Question

The curve below shows the percentage of population of aquatic species that die in response to doses of pollutant A, a toxic substance.

A local manufacturing plant reports a spill that released pollutant A into the local watershed. Local officials must determine if the residents should be evacuated from the area. Initial groundwater samples show pollutant levels at 20 mg/kg of water. Which decision is supported by the empirical evidence provided by the dose-response curve?

- Evacuation is not needed; continue groundwater monitoring.
- Residents should be evacuated until levels decrease.
- The spill no longer needs to be monitored.
- Residents should only evacuate above LD50.

Answer 1

The dose - response curve depicts an increasing rise in the percentage death recorded in the population as the concentration level of pollutant A in mg/kg increases ; this indicates that evacuation would be most efficient means of curtailing the effect of the pollutant.

• Since the death percentage in the population keeps increasing, then evacuation is required until the concentration level of pollution A is still on the rise.

• Similary, the spill needs to be monitored as the graph depicts that the concentration level is still rising.

Therefore, the best decision which could be made based on the trend of the graph is to evacuate residents due to rising death level as concentration keeps increasing.

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