BIODIVERSITY

Biological diversity is the variation of organisms and their complex role in ecosystems on planet Earth. Biodiversity encompasses a wide spectrum of species, which offer substantial contributions to the productivity of an ecosystem (i.e. deserts, rain forests and coral reefs).Ecosystems are some of the most complicated networks on Earth. Biodiversity increases the spectrum of life and ensures sustainability for the entire ecosystem, and thus, our world. 

When quantifying the economic gain of biodiversity conservation in 2006, we can see $240 billion dollars from pharmaceutical industries, $70 billion from biotechnology, $30 billion from agriculture and $65 billion from personal care, botanical and food & beverage industries. (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009 , p.17)

Conserving biodiversity is extremely important and currently receiving a resurgence of attention because of biological engineering or biodiversity prospecting. Biodiversity prospecting is the process of searching for naturally-occurring organisms that may be able to be used as a pharmaceutical or other beneficial innovation. Such innovations have been the PCR test (Taq enzyme), plants to treat Leukemia (Madagascar Rose Periwinkle) or snake venom used for treating cancers. 

Unfortunately, much of the general population does not typically grasp the concept of biodiversity conservation and it’s importance without an economic incentive. There are considerable challenges to the conservation of biodiversity. Some well-known threats are pollution, climate change, over hunting, invasion of non-native species and habitat loss. To sum it up, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.

Silent Spring

Rachel Carson increased awareness about environmental issues that were typically glanced over. Environmental science was primarily concerned with conservation, but did not take on the challenges of chemical regulation as a form of responsible control and preservation. She expounded upon the etymology of man-made chemicals and the never ending cycle of chemical warfare between man and the environment. At the rate in which new chemicals continue to be introduced in society, there is no way man can possibly develop a biologic response quick enough to combat the challenges chemicals pose to our health and the environment at large. I don’t believe she was completely against the use of pesticides, but rather suggesting further insight into the issue of chemical contamination and it’s long term effects with regards to sustainability as well as responsible control. Our unquenchable thirst to establish an abundance of a certain thing begets the opportunity of a natural imbalance, which will all too often have negative consequences. This coincides with the noted “Ecology of Invasions”, mentioned to illustrate the opportunistic nature of foreign plant and insect species that thrive in our environment without any natural check and balance that is usually accustomed to their native land, thus spurring destructive human responses to control them with the use of dangerous chemicals. Rachel Carson’s portrayal of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane) in the environment affected changes in laws about our air, land and water. Silent Spring not only expounded upon chemical exposures, but also touches on many environmental issues such as bioaccumulation, noise pollution and sustainability. I believe the overall message was to raise consciousness specifically about DDT and the detrimental effects our actions (primarily brought on by the industrial age) have on all organisms in the present day and the future.

 

Public Health Fact Sheet

THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF MERCURY IN FISH

I chose exposure to methyl mercury via fish consumption. People in the U.S. are mainly exposed to mercury when they eat fish and shellfish that contain methyl mercury. Almost all people have at least trace amounts of methyl mercury in their tissues, reflecting methyl mercury’s widespread presence in the environment through the consumption of fish and shellfish. My publlic health fact sheet expounds upon what methyl mercury is, individuals at high risk, a common source of exposure and supplemental information about it's health effects.

Hyperlink: http://www.mercer.edu/enp/mph720/fact_sheet_jamir_ford.pdf