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Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
b.
subchronic effect
c.
acute effect
d.
subacute effect
e.
superacute effect
55. You are an aquatic biologist studying a small lake. The stream that drains into this lake runs by croplands. You are
detecting a pesticide called atrazine in the insects and worms that live in the lake. The predatory birds such as herons and
egrets have very high concentrations of atrazine in their blood. The birds prey on the frogs and small fish. What condition
best explains the high atrazine level in the birds?
a.
acute effects experienced by the birds
b.
consumption in amounts larger than the lethal dose
c.
chronic residual effects in the birds
d.
biological accumulation and magnification
e.
an increase in ecological toxicity
56. What percentage of synthetic chemicals commonly used today has been adequately tested to determine if they are
mutagens, carcinogens, or teratogens?
a.
90%
b.
75%
c.
50%
d.
25%
e.
2%
57. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently recommends that regulators assume children face a risk factor
____ times that of adults when exposed to carcinogenic chemicals.
a.
5
b.
10
c.
25
d.
50
e.
100
58. What is a chemical’s median lethal dose?
a.
This is the dose where an animal would be expected to show an acute response.
b.
This corresponds to the highest point on a dose-response curve.
c.
This is the level that a chemical becomes slightly toxic.
d.
This is the dose that can kill 50% of the animals in a test population within a given time period.
e.
This is the dose that will kill most of the medium sized animals in a test population.
59. ____ can be limited in many cases, because too few people have been exposed to high enough levels of a toxic agent
to detect statistically significant differences.
a.
Risk assessment
b.
Risk management
c.
Epidemiological studies
d.
Persistence samples
e.
Toxicological studies
60. What is the greatest threat to global human health?
a.
poverty
b.
air pollution
c.
cancer
d.
tobacco
e.
pneumonia and flu
61. Some research indicates that ____ causes people to overestimate risks and to worry more about unusual risks more so
than common risks.
a.
a lack of control
b.
fear
c.
the level of catastrophic risk
d.
optimism bias
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
e.
instant gratification
62. What is the preventive strategy that would contribute most to longer lifespans?
a.
Do not smoke.
b.
Get regular exercise.
c.
Practice safe driving techniques.
d.
Avoid alcohol consumption.
e.
Avoid risky practices such as flying.
63. Human reliability is generally ____ technology reliability.
a.
much greater than
b.
slightly greater than
c.
slightly lower than
d.
much lower than
e.
the same as
64. How would decreasing human reliability while maintaining the same level of technological reliability affect the
system reliability?
a.
The answer would depend on what kind of system is being used.
b.
The system reliability would stay the same.
c.
The system reliability would increase.
d.
The system reliability would decrease.
e.
The system would become increasingly stable.
65. What is a principle that can help us evaluate risk?
a.
When faced with a risk, make comparisons with other risks.
b.
Focus on the lowest level of risk in every situation.
c.
Consult with a risk evaluation expert.
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
d.
Follow media reports on current risk levels of emerging technologies.
e.
Avoid all synthetic chemicals.
66. Malaria is transmitted by 60 species of the ____________________.
67. The overuse of ____________________ can cause bacteria to develop genetic resistance.
68. A(n) ____________________ is the probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death,
economic loss, or damage.
69. The process of using statistical methods to estimate potential harm from a particular hazard is called
____________________.
70. A(n) ____________________ is a disease caused by a pathogen such as a bacterium, virus, or parasite that invades the
body and multiplies in its cells and tissues.
71. A(n) ____________________ is a toxic agent that can cause birth defects.
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
72. Nitrous acid (HNO2), formed by the digestion of nitrite (NO2) preservatives in foods, can cause
____________________ that are linked to increases in stomach cancer in people who consume large amounts of
processed foods and wine containing such preservatives.
73. A(n) ____________________ effect is an immediate or rapid reaction to exposure to a harmful substance.
74. The third largest viral killer in the world is ____________________.
75. Although it has been largely phased out in most countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the limited
use of ____________________ to control the spread of malaria.
76. The chemicals PCBs, arsenic, and lead are all examples of ____________________.
77. Some organisms live on or inside other organisms and feed on them, and can cause serious infectious diseases,
including malaria. These are known as ____________________.
78. A global-scale outbreak of an infectious disease such as tuberculosis or AIDS is called a(n)
______________________________.
79. An important breakthrough to help prevent death from dehydration for victims of severe diarrhea has been the
development of _________________________.
80. An alternative approach to combating _____________ is to provide free or inexpensive insecticide-treated bed nets to
poor people in the regions most affected.
81. The immune system has specialized cells and tissues that protect the body against disease and harmful substances by
forming ____________________, which are specialized proteins that render invading agents harmless.
82. It is estimated that approximately one of every 12 women of childbearing age in the United States has enough
____________________ in her blood to harm a developing fetus.
83. The ____________________ system is a complex network of glands that release tiny amounts of hormones into the
bloodstreams of humans and other vertebrate animals.
84. Some studies have shown that exposure of human babies to the group of hormonally active agents called
____________________ may correspond with early puberty in girls and male infertility.
85. Examples of chemicals that can be ____________________ include DDT, PCBs, and methylmercury.
86. Water bottles can contain ____________________, which is an estrogen mimic that is used as a hardening agent in
certain plastics.
Objective Short Answer
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
Figure 14.5 for questions 1-4
87. In the accompanying figure, how many more women between 20 and 24 years of age would survive if AIDS were
eradicated?
88. In the accompanying figure, how many more men between 20 and 24 years of age would live if AIDS could be
eradicated?
89. In the accompanying figure, in what age range are men more likely to die from AIDS than females?
90. In the accompanying figure, in what age range are females more likely to die from AIDS than males?
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
Figure 14.11 for questions 7-9.
91. On the accompanying graph, what dose in hypothetical units did it take to kill 25% of the population?
92. Describe at least one principle that can help us to evaluate and reduce risk.
93. Discuss at least one of the factors that explains why most people do a poor job at evaluating risk.
Chapter 14 - Environmental Hazards and Human Health
Figure 14.11 for questions 7-9.
94. On the accompanying graph, explain what the designation LD50 means.
95. What purpose does the accompanying graph serve in our challenge of evaluating hazardous chemicals?
96. Since the AIDS virus has reduced life expectancy in some sub-Saharan African countries by as much as 20 years, the
result is that some countries, such as Botswana and Zimbabwe, will each lose half of their adult population within a
decade. Briefly discuss the implications of this tragedy.
97. Discuss the specific hazards we face from infectious diseases and exposure from chemicals and make a general
statement about how we can reduce these major risks.
98. Discuss why estimating risks from technologies is difficult.
99. Explain why infants and children are more susceptible to the effects of toxic substances than adults.
100. Explain the following statement (quotation at the beginning of Chapter 15) made by the German scientist Paracelsus:
“The dose makes the poison.”
