1: What are some of the chronic health effects of exposure to Benzene?
2: What are some of the potential sources of Benzene in the environment?
Some sources are evaporating gasoline and tobacco smoke.
3: Why is it so hard to link health problems to toxic air pollution?
Chemical plants are following all the laws so far.
4: Why it is said that between a state of health and a state of disease is a gray zone of
suboptimal health, a state of imbalance?
The person could probably not be diagnosed but still could not be healthy.
5: Explain what happened at Lake Nyos, Cameroon.
A large amount of CO2 was suddenly released. Later an earthquake was able to move water and the CO2 upwards which then made it move quickly into the air. The concentration killed the nearby villages and animals.
6: What is the difference between a pollutant and a contaminant?
Pollutants are unwanted and contaminants are just unfit for a particular use.
7: Define the following:
• Toxin:Substance poisonous to living things
• Toxicology:Study of toxins
• Carcinogen:Toxin able to raise the risk of cancer
• Synergism:Interaction of different substances
• Point sources: Give example:Way of introducing pollutants ex:smokestacks
• Area sources (non-point): More diffused over land. Give example: Urban runoffs
• Mobile sources: Give example:Automobile exhaust
8: Define the following: (Identify when they are used)
• ppm:Parts per million
• ppb:Parts per billion
• mg/L: milligrams of of toxins per liter
• μg/m3:micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter
9: What is an Infectious Agent? (Give examples):
An interaction that is able to spread diseases.
11: What are some common heavy metals found in the environment? What health
hazards can they pose to humans
Quantity of heavy metals.
13: Define biomagnification/bioaccumulation:
accumulation of a substance in a living tissue
14: Describe how Cadmium is a good example of biomagnification.
Increases risk of heart disease through the environment like ash.
15: How does Mercury enter the environment?
Volcanoes and erosion of mercury deposits.
16: Define Methylation:
complex biogeochemical cycles
Read: A Closer Look 10.2- Mercury and Minamata, Japan
What are the 4 major factors that must be considered in evaluating and treating toxic
environmental pollutants?
18: Define: Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) and describe the properties that define
them
19: Give some examples of HAA’s:
20: Explain how PCB’s are harmful (found in plastics):
PCB's stay in the substances where ever they go and never leave.
Read: A Closer Look 10.4- Demasculinization and Feminization of Frogs
21: How can Thermal Pollution affect a body of water and it’s biodiversity? Explain.
Warm water hold less oxygen than cold water.
22: What are examples of particulates?
23: Why is asbestos harmful to humans?
It can lead to asbestosis and cancer.
24: How can EMF (Electromagnetic Fields) be harmful to humans?
They mess with the earth's magnetic field and can transition into leukemia
25: How is noise pollution measured?
Decibels
26: What are some voluntary exposures to pollutants?
27: What is meant by the quote, “everything is poisonous, yet nothing is poisonous”?
Explain.
28: Describe the “dose-response”. Draw and label the generalized dose-response curve.
Explain each step.
29: Define the following:
• LD-50:crude approximation of chemical toxicity
• ED-50:does causing effect in 50% of the subjects
• TD-50:dose that is toxic to 50% of the subject
30: Explain the concept of a threshold dose:
It is a level below which no effect occurs and above which effects begin to occur
31: Define:
• Behavioral tolerance: Results from changes in behavior
• Physiological tolerance:Results from the body adjusting to the pollutant.
• Genetic tolerance: Adaptation
32: Explain the difference between an acute and chronic effect.
acute: occurs after exposure
chronic: occurs after a long time.
33: Explain the steps of risk assessment:
34: What is the precautionary principle?
if an action or policy is suspected of causing risk then the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking an action.
35: What is the main point of the discussion about lead in the bones of children and
behavior?
Lead is poisonous and affects nearly every system in the body.
36: Why is it difficult to establish standards for acceptable levels of pollution? In giving
your answer, consider physical, climatological, biological, social, and ethical reasons.
It is difficult because the climate continues to change and people also live in different climates. Some climates such as living in the cold trap a lot of pollution but other places that are hot make it hard to find a right concentration of pollution for the people that live in each environment.
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Irritation
- Respiratory tract
2: What are some of the potential sources of Benzene in the environment?
Some sources are evaporating gasoline and tobacco smoke.
3: Why is it so hard to link health problems to toxic air pollution?
Chemical plants are following all the laws so far.
4: Why it is said that between a state of health and a state of disease is a gray zone of
suboptimal health, a state of imbalance?
The person could probably not be diagnosed but still could not be healthy.
5: Explain what happened at Lake Nyos, Cameroon.
A large amount of CO2 was suddenly released. Later an earthquake was able to move water and the CO2 upwards which then made it move quickly into the air. The concentration killed the nearby villages and animals.
6: What is the difference between a pollutant and a contaminant?
Pollutants are unwanted and contaminants are just unfit for a particular use.
7: Define the following:
• Toxin:Substance poisonous to living things
• Toxicology:Study of toxins
• Carcinogen:Toxin able to raise the risk of cancer
• Synergism:Interaction of different substances
• Point sources: Give example:Way of introducing pollutants ex:smokestacks
• Area sources (non-point): More diffused over land. Give example: Urban runoffs
• Mobile sources: Give example:Automobile exhaust
8: Define the following: (Identify when they are used)
• ppm:Parts per million
• ppb:Parts per billion
• mg/L: milligrams of of toxins per liter
• μg/m3:micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter
9: What is an Infectious Agent? (Give examples):
An interaction that is able to spread diseases.
11: What are some common heavy metals found in the environment? What health
hazards can they pose to humans
- Mercury
- Lead
- Nickel
- Gold
Quantity of heavy metals.
13: Define biomagnification/bioaccumulation:
accumulation of a substance in a living tissue
14: Describe how Cadmium is a good example of biomagnification.
Increases risk of heart disease through the environment like ash.
15: How does Mercury enter the environment?
Volcanoes and erosion of mercury deposits.
16: Define Methylation:
complex biogeochemical cycles
Read: A Closer Look 10.2- Mercury and Minamata, Japan
What are the 4 major factors that must be considered in evaluating and treating toxic
environmental pollutants?
18: Define: Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) and describe the properties that define
them
- have carbon based molecule structure
- polluting and toxic
- made artificially
- soluble in fat
19: Give some examples of HAA’s:
- herbicides
- pesticides
- phthalates
20: Explain how PCB’s are harmful (found in plastics):
PCB's stay in the substances where ever they go and never leave.
Read: A Closer Look 10.4- Demasculinization and Feminization of Frogs
21: How can Thermal Pollution affect a body of water and it’s biodiversity? Explain.
Warm water hold less oxygen than cold water.
22: What are examples of particulates?
- Volcanic ash
- Heavy metals
- sulfur dioxide
23: Why is asbestos harmful to humans?
It can lead to asbestosis and cancer.
24: How can EMF (Electromagnetic Fields) be harmful to humans?
They mess with the earth's magnetic field and can transition into leukemia
25: How is noise pollution measured?
Decibels
26: What are some voluntary exposures to pollutants?
- tobacco
- alcohol
- drugs
27: What is meant by the quote, “everything is poisonous, yet nothing is poisonous”?
Explain.
28: Describe the “dose-response”. Draw and label the generalized dose-response curve.
Explain each step.
29: Define the following:
• LD-50:crude approximation of chemical toxicity
• ED-50:does causing effect in 50% of the subjects
• TD-50:dose that is toxic to 50% of the subject
30: Explain the concept of a threshold dose:
It is a level below which no effect occurs and above which effects begin to occur
31: Define:
• Behavioral tolerance: Results from changes in behavior
• Physiological tolerance:Results from the body adjusting to the pollutant.
• Genetic tolerance: Adaptation
32: Explain the difference between an acute and chronic effect.
acute: occurs after exposure
chronic: occurs after a long time.
33: Explain the steps of risk assessment:
- Identify the hazard
- dose response assessment
- exposure assessment
- risk characterization
34: What is the precautionary principle?
if an action or policy is suspected of causing risk then the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking an action.
35: What is the main point of the discussion about lead in the bones of children and
behavior?
Lead is poisonous and affects nearly every system in the body.
36: Why is it difficult to establish standards for acceptable levels of pollution? In giving
your answer, consider physical, climatological, biological, social, and ethical reasons.
It is difficult because the climate continues to change and people also live in different climates. Some climates such as living in the cold trap a lot of pollution but other places that are hot make it hard to find a right concentration of pollution for the people that live in each environment.