Eminent Contaminants
"Dirty deeds done dirt cheap" takes on new meaning when industrial pollution leaves these toxic elements, e.g. arsenic, cadmium, lead, etc. lurking in the soil for decades.
What are heavy metals?
Once the leading pollutant from car exhaust, this element’s removal from gasoline marked a major clean air victory.
What is lead?
When wildfire smoke and smog fill the air, breathing can be as tough "AS MATH" problems for people with this condition.
What is asthma?
This NYU professor teaches the Genes and Environmental Health for Nurses course at Ramapo College.
Who is Dr. Judith Zelikoff?
Snap off base of "stalky vegetable" + remove stem from "British eggplant"
What is asparagine?
Don't invite these chemical guests into your house. They don't RSVP, they never leave, and you'll never get rid of them.
What are PFAS/Forever chemicals?
For researchers tackling air pollution, this multifaceted "gritty problem" remains a tiny but massive hurdle on the road to cleaner air.
What is particulate matter?
A "DIET BASE" consisting of refined sugars and processed foods with a dash of arsenic and phthalates can increase your risk for this chronic metabolic disease.
What is diabetes?
Unlike the Game of Thrones character, this 19th-century physician didn’t know nothing. He traced the cholera outbreak in London to a single contaminated water pump.
Who is John Snow?
Old-timey "Your" + "Not yours"
What is thymine?
One ring to rule them all. You can find this hexagonal molecule everywhere from gasoline to deodorants and even hand sanitizers. But it's no precious to your health!
What is benzene?
Often created from car exhaust and sunlight, too much of this three-atom molecule can trigger coughing, chest pain, and breathing trouble. OOO, scary!
What is ozone?
Recent studies show that air pollution can disrupt your nervous system, leaving thoughts racing and every instinct searching for "ANY EXIT" from the global hellscape.
What is anxiety?
This marine biologist’s 1962 "seasonal" read wasn’t about flowers. Rather, it warned that too much DDT could make the birds stop singing.
Who is Rachel Carlson?
Petroleum jelly brand - selenium
What is valine?
A night out for sushi can sometimes come with a side of this element, famed for working its way up the food chain from contaminated waters into your favorite spicy tuna roll.
What is mercury?
Your fireplace can set the mood, but this odorless gas can kill it quickly when it sets off your detectors. Maybe that's why it's nicknamed the "silent killer".
What is carbon monoxide?
Chronic exposure to high levels of benzene can "MAKE U LIE" awake at night with fatigue, bruising, and fever, the classic signs of this condition.
What is leukemia?
This 16th century alchemist-physician advised that the strength of a poison depends on how much you take, not just what it is.
Who is Paracelsus?
3/5 x "a tropical fruit" + 3/5 x 15
What is guanine?
A favorite of fictional killers and a by-product of mining and pesticides, this element still poisons water, foods, and bodies alike. Think twice before you drink that elderberry wine!
What is arsenic?
Basements across the country sometimes get raided by this radioactive gas whose name sounds like it's tailor-made for the job.
What is radon?
May those who choose to "HARM THY AIR" with particulate matter inherit hearts beset by troubled rhythms. Each beat a penance, each breath a reckoning of this malady.
What is arrhythmia?
Her 1996 book Our Stolen Future warned us about the pollutants that can mimic or block hormones, leading to fertility problems and disrupting development in wildlife and humans.
Who is Theo Colburn?
50 + y + cos(90o - x)
What is lysine?