Lecture 1

Question 1

How many chemicals are there in commerce?

Answer 1

85,000 - 350,000

Question 2

Of 3,000 HPV, what % have basic risk information?

Answer 2

Only 7% of these chemicals have all 6 of the most basic screening tests

Question 3

Globally, rivers that serve __ people are plagued by chemical, biological, and physical stressors?

Answer 3

5 billion

Question 4

NAQS = ____________________

Answer 4

National air quality strategy

Question 5

How many Americans live in areas that are above NAQS

Answer 5

1/3 of Americans

Question 6

How many litres of air do you inhale per day?

Answer 6

11,000 L

Question 7

How many people die prematurely each year because of pollution?

Answer 7

10 million

Question 8

GBD = _____________

Answer 8

Global burden disease

Question 9

Name some groups that are vulnerable to pollution?

Answer 9

• Old
• Young children
• Pregnant
• Poor

Question 10

What was the position of the Lancet Commission on pollution and health?

Answer 10

• Pollution kills, tremendous GBD
• We have not dealt with it properly
• Vulnerable groups are disproportionately impacted
• Health and environment is linked with economic and human rights
• Win-win-win solutions exist
• Canada can provide global leadership

Question 11

Define bioavailability:

Answer 11

it is how much a chemical can actually be consumed by the body

Question 12

What is one of the most polluted place in the world?

Answer 12

The Arctic

Question 13

Give an example of NIMBY:

Answer 13

Sarnia, located between Ontario and Michigan, a lot of industries are installed there and there’s a neighborhood nearby. The pollution caused by the industries contained some endocrine disruptors that affected the sex ratio.

Question 14

Who are the main drivers of pollution?

Answer 14

Humans

Question 15

Why is Agbogbloshie ranked the most polluted place worldwide?

Answer 15

Because it is one of the largest electronic waste dump worldwide

Question 16

DDT appeared as a contaminant around the __________

Answer 16

1950s

Question 17

What are the most recent contaminants (1990s) ?

Answer 17

Endocrine disruptors (PCBs, pesticides)

Question 18

In the 1850s industrial soot caused melanism of ______

Answer 18

moths

Question 19

What is the dilution paradigm?

Answer 19

The solution to pollution is dillution

Question 20

What is the boomerang paradigm?

Answer 20

What you throw away can come back and hurt you

Question 21

What principle states that: When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically

Answer 21

The Precautionary Principle

Question 22

DDT =

Answer 22

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

Question 23

DDT = _______________ + __________________

Answer 23

trichloroethanol + chlorobenzene

Question 24

Good boomerang example is ____

Answer 24

DDT

Question 25

T or F: Hormones like cholesterol & testosterone possess the same type of structure as DDT (very strong / resilient)

Answer 25

T

Question 26

T or F: DDT has a planar structure (benzene rings are not going to split up easily)

Answer 26

T

Question 27

T or F: DDT is fat soluble and readily crosses biological membranes

Answer 27

T

Question 28

What chemical was the 1st modern pesticide?

Answer 28

DDT

Question 29

DDT is a contact ________________________

Answer 29

poison against several arthropods/insects

Question 30

Paul Muller in 1939 discovered what ?

Answer 30

DDT

Question 31

Whar is the mechanism of action of DDT?

Answer 31

It opens the sodium (Na) channels in insect neurons which causes hyperstimulation, spasms and death

Question 32

DDT can treat malaria, _________ and _________

Answer 32

Dutch elm disease and gypsy moths

Question 33

What happens if DDT loses 1 Cl?

Answer 33

A C=C bond will form, different metabolites can be more toxic than the original DDT because they can bind to more compounds in the body

Question 34

Fate: T or F: DDT is considered a persistent chemical?

Answer 34

true, it has a half life of 2-15 years

Question 35

DDT builds up in the food chain (biomagnification) because it is _______________

Answer 35

lipophilic / accumulates in fatty tissues

Question 36

DDT biomagnifies ______________

Answer 36

10-million-fold

Question 37

What species are at risk of DDT?

Answer 37

- high trophic birds (ie: falcons) - direct effects on humans: minimal - indirect effects on humans: numerous

Question 38

Anthropogenic =

Answer 38

coming from human activity

Question 39

DDT is not banned in ______________

Answer 39

south african countries, because Malaria is very present

Question 40

Stockholm Convention =

Answer 40

2001, changing attitude towards nature

Question 41

Name 2 risks of using DDT:

Answer 41

1) Ecosystem wide effects | 2) Long-term consequences are unknown (precautionary principle)

Question 42

Name 3 benefits of using DDT:

Answer 42

1) DDT eradicated malaria in N.America/Europe 2) 500 million people contract 3) kills 1% (children under age of 5, African, poor)