Covering the aspects of environmental toxicology and human health: fundamental principles and scale and cross-scale dynamics.
Discuss how these aspects are related to each other in regard to understanding the environmental toxicology of pollutants.
You must retrieve a minimum of 10 refereed journal articles, including course case studies, and other relevant news/magazine, and public policy information to support your discussion. Use the reference simarlarly for the ones below. Use 6 or more of the one below.
Proposed Case Studies
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art8/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7906952/
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tiv.2005.06.001
https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10373
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014/full
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-03-17/south-africa-living-near-the-world-s-biggest-emitting-plant
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/18/california-wildfires-giant-ancient-sequoias-fire-conditions
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Understanding the Environmental Toxicology of Pollutants: Interplay between Fundamental Principles and Scale Dynamics
Environmental toxicology is a field that explores the adverse effects of pollutants on human health and the environment. To comprehend the complexities of environmental toxicology, it is crucial to examine both fundamental principles and the dynamic interplay of scales. This essay will discuss how these aspects are related to each other and their significance in understanding the environmental toxicology of pollutants.
Fundamental Principles
Fundamental principles in environmental toxicology provide the basis for understanding the behavior and effects of pollutants. These principles encompass concepts such as dose-response relationships, bioaccumulation, and persistence. For instance, the dose-response relationship establishes the correlation between the amount of exposure to a pollutant and the resulting biological response. This relationship helps in determining the threshold levels at which adverse effects may occur.
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of pollutants in organisms over time, leading to higher concentrations in higher trophic levels. It is important to consider bioaccumulation when assessing the potential risks of pollutants, especially those that are persistent and have long-term effects.
Persistence refers to the ability of a pollutant to remain in the environment without significant degradation. Persistent pollutants can pose long-term risks as they can accumulate over time and persist in ecosystems. Understanding the persistence of pollutants is crucial for assessing their potential impacts on human health and the environment.
Scale and Cross-Scale Dynamics
Scale dynamics in environmental toxicology refer to the interactions and effects of pollutants at different spatial and temporal scales. Pollutants can have different impacts depending on the scale at which they are assessed. For example, a pollutant may have localized impacts in a specific area but may also contribute to broader environmental and health concerns when considered at larger scales.
The interplay between different scales is important in understanding the full extent of pollutant impacts. Processes occurring at smaller scales, such as cellular or molecular levels, can influence phenomena observed at larger scales, such as population or ecosystem levels. For instance, the effects of a pollutant on an individual organism may have cascading effects on its population dynamics or ecosystem functioning.
Cross-scale dynamics also highlight the interconnectedness of ecological systems and human health. Pollutants released into the environment can affect ecosystems, which in turn can impact human populations through contaminated food chains or compromised ecosystem services. Understanding these cross-scale dynamics is crucial for comprehensive risk assessment and mitigation strategies.
Case Studies
To illustrate the relationship between fundamental principles and scale dynamics in environmental toxicology, several case studies can be examined:
The case study by Landis et al. (2006) titled “The Role of Ecological Thresholds in Environmental Assessment” explores how threshold concepts can be applied in ecological risk assessment, highlighting the importance of understanding fundamental principles.
The study by Oris et al. (2021) investigates the impact of environmental contaminants on fish populations in the Great Lakes region, demonstrating the interplay between individual-level responses (fundamental principle) and population dynamics (scale dynamics).
The article by Li et al. (2005) focuses on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in aquatic organisms, demonstrating how fundamental principles like bioaccumulation contribute to understanding pollutant behavior at different scales.
News reports such as Bloomberg’s feature on living near a major emitting plant in South Africa and The Guardian’s coverage of California wildfires and their impact on ancient sequoias provide real-world examples of how pollutants can have diverse effects on human health and ecosystems across different scales.
These case studies and news articles highlight the importance of considering both fundamental principles and scale dynamics in understanding the environmental toxicology of pollutants. By integrating knowledge from various disciplines, including ecology, toxicology, and public health, a comprehensive understanding can be achieved, leading to more effective management strategies for minimizing the adverse effects of pollutants on human health and the environment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the environmental toxicology of pollutants requires an examination of both fundamental principles and scale dynamics. Fundamental principles establish the groundwork for comprehending the behavior and effects of pollutants, while scale dynamics recognize that these effects can manifest differently at various spatial and temporal scales. By considering both aspects, researchers and policymakers can gain a comprehensive understanding of pollutant impacts, leading to better risk assessment, management strategies, and efforts to protect human health and the environment.
