Biological termModerate1 mark
1(a)
Name the following:
The pollutants that cannot be broken down to simple and harmless products.
Topic: Non-biodegradable pollutants
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
NON-BIODEGRADABLE pollutants.
Explanation
Non-biodegradable pollutants cannot be decomposed by bacteria and fungi, so they PERSIST in the environment for decades or centuries. Examples: plastics, polythene, DDT, heavy metals, glass, Styrofoam.
WHY THEY ARE THE MORE DANGEROUS KIND: because they persist and are often fat-soluble, they ACCUMULATE along food chains by BIOMAGNIFICATION — becoming more concentrated at each trophic level, so the animals at the top receive doses far higher than was ever present in the environment.
THE TEST for any substance: ask whether it was ever ALIVE or came from something alive. If yes it is biodegradable; if it was manufactured from minerals or synthesised, it is not.
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