Article Summary

The study explores the environmental impacts of chlorophenol compounds.  Although chemical substance has enormous agricultural and economic benefits, they produce environmental and health problems. Increased demand for agricultural products has led to increased production of a xenobiotic to speed up production activities.  Chlorophenols are released into the environment during production or in agricultural production as pesticides. Chlorophenols are discharged into water bodies and stick into water sediments. The chemical compound release environmental contaminants which are harmful to human health.  Chlorophenol poses huge environmental threats resulting from their production, disposal, and management.  Chlorophenols are eliminated from water sediments by microorganisms through bioremediation. Although bioremediation practices have been formulated to control xenobiotic’s environmental impacts such as microbial degradation, the study depicts that chlorophenol is transformed into metabolites whose accumulation in the environment increases toxicity. Chlorophenol forms electrophilic metabolite, reactive intermediates that damage the ecobiota’s genetic formation, leading to the development of mutagens and cancerous cells, acute toxicity, and histopathology changes.

Impacts of Chlorophenols on the Environment

Chlorophenols are exposed to the environment through leather, petrochemicals, textile, and domestic preservative industries.  It is used as a fungicide in wood industries and wood pulp bleaching in article mills (Igbinosa et al. 3). Exposure of chlorophenol on the environment pollutes water sources, posing detrimental health impacts on human health.  Chlorophenols compounds are drained into water bodies and deposited in the soil and sediments in water bodies. These chemicals stay in the water for long periods before microorganisms break them down. Humans rely on water bodies for drinking water, and thus, likely to drink contaminated water, leading to adverse health effects. Chlorophenols also destroy the food systems for aquatic organisms, leading to the depletion of marine species.  Chlorophenol is produced in high concentration in production industries, leading to increased concentration in water bodies.  Aquatic species consume chlorinated guaiacols, posing more health risks for fish consumers.

Effects of Chlorophenol

 Exposure to chlorophenol occurs through inhalation and skin contact with the chemical.  The chemical enters the skin and epithelium, damaging the skin.  Ingested Chlorophenols are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.  Continued exposure to chlorophenol leads to chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and sarcoma.  Chlorophenols contain carcinogens resulting from excess non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and sarcoma tissues.  Oxidation of microsomes transforms xenobiotic to electrophilic forms that interact with the cell structures, leading to cancerous tissues’ formation.

 Methods for Detecting Chlorophenols in the Environment

            Biological methods are used in identifying and quantifying Chlorophenols in the environment.

Chlorophenols are extracted and separated from other biological components to determine their chemical compositions. Methods used for analyzing chlorophenol compounds in the environment include gas chromatography, flame ionization, and mass spectrometer.

Critique

 The article successfully explains the environmental and health impacts of continued exposure to Chlorophenols.   The article uses credible data sources to explain the authors’ arguments. However, the article does not address the potential health impacts on children resulting from parent’s exposure to chlorophenol.  The article also does not show whether chlorophenol is associated with any prenatal effects.

Works Cited

Igbinosa, Etinosa O., et al. “Toxicological profile of chlorophenols and their derivatives in the environment: the public health perspective.” The Scientific World Journal 2013 (2013).