning. Clinical conditions of acute poisoning appear very quickly, while chronic
poisoning manifests itself gradually, is barely noticeable and manifests itself very
often after a few years. Toxicological conditions in organisms as a result of exposure to pesticide residues, heavy metals, various chemical food additives, etc., most
often manifest as chronic poisoning.
1 General Aspects of Environmental Degradation vs. Technological Development…
Farmers use pesticides to kill pests. This increases food production, but destroys
wildlife. In addition, pesticides contaminate food intended for humans. Pesticides
can be blown into streams and contaminate drinking water. Fertilizers are used as
additional nutrients to accelerate plant growth. They can also be washed from soil
in lakes and rivers and contaminate drinking water supplies (Petrie et al. 2015).
Pollution of water with fertilizers can lead to pollution of drinking water pools,
the most important of which are lakes. Fertilizer causes increased growth of plants
in the water (Richardson and Kimura 2016). Those plants that compete for light will
die out. Microorganisms feed on dead plants, increasing their numbers. An increasing number of microorganisms consume more oxygen than water. Fish and other
aquatic animals die from lack of oxygen.
1.1.2 Bio-toxic Hazards
Toxic effect unites a set of disorders, physiological, biochemical and structural,
which occur in the body under the action of a toxic substance. Toxic substances can
be defined as the extent to which a certain substance will be toxic depending on the
intensity of the processes that take place in the body at the same time: resorption,
detoxification, deposition, and elimination. Toxic substances usually enter the
human body through the skin, through the mouth and digestive organs, or through
the lungs.
After resorption, they reach the blood and then the liver and organs, which are
less sensitive to toxic substances. The liver is the most important organ in which
toxic substances are broken down by a process called detoxification. Through this
process, the products of metabolism, toxic substances, are less toxic and are excreted
from the body.
A part of the resorbed toxins reaches the organs that are less sensitive to them
and remain there for a longer time (deposition). Thus, many insecticides are retained
in the adipose tissue and strontium and lead in bone tissue. One part of the toxin is
excreted from the body (elimination) through the kidneys (the largest part), feces
(insoluble compounds such as metals), and the lungs (gaseous toxins).
The effect of toxic substances on the body can be:
(a) Local – action of toxins in the immediate place of contact with the organism –
skin, mucous membranes, and eyes.
(b) Systemic – the action of toxins after their resorption in the body is manifested
on the organs and systems of organs (digestive organs, lungs, blood, etc.).
Short-term exposure to toxins causes acute and long-term exposure to chronic
poisoning. Clinical conditions of acute poisoning appear very quickly, while chronic
poisoning manifests itself gradually, is barely noticeable and manifests itself very
often after a few years. Toxicological conditions in organisms as a result of exposure to pesticide residues, heavy metals, various chemical food additives, etc., most
often manifest as chronic poisoning.
1 General Aspects of Environmental Degradation vs. Technological Development…