PH 203 exam 2

metals essential to human health

iron & zinc

exposure to high concentrations of toxic metals most likely occur where?

in occupational settings

which food item is the most susceptible to metal contamination due to bioaccumulation?

fish

the CERCLA Priority List contains what?

a list of hazardous substances

true/false: toxicity from heavy metal exposure is of special concern in women and children

true

true/false: toxicity from heavy metal exposure is of little concern for men

false

erin brockovich took on utility company misconduct related to overexposure of what metal?

hexavalent chromium (VI)

who dug wells that were responsible for arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh?

UNICEF

what is the EPA standard for arsenic in drinking water?

10 ug per liter

hemochromatosis is associated with excessive buildup of

iron

which heavy metal is associated with Itai-itai disease?

cadmium

melanosis are associated with ingestion of

arsenic

which disease can cause the conjunctiva to appear white?

anemia

long-term exposure to low levels of toxic metals is associated with which symptoms?

cancer

what is the term for an agent that causes a developing fetus to have malformations

teratogen

the largest population mass poisoning in history involved which of the following heavy metal?

arsenic

which statement about hexavalent chromium is flase?

it does not cause respiratory problems

true/false: lead paint is no longer a serious problem in the united states because we no longer manufacture it

false

who is the person sometimes known as the 'father of environmental justice'?

robert bullard

this is what we would call a location where there is insufficient fresh food available to a community

food desert

true/false: discriminatory intent is not necessary to produce discriminatory outcomes

true

true/false: the best solutions to environmental justice issues should arise from stakeholders who are not part of the situation

false

true/false: though we talk about the topic in class, environmental justice is mostly totally separate from environmental health

false

this pesticide was widely used for vector controls. but it was identified as damaging to the ecosystem and was largely banned (not completely though)

DDT

true/false: through Pyrethroid pesticides are derived from chrysanthemum flowers, they are still toxic

true

this was a hollywood movie that narrates the contamination of drinking water supplies in woburn, mass from organic solvents. this superfund site has led to a number of leukemia clusters

a civil action

true/false: the Bhopal disaster occurred when a train carrying pesticides was derailed, causing widespread cancer clusters to occur in a rural region in Bangladesh

false

this is the name of a class of chemicals in which there is a t least one ring structure that is comprised of carbon atoms. benzene and toluene are good examples

aromatic compounds

true/false: eradicating issues related to EJ should fall mostly to federal regulators

false

true/false: the majority of studies of environmental inequality conclude that racism is a major driving factor in unequal distribution of environmental hazards

true

true or false: The People of Color Environmental Movement is a pseudo movement financed by major industries to convince communities that suffer EJ burdens that the opportunities (proximity and availability of jobs, better incomes, schools, etc) outweigh the environmental risks.

false

Executive Order 12898, signed by President Bill Clinton, did which of the following?

develop a strategy for implementing environmental justice in federal decision-making

True or False: Executive Orders are fairly effective at sustaining long term changes for issues related to environmental justice.

false

This law is usually the most effective, though imperfect, tool for litigating issues related to environmental justice.

Civil Rights Laws of 1964

This term describes one of the major forces that causes ecological problems to persist. As a result, society must find a way to distribute these burdens, and often does so inequitably.

the treadmill of production

the EJ movement was catalyzed in the late 1980's by the publication of a report entitled "Toxic Waste and Race in the United States", which highlighted the unequal siting of toxic waste facilities in the US. Who published this report?

A religious organization (United Church of Christ)

pesticides are regulated under which act?

FIFRA

which of the following will eliminate pesticide and POP exposure?

-washing produce before eating
-eating organic foods
-using "natural" products

correct answer: none of these

what is an example of a hydrocarbon?

benzene

what are the key concerns of POPs in the environment?

-often bioaccumulate
-resistant to environmental degradation

true/false: DDT is highly toxic to humans

false

true/false: DDT saves more lives than it harms

not sure- not possible to answer this question

which of the following are classes of insecticides?

-pyrethroids
-organochlorides
-organophosphates

true/false: clean-up of river PCBs show how POP producers easily and inexpensively reduce hazards

false

how are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons usually formed?

incomplete combustion

why do bisphenols concern some consumers and scientists

-they have similar chemical structure to estrogen
-they are widely used in consumer and industrial products

aromatic compounds have

-a ring structure
- high reactivity
-floral smell

true/false: ionizing radiation describes radiation that can remove electrons from their atoms

true

this radiation involves high energy photons that can inflict damage up to 1 cm in the skin?

beta particles

true/false: ionizing radiation comes from human and natural sources

true

which is NOT an anthropogenic source of radiation?

potassium in bananas

which is believed to be a stochastic outcome of radiation exposure?

cancer

what accounts for the greatest proportion of radiation exposure in the U.S.?

radon

compared to ionizing radiation, non-ionizing has:

longer wavelengths, smaller frequency

which of the following is a form of non-ionizing radiation?

-UVB
-microwave

true/false: stanley watras is a classic example of how ELF exposure from high tension wires is dangerous

false

sunburn is attributed to which exposure?

UVB

what is a unique feature that makes the us the largest users of water in volume per capita?

meat heavy diet

true/false: watersheds are defined by topography and can vary in size

true

an aquifer is

a layer of earth or rock that contains freshwater

over the last 100 years glaciers have been

shrinking

which source is most susceptible to contamination?

surface water

which areas are of most concern for water stress or scarcity?

-southern africa
-northern africa
central asia

where do arid regions of southern california draw their drinking water from?

diverted rivers from over 300 miles away

public drinking water utilities are regulated under what?

Safe Drinking Water Act

true/false: treating water with chlorine almost always kills Cryptosporidium

false

which of the following statements about heavy metals is true?

A.All of them are toxic even at trace levels.
B.All of them is necessary to sustain life.
C.Their specific gravity exceeds that of water by five or more times.
D.None of them occur naturally in the environment.
E.All of the above.
correct answer: C

which heavy metal is associated with biomagnification?

A.Iron
B.Aluminium
C.Mercury
D.Manganese
E.Arsenic
correct answer: C

a common mode of exposure to beryllium is?

A. Workers' inhalation of beryllium in metal processing industries
B. Via wounds in the skin
C. Via direct skin contact
D. Through ingestion
E. Workers' inhalation of beryllium in the meat packing industry
correct answer: A

potential causes of lead exposure include

A.Paint used in toys
B.Certain art supplies
C.Gasoline sold in some countries
D.Household dust
E.All of the above
correct answer: E

the production of agent orange was stopped because it

A.Was not effective because it evaporated rapidly
B.Contained very small amounts of dioxin
C.Was a major cause of night blindness
D.Was transported home on the clothing of military personnel
E.All of the above
correct answer: B

detectable levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) are rarely seen in human populations in the US

false

DDT, lindane, and mirex are examples of a group of pesticides called

A.Carbamates
B.Naturally occurring substances
C.Organophosphates
D.Chlorinated hydrocarbons
E.None of the above
correct answer: D

the following are examples of volatile organic compounds except

a. benzene
b. toluene
c. methylene chloride
d. dioxin
e. methyl chloroform
correct answer: D

the following are true of chemical disease agents except

A.Found in household products
B.Industrial and occupational workplace hazards
C.Commonly used in pharmaceuticals
D.Solely the product of humankind's actions in the biosphere
E.None of the above
correct answer: D

An organic chemical by definition contains:

A.
Chlorine
B.
Carbon
C.
Nitrogen
D.
Hydrogen
E.
Sulfur
Feedback
correct answer: B

Exposure to extremely low frequency radiation constitutes a substantial concern for:

A.Childhood leukemia and brain cancers
B.Non-malignant skin cancer
C.Cataracts
D.Malignant melanoma
E.All of the above
correct answer: A

effects of ionizing radiation include

A.Damage to bodily tissues
B.Damage to DNA
C.Formation of ion pairs in exposed atoms
D.Removal of orbital electrons from neutral atoms
E.All of the above
correct answer: E

a measure of the absorbed dose of radiation is

A.The curie or becquerel
B.The rad or gray
C.The rem or sievert
D.The roentgen or coulomb per kilogram
E.None of the above
Feedback
correct answer: B

The following statement(s) are correct except

A.Alpha and beta particles pose little or no hazard to human health.
B.Cosmic rays are a form of natural background radiation.
C.Street clothing protects the skin against alpha and beta particles.
D.Washing contaminated skin can reduce radiation exposure.
E.Choices C and D
correct answer: A

The type of radiation that can penetrate up to a 2-cm layer of skin tissue is

beta particles

"Each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei" and is radioactive is

A.An isotope
B.A nuclide
C.A radioisotope
D.A radionuclide
E.A radion
Feedback
correct answer: C

All of the following are true about atrazine except:

A.
Has been linked with hormonal changes in frogs
B.
Is used as a herbicide in the United States
C.
Has been linked with abnormalities in humans
D.
Is detectable in spring water in the Midwest
E.
Is banned as a herbicide in the European Union
correct answer: C

Which of the following are NOT normally a source of bisphenol compound exposure?

a.
Unused baby bottles manufactured more than 15 years ago
b.
aluminum soda cans
c.
Acrylic or stainless steel water bottles
d.
Certain store or restaurant receipts
e.
Dental sealants containing certain epoxies
correct answer: C

True or False: Food deserts are mainly caused by the lack of irrigation in farms that produce food products.

false

Stanley Watras, an employee of the Limerick Nuclear Plant, was exposed to high levels of radon

A.
From his home
B.
From a nuclear accident at work
C.
From normal operations at the nuclear plant
D.
From smoking cigarettes
E.
From extensive air travel
correct answer: A

Generally speaking, the rate in which new industrial chemicals are developed or invented for a product is about the same as the rate in which toxicologists can test these chemicals to make sure they are safe.

false

Highly unstable radioisotopes will have shorter half-lives than highly stable radioisotopes.

true

For the average American, the majority exposure to radiation that is NOT occupational comes from what?

radon

Polychlorinated biphenols, produced as waste products from nearby General Electric plants, need to be removed from the environment. But the process is controversial because it is thought that the process will unintentially relocate the problem elsewhere. What is the main technique used to remediate these compounds from the environment?

a.
Damming a river, and then removal of sediments by dredging for off-site landfilling or incineration
b.
Carbon cracking technology that removes compounds from the air
c.
Simple soap and water
d.
Biotic digestion using a UMass-developed cyanobacteria that digests this material
e.
Wait until photocatalytic degradation occurs, thought to be on the order of 5-10 years.
correct answer: A