OSHA, HazMat, HazCOM, TOXICS

Environmental Protection

Which one of the following is NOT a man-made toxic substances?

Polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs (man-made: Asbestos, Dioxin, Cadmium)

It is generally accepted that the most widespread chemical contaminant known is:

Polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs

PCBs were first synthesized in:

1920s

Which of the following is a characteristic of PCBs?

High heat resistant - Destroyed at 2000 F (other characteristics: readily assimilated by aquatic animals, fat-soluble, subject to biomagnification, persistent, chemically similar to chlorinated hydrocarbons)

What characteristics of PCBs made them an environmental and health hazard?

Chemical stability (high boiling point, high soluble in fat, low soluble in water, low electrical conductivity, high resistance to heat)

The highest PCB concentrations documented in the US are in:

Waukegan Harbor on Lake Michigan (notorious: outboard Marine corp dumping)

The process of toxic substance being increasingly stored in body tissue is called:

Bioaccumulation

An electrical transformer leak of PCBs resulted in the destruction of millions of dollars worth of chickens and eggs in…

Billings, Montana (200 gallons of PCBs leaked from an electrical transformer at a feed-processing plant, contaminating a million pounds of meal used for chicken feed)

The primary route of entry of PCBs into humans is

Inhalation (vaporization from plants, landfills, or burning result in the chemical burning airborne)

Which of the following has NOT been shown to be associated with PCBs?

Fertility (has: liver cancer, miscarriage, abnormal cell multiplication, low birth weight)

Which of the following would most likely contain the highest proportion of PCBs?

Chinook salmon, “farmed salmon”, and European salmon

The most characteristic symptom of individuals occupationally exposed to PCBs is:

Chloracne (acne-like skin disorder)

A major worry associated with prolonged, low-level PCB exposure is

Liver cancer

Which one of the following was NOT initially associated with PCBs?

Minamata disease

(T or F) There is NO definitive evidence that links PCBs with cancer and other chronic health problems in humans

True

(T or F) Dibenzofurans have been associated with babies being born with dark skin discoloration

False

(T or F) PCB concentration in Lake Michigan has had a major effect on automobile manufacturing industry

False

(T or F) A major effect of PCBs is its ability to accumulate in lean body tissues

False

The approved method of disposing of PCBs is

High-temp incineration 2200F or above

(T or F) Dioxin is formed as an unwanted by-product of herbicide manufacturing

True (think of “Agent Orange”)

(T or F) Dioxin is manufactured as a component of hexachlorophene

False

(T or F) Dioxin has not been shown to be related to human deaths

False

(T or F) Dioxin can enter the atmosphere through evaporation

False

Which is NOT a major source of human exposure to dioxin? Consumption of contaminated:

Water (less than 1% is from water; major sources: fish, meat, and dairy products)

“Dioxin is the most toxic of all man-made chemicals” is misleading because of the testing done on:

Guinea pigs (fatal)

Immune system interference has been demonstrated with dioxin exposure in all the following EXCEPT

Mice (yes: humans, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs)

Perhaps the most significant long-term effect of dioxin exposure appears to be

Disruption of hormonal regulation of reproduction (others: reduced fertility, fetal loss, changes in sexual behavior, thyroid dysfunction, and suppression of the immune system)

What human health problem has been definitively associated with general exposure to dioxin

Chloracne

Major issue that is confronting public health professionals responsible for setting exposure limits to TCCD?

The chemical seldom appears alone (always in a mix)

Perhaps the number one cause of disease as a result of general environmental exposure is

Asbestos

A major problem associated with occupational exposure to asbestos is

Cancer

Airborne exposure to asbestos fibers is most commonly associated with

Fibers being released through automobile braking

The primary route of asbestos entering the human body is through

Inhalation

Which of the following cities has a water concentration of asbestos that is 10-100 million fibers per liter?

San Francisco

Which of the following has NOT been associated with asbestos?

Multiple myeloma (is: lung cancer, asbestosis, gastrointestinal cancer, mesothelioma)

The number 1 cause of asbestos-related mortality is:

lung cancer

Asbestos is the only known cause of

Mesothelioma

For which of the following has NO direct, causative link has been conclusively established

Gastrointestinal cancer (yes: lung cancer, asbestosis, multiple myeloma)

(T or F) Safe levels for asbestos exposure have been established

False

(T or F) Chronic exposure to asbestos is likely to produce disease

True

(T or F) Exposure to asbestos has been linked to lung cancer

True

(T or F) The severity of asbestosis is also linked to cigarette smoking

True

Perhaps the most important determinant of the cancer-causing potential of asbestos is

the size of the asbestos fibers to which one is exposed

Other important determinants of the cancer-causing potential of asbestos is

Level of duration of exposure, time since exposure occurred, age, and personal use of smoking cigarettes

The extent of risk of development of an asbestos-related disease is probably MOST associated with

level and duration of exposure

A major population group that has increased concern associated with exposure to asbestos fibers has been expressed for:

School children

A major drawback facing compliance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act is:

Lack of funding to comply with the provisions of the Act

Which of the following is NOT a way of remedying an asbestos hazard

Demolition (yes: Repair or remove (most expensive))

Which of the following means of remedying an asbestos hazard is most expensive?

Removal

When engaging in complete asbestos removal, the provisions of which one of the following must be strictly met?

Clean Air Act (no visible emissions / air pollution)

Which one of the following is NOT a requirement for complete removal and disposal of asbestos?

The material may be transported in an open vehicle (yes: the material must be kept wet during the process, labeled, and / or buried separate from other wastes)

The number one environmental health problem that affects America’s children is:

Lead poisoning (entirely preventable yet the most common disease in young children)

Perhaps the first occupational exposure to a toxic mineral was associated with:

Siler processing

A major event that lessened environmental exposure to lead was:

Phaseout of leaded gasoline

Which one of the following has been identified as the major source of adult lead exposure?

Ceramic coffee mugs

Which of the following has NOT been identified as a hazard associated with lead exposure?

Occasional use of antique or collectible dinnerware (yes: storing wine in lead crystal containers, use of lead solder in the canning industry, failure to wipe foil sealed wine bottles before uncorking)

Major source of lead poisoning today us:

Ingested of lead-based housepaint

Lead-based pain may be used for

Painting bridges (occupationally construction workers who renovate or demolish bridges are most at risk)

Major cause of lead poisoning of children is from

Inhaled lead-contaminated household dust - from deteriorating paint

Lead poisoning is most ACUTE for

infants

Occupational risk of lead poisoning is most prominent among

Construction workers who demolish / renovate bridges

The leaching of lead from solder into home-brewed liquor is a frequent source of lead poisoning in some rural counties of

Alabama - moonshine distilled in an old automobile radiator containing lead solder 15-67ug/dL

The estimated half-life of lead in bones is

27 years / 36 days in bloodstream half-life (primarily stored in long bones like arms and legs where it’ll remain for years)

Which one of the following could produce the sudden release of lead that has been stored in the bones into the bloodstream?

Pregnancy (high fever and/or osteoporosis)

Which one of the following conditions is NOT a specifically identified health-damaging effect of lead in the human body?

Heart attack (yes: kidney damage, anemia, sterility, miscarriage, and birth defects)

Perhaps the most serious manifestation of damage is sone as a result of lead being in the bloodstream is to:

Nerve tissue - injury to the central nervous system (CNS)

In children, perhaps the most damaging result of chronic low-level exposure to lead can:

Inhibit normal development of intellectual abilities

Which one of the following DOES NOT appear to be a “legacy of childhood lead exposure”?

High class rank (yes: high drop-out rate, high incidence of reading disability, high absenteeism, and low class rank)

A treatment for lead exposure that involved administering a drug that binds to lead and facilities its excretion from the body is called:

Chelation

One of the most important aspects involved in restoring a child who has been exposed to lead to good health is:

Removal of the child from the source of exposure

Which of the following would probably be most cost-effective in the prevention of lead poisoning in children?

Covering bare soil or planting foundation shrubs

Which of the following, given present conditions, would probably produce the BEST results in terms of alleviating health damage as a result of childhood exposure to lead?

Universal lead screening

What was the FIRST medical use for mercury?

Treatment for syphilis - 16th century in Europe

The major source of mercury emissions into the atmosphere is from

Coal burning

Major route of entry of inorganic mercury into humans is through

Ingestion of contaminated fish

The cause of “Mad Hatters’ Disease” was traced to

Mercury (human poisoning w/ inorganic mercury malady prevalent among hat-makers in the 17th century France - skin absorption)

A potential source of mercury exposure that could remain for years is from:

Stored containers of paint produced prior to 1990

The tissues most often damaged as a result of inorganic mercury entering the body include all of the following EXCEPT:

Heart (yes: brain, kidney, and liver) Inorganic mercury is extremely soluble and readily penetrate living membranes

The most common occupational exposure to mercury is though

Inhalation

What is LEAST likely to be occupationally exposed to mercury vapors?

Farm workers

Who is more likely to be occupationally exposed to mercury vapors?

Lab techs, machine operators, plumbers, nurses, miners, dentists, and hygienists (and all of their families bc mercury is carried home on their clothes)

Which of the transmission routes is LEAST likely to pose health threats in terms of INORGANIC mercury?

Ingestion (more likely: inhalation, absorption, and inoculation)

The major damage that results from exposure to organic mercury is to the

Kidneys

All of the following have been associated with methyl mercury poisoning EXCEPT

Tuna (other options: bread, pork, and fungicides)

Minamata Disease is associated with:

Organic mercury (Chisso Corp. - plastics factory discharged organic mercury wastes into Minamata Bay, where people would fish)

A major problem associated with methyl mercury is its:

Affinity for fetal tissue

The most common course of exposure to cadmium is through:

Ingestion (be eating contaminated fish; inhalation from cigarettes)

Individuals particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of cadmium are those who are deficient in:

Iron (Calcium and/or protein)

(T of F about Cadmium) It helps the body metabolize calcium

False

(T of F about Cadmium) It is used in production of pigments

True

(T of F about Cadmium) It may be found in tobacco plants

True

(T of F about Cadmium) It readily bio-accumulates

True

The largest outbreak of cadmium poisoning thus far documented occurred in:

Jintsu River, Japan 1950-60s (from cadmium discharge from a lead and zinc mine upstream from the affected farming community)

A major problem associated with cadmium poisoning

Kidney failure (and skeleton becoming soft )

Who is most likely to succumb to cadmium poisoning are:

Malnourished women (and/or middle aged women)

How likely is Cadmium poisoning to happen in the US

Rare