Overcoming the Perils of Canoe Lake

The integumentary system acts as a barrier to many potentially harmful threats such as UV rays, harmful organisms, and forces that would damage the skin. The human body is its own natural defense system, and it will attack anything that threatens its homeostatic environment. If a slight cut in the skin breaks the barrier, it causes the body to become susceptible to these threats, and various forms of bacteria. If invaded, the body will then go through a series of reactions in response to the attack to help fight off anything foreign, and will attempt to return itself back to its previous state of health. According to the passage ‘Canoe Lake’, a few threats were identified. The uv rays from the sun, microbes in the lake, and toxins present in the lake. The body system has its own way of reacting to these threats. Overheating is a result of heat exposure. Heat related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash etc. Symptoms include elevated body temp, headache, nausea, dizziness, fainting, seizures and confusion. The body reacts to heat by using perspiration to cool the body.

Long periods of heat results in hyperthermia. Overexposure to sunlight can result in painful, red, sunburned skin. First degree burns results in peeling of the skin. Second degree burns can blister. UV rays in sunlight stimulate melanocytes to provide melanin. When melanin is exposed to UV light it oxidizes turning the skin dark. This darkening effect is the skins way of protecting itself against too much UV light. Sunburn damages the skin. The body responds to the damage by increasing blood flow to the capillary beds in the skin in order to bring cells to repair the damage. The extra blood causes redness. Long time overexposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, age spots, dilated blood vessels, and skin cancers. Overheating is a result of heat exposure. Heat related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash etc.

Symptoms include elevated body temp, headache, nausea, dizziness, fainting, seizures and confusion. The body reacts to heat by using perspiration to cool the body. Long periods of heat result in hyperthermia. Harmful bacteria present in the lake are fecal coliforms, vibrio cholera, naegleria fowler, and cyanobacteria to name a few. Cyanobacteria are benign but it can grow tremendously in a body of water and release potent toxins. If this bacterium is ingested in an adequate amount it can cause gastrointestinal distress, liver problems and paralysis. Certain conditions permit the outbreak of dangerous bacterium present in the lake such as failing septic systems and sanitary sewer overflows. To minimize or eliminate the bacterium in the water, the lake must be dredged to remove sediment or microbes must be added to the lake that eats bacteria. Aeration systems help provides an oxygenation process by which muck is biodegraded. These steps help rid the breeding ground and incubation of these organisms.