environmental health final Flashcards
(104 cards)
1
Q
what are the characteristics of heavy metals?
A
tend to be toxic to living things, space gravity is greater than 5, and they have a high atomic number
2
Q
list some of the major metals with multiple effects
A
arsenic, beryillium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel
3
Q
list of essential metals with the potential of toxicity
A
iron, zinc, cooper
4
Q
list of metals used in medical therapy
A
aluminum, platinum, lithium
5
Q
who developed the cercla priority list?
A
the EPA and agency for toxic substances and disease registry
6
Q
what are the top three most toxic substances?
A
1.aresenic, 2.lead, 3.mercury
7
Q
what are the criteria for substances to be added to the priority list?
A
have to have known or suspected toxicity, pose a significant threat to human life, and have potential for human exposure
8
Q
what are some sources of heavy metal contamination?
A
industrialization, urbanization, mining, natural sources, domestic waste, and agriculture
9
Q
what are the main sources of arsenic contamination?
A
wood treated with arsenic based preservatives, fertilizers, naturally occurring in groundwater, and pesticides
10
Q
what are the main sources of lead contamination?
A
pvc pipes, recycled pvc paint, agriculture, jewelry, lead batteries
11
Q
what are the main sources of chromium contamination?
A
steel manufacturing, chrome plating, etc.
12
Q
what are the main sources of mercury contamination?
A
combustion of coal, municipal solid waste incineration, volcanic emissions
13
Q
what are the routes of heavy meta, exposure?
A
inhalation (dust, fumes, and vapors), dermal (contact with dust and consumer products), ingestion (contaminated food or water)
14
Q
in which settings can the routes of exposure occur?
A
occupational settings or low level exposures in the environment
15
Q
define bio accumulation and bio magnification
A
accumulation - concentrations of a substance are absorbed faster than it can be excreted
magnification - these concentration become greater as you move up the food chain
16
Q
what are the different forms of mercury
A
elements, organic, and inorganic
17
Q
emissions of which type of mercury can occur from emissions from burning coal or municipal waste?
A
inorganic and elemental
18
Q
elemental mercury
A
metallic - liquid form of mercury found in old thermometers and light bulbs
19
Q
inorganic mercury
A
made when mercury comes in contact with microorganisms that combine it with other elements to form inorganic salts, can be found in skin lightening products and red dye in tattoos
20
Q
organic mercury
A
methylmercury ( most common form of mercury found in the environment & is highly toxic)
21
Q
exposure to inorganic and elemental mercury usually occurs where?
A
occupationally
22
Q
mercury cycle
A
- mercury is released into the air from emissions from volcanic eruptions, fires and industrial practices
- mercury is then deposited back onto
land contaminating the soil and run off - then undergoes a series of chemical and physical changes from inorganic to organic mercury because it is combined with carbon
- after bioaccumulation and biomagnification begins
23
Q
exposure to methylmercury most occurs from what
A
consumption of fish and shellfish
24
Q
what are the health effects of methylmercury?
A
loss of peripheral vission, muscle weakness, lack of coordination, impaired speech, impaired hearing
in infants: cause impaired neurological development (impaired memory, attention, language, fine motor skills, cognitive thinking)
25
Minimatas Disease
- in 1950’s Japan, minimatas river and bay became contaminated with mercury easter fro. manufacturing companies all throughout the fifties
- 1956: doctor reports a new central nervous system disease that is causing health issues in the people of minimatas (early symptoms - numbness in hands and feet, losing vision fields, muscle weakness, speech impairment, extreme symptoms - insanity, paralysis, coma, death, can also form congenitally in developing babies
- overall 2000 people died and thousands more had lasting health effects
- this is due to the people of minimatas diet relying on fish from the atbsnd with bio accumulation and signification they were consuming high levels of methylmercury
26
where is mercury naturally occurring?
the earths crust and coal deposits
27
T or F: lead is naturally occurring from the earths crusts
true
28
most exposure of lead is due to what
human activities ( consumer products, cosmetics, lead pipes, leaded gasoline, emissions from industrial facilities)
29
T or F: regulatory standards have not done much to reduce lead in air, soil food and water and still poses a very big public health concern
false, it has done a lot to reduce levels but some sources still pose a threat
30
why was lead added to paint?
durability and to resist corrosion
31
Lead in the body
- lead is absorbed very quickly
- is is stored in teeth and bone (this is a concern because the lead can be released during different phases of life into the blood such as pregnancy, menopause, osteoporosis, and aging)
32
what is the half life of lead?
in blood - 30 days
in organs and soft tissue - 4” days
in teeth and bone - 10 - 30 years
33
who are the vulnerable populations for lead exposure?
children ( due to hand and mouth activities where they consume leaf
d paint chips and breath in dust particles) pregnant women ( because it can impact the babies growth and development as well as lead to impacts behaviorally and cognitively
34
lead health effects for adults
cardiovascular impacts, impacts the kidneys (decreased function) causes reproductive issues
35
lead helath effects for pregnant women
- miscarriage or still birth
- preterm birth
- impact the child behaviorally or cognitively
- can impact the babies brain, kidneys, or nervous system
36
lead health impacts for children
- learning or behavioral problems
- low iq
- hyperactivity
- anemia
- slowed growth
- heating problems
37
Flint Water crisis
- April 25th, 2014 - city of flint switched its water supply from lake heron to flint river and there was fecal bacteria found in the water
- water was treated with chlorine but not the proper corrosion prevention which lead to lead being leached into the water from pipes
- once this was realized the city switches back but it was too late the damage was done
- in 2020 the people of flint won the class action law suit against the city and all pipes were supposed to be replaced by 2020, however delays cause not all pipes to be replaced and some are still experiencing contaminated water
38
define energy
the ability to do work, power derived from using physical and chemical resources (especially to provide light and heat or do machine work)
39
what are the two types pod energy sources
non renewable and renewable
40
examples of non renewable energy
petroleum, fossil fuels, coal, natural gas and oils
41
renewable energy sources
wind, geothermal, solar, hydropower, biomass
42
what is BTU? how does it work?
british thermal unit, unit to measures energy across different sources
measures: barrels of oil, cubic feet of natural gas, tons of coal
43
t of f: 1 quadrillion btu = 10^15
true
44
1 quadrillion btu is equivalent to what?
45 million tons of coal, 170 million barrels of oil, 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas
45
what is the number one energy source used in the us?
petroleum (37%),
46
what is the fastest growing energy sources in the us?
solar energy
47
fossil fuel formation: Coal
large plants died in swamps before the dinosaurs, the were then buried under dirt and water for millions of years, heat and pressure then turned dead plants into coal
48
fossil fuel formation: natural oils and gas
tiny sea plants and animals died and were buried in the ocean floor where they were covered with sand and salt, over millions of years they were buried deeper and the heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas, today we drill through silt, sand, and rock to access this oil
49
t or false: waste is not an environmental health challenge
false
50
what is the energy life cycle
initial fuel collection (mining or extraction), transportation (pipelines), energy production ( combustion), waste management (disposal)
51
petroleum (made from and uses)
made from: aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons
- 69% is used for transportation fuel
uses: tires, detergents, furniture, technology
52
Coal
major source of energy
accounts for 9% of energy consumption but 90% is used for electricity production
53
coal is a major contributor to what?
climate change due to co 2 emissions
54
coals is most produced where and in which top 5 states
most produced in the western region of the world, then the appalachia’s
states: wyoming, west virginia, pennyslvania, illinois, montana now kentucky
55
coal mining methods: mountain top mining
can cause disruption of landscape, effect water quality, respiratory issues for workers, mine collapses
56
what are the solid waste impacts of coal
coal sludge that contains toxic heavy metals like cadmium, mercury, chromium, and arsenic
- disposed of in waste pits and landfills
disposal requirements made and regulated by the epa for safe disposal as of 2016
57
what are the water impacts of coal
- coal fired power plants uses millions of tons of water to cool down machinery, clean the coal, transport coal ash, generate steam)
regulated by the clean water act and may contain toxic metals and tear pollutants
58
Natural gas
methane and and small amounts of hydrocarbon (36% overall consumption, 37%is used for electricity power, 32% is industry, 26% residential and commercial
59
what are the types of gas reserves
- conventional (large well connected poors at allow for the easiest extraction)
- tight - ( small poorly connected poors - can still access gas it’s just not as easy as conventional)
- shale (very small hardly connected poors - cannot use same extraction methods for this as you can tight and conventional)
60
what is fracking and which type of oil reserve is it used for
fracking is hydronic fracturing of rock, you drill downward then horizontally for a mile, after injects millions of gallons of water mixed within silica and chemicals to blast the rock open
this is used for shale reserves
61
what is left over after fracking
production tree
62
what are the effects of fracking and energy production of community helath?
increased truck traffic, increase in violence and sti’s rates due to man camps, increase in accidents and noise
63
what are compressor stations?what is the issue with these?
how we love natural gas from the place it was extracted to another
- need large water pressure to get the
jung’s to move smoothly
stations are intervaled every 50-100 miles along the pipeline
- these are per meme at structures taht cause a lot of noise (24 hrs a s day 7 days a week)
64
Nuclear energy
created using uranium however the uranium will run out
- very powerful, mined from sandstones, and requires nuclear fission (neutron bombards the uranium atom that creates energy)
65
t or false: nuclear energy is a good energy source
true
66
t or false: nuclear energy is not generated and stored in the same place
false it is
67
air pollution generated from energy production accounts for what?
52,000 premature deaths a year
68
what are the effects of energy production on air pollution?
air pollutants :
- carbon dioxide - leads to emission of greenhouse gases - leads to climate change
- carbon monoxide - headaches
- oxides of nitrogen and sulfur - respiratory illness and heart disease
- particulate matter - respiratory disease
69
impacts of energy production on water pollution
- acid rain increases the acidity of lakes and streams
- mercury from coal power plants accumulates in the water
- large amounts of water used in fracking and extraction processes
70
impacts of energy production on occupational hazards
-mining accidents with 8% of them globally a year being fatal
- heat, noise, chemical and respiratory exposures
(silica - silicosis, copd, emphysema, coal dust- black lung disease or coal worksers pneumoconiosis)
71
Bio energy sources - Bio mass (derived from a nd examples
derived from plant and animal materials
ex: wood and wood waster, municipal solid waste, bio fuels (ethanol from food crops, second generation biofuel from algae or plant residue, and bio diesel from vegetable or animal fat)
72
———— is the largest source of biomass
wood and wood waste
73
Solar energy
captures solar radiation and turns it into energy
74
what are the two ways to get solar energy?
photovalic cells - sun shines into the solar panels and the cells absorb it - electrons are then discharged and this imbalance creates energy
concentrated solar power - curved mirrors or lenses reflect the sunlight onto a receiver that converts the energy into heat to be stored for later
75
what are the different types of wind power?
wind mills, wind turbines, and small wind power plants
76
wind mills
used to pump ground water the the surface, grind grain, cut wood
77
small wind power plants
provide energy directly to a residence for commercial use
78
wind turbines
wind blows into turbine to rotate machinery and produce electricity
79
what is geothermal energy? ( also transportation method and use)
thermal energy from below the earths surface ( capture heat from the earths crust)
- carried by pipes and circulates through buildings
80
hydrothermal power or hydropower
uses kinetic energy of flowing river to produce energy
81
which of the renewable energy sources is one of the oldest and largest ways to produce energy
hydropower
82
why do we need renewable energy?
it creates jobs, less air pollution, diversify energy mix, provides long term energy security
83
what are the benefits of renewable energy?
less waste and green house gas emissions as well as other air pollutants
84
what are the impacts of renewable energy sources?
wind turbines - produce noise
solar - photovalic cells are made with crystalline silica, silica mining leads to silicosis, copd, and emphysema
hydropower - impacts flow of water, fish migration, and sedimentation
85
what is the future of energy?
- we need to continue investing in renewable sources, lower emission standards and stricter fuel efficiency , we also need to reduce vehicle use
86
what is the food system
production ( raising live stock and crops) ——- processing (packing, harvesting, storing food) ——- distribution (food is sold in markets and stores) ——- consumption ( food is prepared and ate by end user
87
what percent of earths land is habitabke? how much habitable land is used for agriculture? how much of that is used for livestock, crops, and non crops
- 29% of earth is b
habitable
- 45% is used for agriculture (80% for live stock, 16% for crops, 4 for non food crops like cotton
88
what are the types of agriculture
traditional, modern, and sustainable
89
traditional agriculture
using man and animals powers to harvest, cultivate, store and distribute crops while using tools and simple machinery
90
modern agriculture
relies heavily on fossil fuels, and uses machinery, pesticides, and fertilizers
91
sustainable agriculture
maintains healthy soils, cleans waters, promotes genetic diversity essential to crop and livestock production
92
what type of farms produce the most in the us?
large scale farms
93
define pesticides and give examples
substances or a mixture of substances that destroy, repel,prevent or mitigate pests (examples are insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides , herbicides)
94
what are the four major classes of insecticides?
organophosphate, organochlorides or chlorine’s, pyrethoids , and neonicotinoids
95
organophosphate (uses, pros)
- disrupts transmission of nerve signals
agricultural use: control insects on crops, vegetable plots, and orchards
residential use: control insects in homes, offices, and outdoors
pros: do not bioaccumulate, relatively inexpensive, control a wide range of insects, and there’s been no resistance to pesticides from this
96
what are some health effects of organophosphate pesticides?
acute exposure: death, seizures , respiratory weakness, loss of consciousness, abdominal cramping
long term exposure: organophosphate induced polunueropathy (numbness loss of senses and weakness)
97
organochorine pesticides (example, health effects)
persist in the environment so they bio accumulate and bio magnifying ( ex: DDT that was used to control malaria and insect and pest control)
banned in most places because of mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic properties
still used in africa to control malaria the WHOsays the benefits outweighs the cons
causes cancer, reproductive issues, and nervous system, abnormalities)
98
Pyrethroids (types, uses, pros and cons)
paralyze and kill insects
- pyrethrin- naturally occurring from chrysanthemum
- phrethyroid - man made, similar properties to pyrothryin
agriculture: pyrtotherins used in organic farming
residential: kills insects indoors (bombs, bug repellent, lice shampoo)
pros: not very toxic when applied to humans and animals
cons: very toxic to essential insects like bees, and other animals
99
what are the health effects of pyrotherioids
acute; headache , nausea, dizziness
long term: inconsistent results but possibly neurological nuerobehvwioral and reproductive effects
100
t or f: pyrethroids are the most widely used insecticide in the world
false: it’s neonicotinoids
101
neonicotinoids (process, uses, come)
- class so synthetic neurotoxicity insecticide
- absorbed by plant ——> spread through the vascular system —— plant becomes toxic to insects
agriculture: coats seeds and controls insects on crops : controls insects in lawns , gold courses, fle and tick treatment
cons ; remains in soil for years and travels through runoff adversely impact bees, insects, and other animals
102
what are the effects of neonicotinoids
- affects bee aviation and hive productivity
103
why are pollinators important?
for bee keepers and farmers liveliehood, biodiversity in crops, food production, and economic stability
104
