Environmental Health Final Exam

Explain bad ozone.

Bad ozone is in the troposphere, it irritates the lungs and causes increased hospitalizations due to cardiac and respiratory problems.

What is good ozone?

Good ozone is in the stratosphere, it absorbs UV.

What are the four regions of the atmosphere starting with the closest?

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesophere, Thermosphere

Which region has human life?

Troposphere

Which region has the ozone layer?

Stratosphere

What are hazardous air pollutants and how are they diferent than criteria air pollutants?

They are less common than criteria air pollutants but more localized and toxic. They come from targeted sources and the standards for HAPs are set solely on the basis of available control technology.

How are the atmospheric layers divided?

Based on temperature gradients. Temperature lowers whe altitude heightens except in the stratosphere where the ozone is. In the stratosphere the temperature gets hotter as the altitude decreases.

What are the two major effect of human-caused changes to the atmosphere?

1. Ozone layer depletion

2. Climate change/Global warming

What are the NAAQS?

National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 6 criteria pollutants. These are the maximum level of air pollutants in the air. The standards are set by harm done on health.

What are the 6 criteria air pollutants?

1. Lead (Pb)

2. Particulate Matter

3. Carbon Monoxide (CO)

4. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

5. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

6. Ozone (O3)

Where is lead found and what are the health effects?

No longer in the US leaded gasoline, however it is produced from coal-fired power plants. Causes memory/concentration problems, raised blood pressure, digestion problems, nervous disorders, and can harm fetus.

What are the health effects of Particulate Matter and where is it found?

Traffic, agriculture, dust, soot, wood burning. Can be ingested & inhaled. The smaller the size of the particulate matter the worst it is for the lungs as it goes in deeper.

How is carbon monixide put into the air and what are its effects on the health?

Transportation. Causes headaches, dizziness, mausea, and can result in death.

Sulfur Dioxide comes from what and how can it negatively effect your health?

Coal-fired power plants, smelters, fuel combustion, & paper/pulp mills. Can cause respiratory problems, and problems with the nasal or oral cavity.

How does Nitrogen Dioxide pullutants get into the air and why are they bad for the health?

Cars and power plants. Leads to imune system problems and allergen issues.

Which of the six criteria air pollutants is the hardest to control?

Ozone- it is the hardest criteria pollutant for hte states to meet the pollution requirements for.

What are the health problems associated with exposure to ozone and how does one get exposed?

Causes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. From sunlight and VOCs.

What is inversion?

Inversion is an air pollution "disaster." A layer of cool surface air is trapped by an overlying layer of warmer air. This creates stability in the air instead of when it is normally flux like the wind. Air pollution usually is carried away by the wind and air rising. When inversion happens for several days in an urban area, pollutants can accumulate and cause exacerbated sickness and death.

What are some examples of inversioin disasters in the last 100 years?

Belgium in 1934

Donora, PA in 1948

London in 1952- where the London Killer Smog killed an excess of 4,000 people

What pollutants are precursors to acid rain?

Sulfur dioxide reacts with water leading to sufuric acid or Nitrogen Oxides react with water leading to nitric acid.

What damage can acid rain do?

Acid rain damages the aquatic ecosystems, mobilizes toxic metals in soil, deteriorates buildings and metals, damages forests, and possibly reduces crop yields.

What are the health effects of air pollution?

Death, respiratory irritants, asthma, COPD hospitalization, lung cancer, cardiac and vascular disease.

What is the source and health effect of radon?

Mainly found in radioactive rocks from basement or below and can cause lung cancer.

What is the source of ETS and how does it effect the health?

ETS (Environmental tobacco smoke) comes from cigarettes and can cause lung/bladder cancer and asthma

Where can formaldehyde be found and what are the health risks?

Wood particle board preservation. Can cause lung, eye, and ear irritation and it is carcinogenic.

What is the main source of pesticides and where is the health effect?

Agriculture and they are carcinogenic

Name the major cause of ozone depletion, the type of solar radiation, and health effects.

CFCs & Lalon are the major cause.

UV radiation.

Skin cancer, immune system disorders

What are the environmental consequences of ozone layer depletion? Name the treaty addressing this issue and any solutions.

Harmful to species such as plankton and shrimp.

Montreal Protocall.

Phase out or no CFCs, find a substitute chemical to use.

Effective action is being taken.

What are the environmental consequences of global warming? Name the treaty that addresses this issue and any solutions?

Temperature extremes, draughts, acidic oceans, flooding, depletion of crops, rising sea level.

IPCC- Kyoto Protocall.

Alternative energy instead of burning fossil fuels, reforestation, and energy conservation.

Name the three forms of ionizing radiation.

1. Alpha Particles

2. Beta Particles

3. Gamma

What are Alpha Particles?

Massive, most energetic, least penetrating, sources of radium, plutonium, and radon all which occur naturally in soil, rocks, water, and tailings. They can change chemical composition if they get into the body.

What are Beta Particles?

Single electrons, can penetrate skin up to 1/2 inch deep and like Alphas they are dangerous when inhalated or ingested. Examples are Strontium-90 and Iodine 131.

Gamma?

Most penetrating, destroys major organs, causes radiatin sickness; Gamma and X-rays are similar except for where they come from. Gamma is found naturally in cosmic and potassium-40.

Why is low level radiation dangerous to human health?

Low level radiation (less than 1 Sv) can cause cell damage, mutations, birth defects, and cancers.

Why is high level radiation dangerous to human health?

High level radiation causes cell death, acute exposure cuases radiation sickness

Which type of ionizing radiation can penetrate the skin?

Beta and Gamma.

Name three types of non-ionizing radiation.

UV, visible light, and infrared

What are the health effects of UV?

Wrinkles, skin cancer, again photoconjunctivitis, cataracts, and it effects the immune system.

What are the three types of skin cancer?

1. Basal Cell (most common)

2. Squamous Cell

3. Melanoma (worst)

What is causing more exposure to UV with ozone layer destruction?

CFCs and HFCs

What are the health effects of infrared radiation?

From the heat, there is minimal health effects unless it is a high occupation exposure which can result in skin and eye burns.

What is background radiation?

Background radiation is found from natural sources such as cosmic rays or rocks.

How is high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants stored?

It is stored i pools of water near power plants with permanent repository.

Name some examples of human health directly threatened by impure drinking water through microbial waterborne disease.

Bacterial, Viral, & Protozoan

Give expamples of bacterial diseases.

Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery

Give some examples of viral microbial diseases.

Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Polio, Mellitus

Name the waterborne diseases caused by protozoan.

Amebic Dysentery, Giardiasis, & Crytosporidiosis

What type of microorganisms does chlorine kill?

Chlorine kills most bacteria but not viruses and not protozoa which require further treatments such as UV disinfection.

Name and describe the sewage treatment stages.

1. Primary- mechanical, sifts out larger solids

2. Secondary- biological, pumps air & bacteria decomposes

3. Tertiary- optional if water to be used for drinking, irrigation, recreation

4. Disinfection- chlorine, UV, etc.

Which steps does the EPA require for all municipal sewage treathment plants?

Primary and Secondary

What is sludge and how is it used?

Sludge are the solids that fall to the bottom of the water tank during sewage treatment. They are used for cement and also for agricultural fertilizers.

What are the by-products of chlorination that may cause adverse health effects?

The SOCs, chloroform, and trihalomethanes (THMs) are regarded as potential carcinogens that may be formed at the water treatment plant when chemcial disinfectants are added to the raw water suplly to kil pathogens.

What does BOD stand for?

BOD means Biochemical Oxygen Demand.

If a smaple of water has a high BOD, what does that mean?

BOD is the measure of water supply quality and the amount of organic matter in the water supply. If the BOD is high there is hypoxia (not much oxygen) in the water because there is a lot of organic matter and bacteria depleting the oxygen.

Why is e.coli a good water quality indicator?

This tells us that there are other pathogens in the water supply.

What is Eutrophication?

Dissolved nutrients (caused from nitrogen & phosphorus from fertilizers) enter the water, promote growth, algae grow and then die and drop to the bottom of the water. The oxygen level in the water lowers because the bacteria decompose.

What is a point water pollution source?

Point sources have a defined origin and a defined location. The emissions of the contaminant are into a localized area and there is muc progress on controlling.

What is a non-point water pollution source?

They are not localized and come from a broad area such as urban runoof, construction, acied mine drainage, fallout air pollutants and the largest amount are from agriculture. These are hard to contol.

What is the NPL?

The National Priority List is the list of superfund sites in order of priority for remediation.

Which region of the US has the highest number of sites on the NPL?

The North East.

What are some of the hazardous substances in e-waste?

Lead, arsenci, PCB, CFCs, barium, cadmium, fire-retardants, mercury, lithium.

What are the health effects of e-waste?

Organ damage, especially severe damage to the lungs, kidneys, and the nervous system; eye & throat irritation, and cancer.

What countries are e-waste exported to?

India, China, Pakistan, and parts of Africa

What characteristics do the types f waste regulated as hazardous under the EPA's RCRA have?

1. Toxic to humans

2. Corrosive

3. Ignitable

5. Reactive

What does RCRA stand for?

Resource Conservation & Recovery Act

How do sanitary landfills work?

Waste is buried between the layers of the earth in low-lying areas. A liner selas the waste so it doesn't leech through. Then native vegetation is planted on top. A Leachate evaporation pond goes on the side of the soil layer soil layer so it does not contaminate the ground water.

What is Leachate?

Liquid that drains from a landfill.

What is a Colonia?

Economically distressed communities in a residentail ara along the Texas-Mexico border that may lack some fo the most basic living necessities, such as potable water and sewer systems, electricity, paved roads, and safe/sanitary housing.

What are common health problems in Colonias?

Dilapidated homes, a lack of potable water and sewer and drainage systems, and floodplain locations make many colonias an ideal place for the proliferation of disease. Texas Dpt of Health data show that Hepatitis A, Salmonellosis, Dysentery, Chloera and other diseases occur at a much higher rate then in Texas as a whole. TB is also a common health threat, occuring twice as frequently along the border. There is also a lack of medical services.

Why are pharmaceuticals in the water supply a growing concern?

They bioaccumulate in the body, they are endocrine disruptors and have caused intersexuality of animals living in the waters that are contaminated. They also lead to sperm reduction and antibiotic resistance.

Can sewage treatment "screen out" pharmaceuticals?

No.

What is green chemistry?

Creating new chemicals and altering existing ones to make them the least harmful to health by substituting existing chemicals.

List three dangerous jobs & discuss some of the possible risks to employees.

1. Construction- thing fall and workers get hurt

2. Coal miners- death can result from a coal fall, lung disease, coal dust causes respiratory issues.

3. Health care workers- exposed to blood, violence, AIDS, and Hepatitis A.

What are some jobs with high levels of fatalities?

Construction, forestry, fishing, and transportation.

What is the most frequent type of non-fatal injusry that occurs in the workplace?

Back pain, it effects health care workers that lift patients, warehouse workers and retail stores (especially home stores like Home Depot/Lowes)

Who wrote Silent Spring?

Rachael Carson

What is environmental justice?

No group of people, no matter their race or ethnicity, nation of origin, and/or income, should bear more environmental health burdens than others. There should be fair treatment of people and they should be involved in the decision-making process.

What is occupational health?

The identification and control of risks arising from physical, chemical, and other workplace hazards in order to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

What is the official name of the "Right to Know Act" from 1983?

The Hazard Communication Standard

What are the two basic requirements of the "Right to Know Act"?

1. Containers holding hazardous chemicals are required to be labeled.

2. MSDs must be provided by chemical distributors and must be avialable to employees.

What is a MSDs?

A hazardous ingredient list including possible routes of entry, health effects, and the instruction ofor any control measures.

The most challenging radioactive waste management problems that are presented by those radioactive elements with what quality?

Extremely long half-lives

What is the biological effect of UV radiation?

It is absorbed by DNA

What sorts of wastes are destined to go to WIPP in New Mexico?

Plutonium contaminated and transuranic waste

What body parts are most likely to be damaged by microwaves?

Moist areas with poor circulation such as the eyes, GI tract, and testes.

What is the minimum SPF sunscreen must have in order to prevent skin damage?

SPF 15

What is the most common form of skin cancr in the US?

Basal & Squamous cell carcinomas

What type of water contaminants present the greatest health threat to most residents of Third World countries?

Pathogens

Name a type of contaminant often found in sludge from treatment plants that receive industrial wastewater discharges.

Heavy metals

What human activity do scientists blame for the so-called "dead zone" off the coast of Louisiana?

Farm run-off from fertilizers

How is household wastewater managed in most unsewered areas of the country?

Septic

In what country are large numbers of people seriously ill or dying, poisoned by arsenic in their well water?

Bangladesh

What is a common source of pathogens in swimming pools

Feces

What are two waterborne disease organisms that are highly resistant to chlorination?

Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis

What contaminant is the cause of "blue baby disease?"

Nitrates

What are the three tailpipe emissions controlled by the use of a three-way catalytic converter?

Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen, and Hydrocarbons