EHS 575 Final Exam Study Guide

Lothrop

• Define fundamental concepts of environmental justice

  • Environmental justice is the fair distribution of environmental benefits and the absence of hazards. It also involves meaningful public participation in decision-making processes regarding environmental laws and policies. The movement began with events like pesticide exposure in the 1960s in California and has evolved to address issues of race, class, and environmental quality.

  • The fundamental concepts of environmental justice include ensuring that everyone receives their fair share of environmental benefits and is not disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. Additionally, it involves meaningful participation in the decision-making processes regarding environmental laws and policies that affect individuals' surroundings. This is aimed at promoting equity and fairness in environmental matters.

• Describe ongoing EJ issues in Arizona

  • Ongoing environmental justice (EJ) issues in Arizona include water contamination in wells like Irvington City well 101 and private wells, concerns about lead and arsenic in drinking water, and disparities in access to resources like electricity and water. The state faces challenges related to water quality, mining waste sites, and unequal distribution of benefits and burdens, as seen in the case of the Navajo Generating Station where residents lacked electricity and had to haul water due to drained aquifers, while water was pumped long distances to urban areas like Phoenix and Tucson. These issues highlight the need to address environmental injustices in Arizona.

  • Environmental justice in Arizona involves concerns about lead and arsenic in drinking water, particularly in rural areas. There are issues with water quality in private wells and community water services, with one community located near a mining waste site. The history of environmental justice movements in the U.S. includes instances like the dumping in Dixie in 1990 and Executive Order 12898 in 1994, emphasizing fair distribution of environmental benefits and involvement in decision-making processes. The Navajo Generating Station in Arizona highlights disparities in access to resources, such as electricity and water, and the disconnect between those who pay the costs and those who benefit from such projects.

Estacio

• Using remote sensing for EJ – examples

  • Remote sensing can be used for Environmental Justice (EJ) by mapping flood zones, urban tree canopy, park access, heat, air pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, and more. For instance, Digital Elevation Models (DEM) can map flood zones, while Land Surface Temperature (LST) derived from thermal infrared bands can help assess heat impacts. Remote sensing provides detailed information on environmental inequalities experienced by communities, aiding in addressing EJ concerns.

  • Examples of using remote sensing for environmental justice include mapping urban tree canopy, park access, heat, air pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, and flooding. Remote sensing data provides detailed information on environmental inequalities and injustices experienced by communities. For instance, remote sensing can map flood zones using Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and identify green spaces like parks through Land Use Land Cover (LULC) or spectral indices. Additionally, it can help monitor air pollution and noise pollution, impacting human health and residents' quality of life, respectively.

• Remote sensing platforms

  • Remote sensing platforms refer to the tools used to collect data from a distance. These platforms include satellites, drones, and aircraft equipped with sensors to gather information about the Earth's surface. They are essential for monitoring the environment, weather patterns, and natural disasters. Satellites are commonly used for large-scale data collection, while drones are more flexible for smaller areas. Ground-based sensors are used for specific measurements close to the surface. Each platform has its advantages and limitations in terms of spatial resolution, coverage area, cost, and data accuracy.

  • Vantage Points

  

  • Capabilities

    • Permanent

      • L1/L2/HEO/GEO - Sentinel satellites for continuous monitoring

      • LEO/MEO - Active & passive sensors for trends & process studies

    • Deployable

      • Suborbital - In situ measurement in research campaigns & validation of new remote sensors

      • Surface-Based Networks - Ocean buoys, air samplers, strain detectors, ground validation sites

  • Information Systems - Data management, data assimilation, modeling & synthesis

• Remote sensing resolution (spatial, spectral, radiometric, temporal)

  • Spatial resolution refers to the level of detail in an image, determined by the size of the smallest object that can be resolved. It is limited by pixel size in digital images. Spatial resolution can be high (0.6 - 4 m), medium (4 - 30 m), or low (>30 m). In remote sensing, spatial resolution impacts the ability to record fine details distinctly. Tradeoffs exist between different types of resolutions.

  • Spectral resolution refers to the ability of a sensor to define fine wavelength intervals in the electromagnetic spectrum. It can be categorized as high (>15 bands), medium (3 - 15 bands), or low (3 bands). Different levels of spectral resolution allow for a more detailed analysis of the electromagnetic spectrum, aiding in various remote sensing applications.

  • Radiometric resolution refers to the ability of a sensor to record many levels of brightness. It is the smallest change in intensity level that can be detected. For example, Landsat 8 has a radiometric resolution of 12-bit, which translates to 4096 levels of brightness that can be recorded. The higher the radiometric resolution, the more detailed the information captured in an image.

  • Temporal resolution refers to the revisiting frequency of a satellite sensor for a specific location. Different satellite sensors have varying temporal resolutions. For example, Landsat-7/8 revisits every 16 days, SPOT-5 every 2-3 days depending on latitude, IKONOS approximately every 3 days at 40° latitude, and QuickBird every 1-3.5 days depending on latitude. Temporal resolution can vary from high (< 24 hours - 3 days) to medium (4-16 days) to low (> 16 days).

Humble

• Steps of risk assessment

  • Hazard identification involves identifying hazardous substances in a specific setting. For carcinogens, sources like EPA, IARC, ATSDR, and NIOSH are consulted. For other substances, EPA and occupational limits are considered. This step is crucial in determining potential harm from exposure to environmental stressors.

  • Dose-Response Assessment examines the numerical relationship between exposure and effects. It determines acceptable exposure levels, such as keeping cancer risk below a specified level or not exceeding the RfD for non-carcinogens. This assessment often uses Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or other environmental standards.

  • Exposure assessment involves determining the concentration of contaminants in different media, identifying routes of exposure (such as inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact), and evaluating the duration of exposure. It is a crucial step in risk assessment to understand how individuals come into contact with harmful substances and the potential health effects. EPA provides default equations for general use in exposure assessment, aiding in the evaluation of risks associated with various environmental factors.

  • Risk characterization involves calculations based on exposure assessment, determining risks for carcinogens (relative, attributable, excess risk) and non-carcinogens (hazard quotient, hazard index). It is a crucial step in risk assessment to understand the potential risks associated with exposure to contaminants.

• How was this applied to one of the examples given in class?

  • The information provided in the excerpt was likely applied to one of the examples in the class by conducting a risk assessment to evaluate the potential exposure to a contaminant, calculating the risk characterization based on factors like relative risk and hazard quotient, and then determining if risk management was needed based on the results. This process would involve assessing the concentration of the contaminant in different media, identifying exposure routes and duration, and communicating the risks to stakeholders using various risk communication models and factors like trust, familiarity, and fairness.

  • This excerpt provides information on the steps involved in risk assessment and risk communication. For example, in a scenario where a community is exposed to a contaminant through drinking water, the process would involve assessing the concentration of the contaminant in the water, determining the routes and duration of exposure, calculating the risk characterization including relative risk or hazard quotient, and finally, if the risk is deemed unacceptable, implementing risk management strategies to reduce exposure. Risk communication would be crucial in informing the community about the risks, educating them on protective actions, and involving them in decision-making processes.

Von Hippel

• One health definition

  • One Health is an approach that recognizes the interconnection between human health, animal health, and environmental health. It involves collaboration across multiple disciplines to achieve optimal health outcomes for all. This approach considers the impact of environmental factors, such as climate change and pollution, on the health of both humans and animals. It also emphasizes the importance of disease surveillance, antibiotic resistance, and food safety in promoting overall well-being.

• What is a sentinel animal?

  • A sentinel animal is an animal used to detect the presence of disease in humans or other animals. They act as an early warning system for potential health threats. In subsistence communities, companion animals like dogs can serve as sentinel animals by showing signs of diseases that could also affect humans, helping to protect the community.

• Global distillation, bioaccumulation, biomagnification

  • Global distillation is a process that involves the movement of substances between different regions based on their properties like evaporation and deposition rates. In high latitudes, deposition is greater than evaporation, while in low latitudes, evaporation exceeds deposition. This global mobility pattern influences the distribution of substances in the atmosphere.

  • Bioaccumulation is the process by which chemicals accumulate in living organisms over time. In the Arctic, fat-soluble contaminants like PCBs accumulate in animals such as bowhead whales, walruses, and seals due to the cold climate. This bioaccumulation poses a risk to human health when consuming these contaminated animals.

  • Biomagnification is the process through which contaminants such as heavy metals like manganese (Mn) accumulate in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain. As organisms consume prey with higher contaminant levels, these contaminants accumulate in their bodies. This process leads to higher concentrations of contaminants in organisms at the top of the food chain. In the context of the provided text, the trophic ecology of an animal plays a crucial role in determining its bioaccumulation of Mn. Animals higher up in the food chain, such as predators, tend to have higher levels of Mn due to biomagnification.

• Impact of Mn on One Health

  • Manganese (Mn) can impact One Health by exacerbating seasonal health declines in quolls, affecting their immune function, locomotion, and cognition, and potentially disrupting endocrine function. This research suggests that Mn can have detrimental effects on the health of wildlife populations, highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental health, animal health, and human health in the concept of One Health.

• Pollution in the Arctic

  • Pollution in the Arctic is a significant concern due to the accumulation of chemicals like PCBs in traditional subsistence foods such as bowhead whales, walrus, and seals. The cold climate in the north contributes to the persistence of these pollutants, impacting the health of Arctic wildlife and indigenous communities like the Yupik people of St. Lawrence Island. The presence of these contaminants poses risks to both human health and the environment in the Arctic region.