Page 64 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

THE TOTALLY

Radiation
TOXIC TABLE There wouldn’t be life on Earth without

the constant flow of energy from the Sun.
OF POLLUTANTS that destroy plant and animal cells, causing
However, radioactive atoms give off rays
deadly illnesses and horrible mutations.
Watch out—pollution’s about! It’s beneath your feet, Even scarier, these rays cannot be seen,
smelled, or touched. They are also fairly
in lakes and seas, and in the air you breathe. While giant
unstoppable—gamma rays can travel
oil spills wreak havoc on wildlife, other pollutants can have through 10 ft (3 m) of concrete!
deadly consequences for humans. Some may even be
Nuclear
causing climate change. In fact, there are so many
pollutants that it’s difficult to keep track of them all.
Whether you see a cloud of something sinister drifting
toward you or a horrible green sludge in the water, study
up on what’s what with this handy table of toxic nasties.
1
1. When the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant blew up in 1986,
47 people died and another Solar
130,000 people suffered from
Air pollution high doses of radiation. Despite
horrible predictions, though, the
There are all sorts of unpleasant chemicals floating area is thriving with wildlife today.
around in the atmosphere as tiny specks of dust, toxic
droplets, or invisible gases. Some are caused by 2. Earth is constantly bombarded
by potentially lethal rays from
volcanic eruptions, burning forests, or rotting plant or the Sun. Invisible ultraviolet (UV)
animal waste, but many more are created by people. rays can burn your skin and give
you skin cancer. 2

MIC Chemical explosion Smog Carbon dioxide Sulfur dioxide

3 4 5 6 7

CFC Nitrogen oxide Methane Burning wood Tobacco

8 9 10 11 12

3. In 1984 in Bhopal, India, 47 tons 4. In 1976, an explosion at a 5. Smog is a mix of smoke and 6. The carbon dioxide that spews 7. Erupting volcanoes give off
(43 tonnes) of methyl isocyanate (MIC) chemical factory in Meda, Italy, fog. During 1952, more than out of power plants, cars, and clouds of sulfur dioxide. When
leaked from a factory. The lethal shot toxic gases into the air. The 12,000 people died in London, factories is a major contributor this gas dissolves in rain clouds,
cloud swamped the city, and 25,000 cloud floated downwind and left England, owing to polluted smog, to global warming, as it traps it creates acid rain. This pollutes
people choked and suffocated. 193 victims with scarred faces. known locally as a “pea souper.” the Sun’s heat in the atmosphere. lakes and rivers and kills wildlife.

8. Chlorine in chlorofluorocarbons 9. Gasoline and diesel engines 10. Rotting waste, such as cowpies, 11. Burning forests give off 12. Tobacco smoke contains more
(CFCs) creates a hole in the ozone give off nitrogen oxide. This release foul-smelling methane, a potent cocktail of carbon dioxide, than 4,000 chemicals. At least
layer—a crucial shield from the Sun’s noxious gas destroys the ozone a greenhouse gas that speeds up methane, nitrogen oxide, and 50 cause cancer, and many others,
harmful UV rays. In 1987, CFCs were layer, creates acid rain, and global warming 20 times faster than methyl bromide (another such as formaldehyde, arsenic,
banned from many products. causes deadly lung diseases. the same amount of carbon dioxide. powerful greenhouse gas). and cyanide, are poisonous.

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