RYERSON UNIVERSITY

Department of Civil Engineering

CVL 300: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND IMPACT ANALYSIS

Tutorial #1

As an environmental engineer of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), you

have been sent to assist a community on a Pacific island. After you have arrived at the island,
local health officers tell you that there are malaria problems in the community. They will spray
the whole island with a pesticide called XXT and the mosquitoes will be killed.

In order to understand the problem, you walk the island and discover the followings:
-There are a lot of cockroaches around.
-Geckos (a type of lizards) feed on cockroaches.
-There are a lot of cats in the community and rat problem is not severe.
-Cats catch and eat geckos that are slow in action.

From your previous experience, you know (a) the proposed XXT dosage will not harm other
insects or animals; (b) a moderate amount of XXT in the body tissues of lizards can slow down
the reflex reaction and cause nerve damage eventually; and (c) domestic pets will be poisoned if
a large amount of XXT is accumulated in their body tissues.

Questions

1. Based on the above information, construct a food web or food chain of the "consumers"
on the island.

2. Will mosquitoes be the only victim (both short and long term) if XXT is sprayed?

3. Will community health (both short and long term) be improved after the spray?