Mercury in the environment and human health risks associated with mercury exposure and consumption.

Thermometers are very common tools, used almost everywhere we look, to check temperatures. Thermometers used to measure body temperature are one of the most essential tools used in the health field. The most common  thermometers used in homes are mercury thermometers. As a result of the unique ability of mercury to change at a fixed volume for every degree rise in temperature, this element has been used in thermometers for centuries. As much as mercury thermometers benefit us, the mercury itself is one of the most dangerous elements that exist.
Mercury in its standard state is a liquid at room temperature and has a very strong surface tension. As a result, it doesn't flow readily like any other liquid. When liquid mercury is exposed to the atmosphere, it releases a colorless, odorless, tasteless, toxic gas. This gas, if inhaled can cause health problems such as gingivitis, gastrointestinal problems, anxiety, and other nervous system problems.
Although some of these problems are not so severe, mercury can be deadly in its other forms.
One of teh most harmful forms of mercury is methylmercury.
Methylmercury is a carcinogen as well as a neurotoxin. It is produced when marine bacteria consume mercury and metabolize it into a methyl-mercury compound. This compound is concentrated in the tissue of any organism that consumes the bacteria. when larger organisms consume the smaller ones, the methylmercury concentration in their tissues builds up to a level higher than the lower trophic organisms. This process, known as biomagnification causes the methylmercury concentration to increase with progressively larger marine animals. When large predator fish are consumed by humans, they already have significantly high concentrations of methylemrcury. The compound is then concentrated in the human system, and thats where the damage begins.
Methylmercury in humans can lead to major birth defects, severe neurological damage, severe dental and gastrointestinal problems, and sometimes, major cardiovascular problems.
Although mercury has its benefits, the damage it can cause on the human body is too extreme to risk. As a result, thermometers and other tools and porcesses that require the use of mercury are being re-developed to use other alternatives. an example is the computerized thermometer that does not require mercury to function.

The image below shows how mercury is cycled in the environment and how the process of biomagnification affects its concentrations in animals.

The link below shows a fact sheet that shows a summary of some basic information about mercury.
http://www.mercer.edu/enp/Hg_Gamra.pdf

There are so many parasites around the wrorld but each continent has a more predominant parasite.
For the 7 continents, the most common parasites are as follows:
North America: Protozoa/ Roundworm
Asia: liver Fluke (Fasicola hepatica)
South America: Chagas Disease (Trypanosoma cruzi)
Australia: Tapeworm
Antarctica: Cestode
Africa: Malaria (Plasmodium)
Europe: Leishmaniasis (Phlebotomous sand fly)
A list of common infectious diseases in these continents are as follows:
Africa: Cholera
North America: Chicken pox (Varicella)
South America: Chagas Disease
Europe: Hepatitis B
Asia: Dengue
Australia: Avian Flu
Antarctica: Common Cold

PET PARASITE
One of the most common pet parasites are Ticks. They spread lyme disease, which is very disabling if not treated early enough. Ticks carry a number of different pathogens which can cause so many other diseases in addition to lyme disease. The image below shows the life cycle of the tick and how it depends on the infection process to continue its life cycle.
 The second image shows the distribution of reported lyme disease cases in the US in 2008.

HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
One of the most common human infectious diseases is chicken pox, also known as varicella. It is a virus that infects a large number of children every year and even though vaccines have been developed, numerous people still continue to contract the disease.  The pictures below show the distribution of chicken pox in the US and the life cycle of the infectious agent.

Global Warming/ Climate Change

Global Warming has been debated for numerous years and even though a large amount of documentation is available to prove that global warming is real, there is also proof that it is not.
Data has shown that the earth has gone through numerous phases of increasing and decreasing temperatures. There was once and ice age which was then followed by a warmer period.
From the mid 1300s till the early 1400s, there was a period called the Medieval Global Temperature Optimum which was followed by the little ice age. This is just further proof of the cyclic nature of the global climate.
Another issue that shows that there may have been some data manipulation which has greatly influenced the widespread belief in global warming is the chain of emails from the University of East Anglia that was released by a hacker. These emails show conversations between some scientists that were in the process of manipulating data that actually showed a drop in global temperatures.
Approximately every 11 years the sun releases a large amount of energy which bursts out through the outermost layer of the sun and eventually reaches the earths atmosphere. This phenomenon is called a solar flare and is another cause of global temperature increase. However, this occurs in an almost regular pattern, which further proves that a temperature increase doesn't necessarily mean global warming. The solar flare eventually dies down as does the earths temperature.
Global warming, although believed to be existent by many, is simply just another phase of global temperature change that occurs at regular cycles and is influenced mainly by natural causes, not by human activities as most people believe.

Where is the water in the world?

Where is the water in the world?
The earth is made up of approximately 70% water. about 90% of the water is in the oceans and the rest is in the form of fresh water, ground water and glaciers.  The figure below obtained from http://ga.water.usgs.gov shows a representation of the distribution of water in the world.

 

Majority of the water in the world is located in oceans, which are mostly salt water. Most of the freshwater in the world is located in all parts and regions of the world. The bodies of freshwater include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands. There is not a continent on the planet that does not have at least one of these bodies of freshwater.

Accessible water is a very essential part of life. Unfortunately, a large number of populations have little or no access to water for their daily activities such as sanitation, farming and even nutrition. The major continents affected by this problem are Africa and South America, and Asia.

Potable water is also very scarce in some South American and African countries. In some of these regions, the people have limited access to water and the few water sources are nit safe for consumption.

Contaminated water is very high in all regions of the world. Our waters, even oceans and rivers are becoming more and more contaminated as a result of pollution caused by human activities.

The map below shows the regions that have poor access to safe potable water and high levels of contaminated water.

 

2. Where in the world are the good and accessible soils for agriculture, silviculture, and farming?

The good and accessible soils for agriculture and silviculture are located in different regions around the world but unfortunately, they have decreased over the years due to excessive cultivation. Below is a map showing the soils around the world and their different levels of fertility.

3. Where in the world is traditional industry? Where in the world is the high-tech industry?

The traditional industry has been around for centuries and still exists today in many parts of the world. It is predominant in developing countries but is diminishing slowly in the developed countries. The High tech industry is taking over the industrial world and as a result diminishing the traditional industry. Traditional industries are all over the world but high tech industries are predominant in the western world.

4. Identify the ten most populated cities in the world. Identify the ten most populated cities in the United States. Identify tribal groups in the world that have little or no contact with "modern society". Where is the greatest ethnic diversity? Where is the least ethnic diversity?

Most populated cities in the world: http://www.worldatlas.com/citypops.htm

Tokyo, Japan - 32,450,000
Seóul, South Korea - 20,550,000
Mexico City, Mexico - 20,450,000
New York City, USA - 19,750,000

Mumbai, India - 19,200,000
Jakarta, Indonesia - 18,900,000
Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 18,850,000
Delhi, India - 18,680,000
Õsaka/Kobe, Japan - 17,350,000
Shanghai, China - 16,650,000

Most populated cities in the United States: http://www.populationlabs.com/US_Population.asp

New York City(New York) - 80082782

Los Angeles(California) - 36948203

Chicago(Illinois) - 28419524

Brooklyn(New York - )23006645

Houston(Texas) - 20277126

Philadelphia(Pennsylvania) - 15175507

Manhattan(New York) - 14875368

Phoenix(Arizona) - 13210459

San Antonio(Texas) - 125681010

San Diego(California) - 1223400

Identify tribal groups in the world that have little or no contact with "modern society": http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2009/05/29/five_uncontacted_tribes_nearing_extinction/

Indians of the Pardo River, Brazil

The Awá, Brazil (see picture below)

Indians between the Napo and Tigre Rivers, Peru

Indians of the Envira River, Peru

The Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, Paraguay

Ethnic diversity can be based on different factors such as language, race, and traditions. Based primarily on language, the most ethnically diverse country in the world is Papua New Guinea, with a about 830 languages spoken. The least ethnically diverse country in the world is Vatican City with only 1 language spoken. http://www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=country

 

5. Where in the world are the people? What are some interesting statistics about the quality of life for the people of the world? (For example, how many large populations live great distances from clean water?

People are all over the world with

http://www.listofcountriesoftheworld.com/population.html

The least populated country in the world, with a population of 821 is Vatican City, while the most populated country in the world with a population of 1,321,851,888 is China.  Some interesting statistics about the world population in regards to quality of life is shown on this website below.

http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

This website shows interesting statistics such as average life expectancy in some countries, religious distributions, death rates and birth rates, etc.