Chemistry, Health and Environment Upplaga 1

Olov Sterner Chemistry, Health and Environment Most chemicals used in modern society are harmful to man, and can affect the environment in various ways. For example, most cases of human cancers are believed to be caused by chemicals, and the apparent climatic changes that recently have attracted attention may well be the result of the uncontrolled release of several compounds into the atmosphere. However, chemicals do not affect either health or environment by chance. Instead, it is the chemical properties, for example the volatility, the solubility, and the reactivity towards cellular components such as proteins and DNA, that are incompatible with the natural chemical processes on which life on earth depends on. Such properties of a chemical are determined by the molecular structure, and can in most cases be assessed by somebody with a trained eye simply by inspecting the structure. By learning more about the relationships between the structures of organic compounds and their properties, and between the chemical properties and the effects on health and the environment, we may at least to some degree predict and thereby avoid chemical hazards. This is essentially what this book is about.