Exam 3: Information Literacy:toxic Bottles on the Trail of Chemicals in Our Everyday Lives- Human Populations and Environmental Health

Carefully weighing the risks and benefits associated with any chemical is known as _______.

Describe what it means to be a critical thinker. List four measures that should be included in a critical thinker's skill set.

The time it takes for a substance to decay in the environment is called ________.

Jenny McCarthy has a son with autism, which she believes was directly caused by childhood vaccinations he received. She has drawn attention to this anecdotal evidence in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Her appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show caused parents across the nation to question whether they should immunize their children. In fact, several diseases that had been controlled in the United States have recently reappeared as more children now go unvaccinated. Meanwhile, no peer-reviewed scientific study to date has shown a correlation with the immunizations and autism. Your spouse recently asked you for your opinion as to whether or not your child should be vaccinated. Explain to him/her the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in this example and which should carry more weight in making an informed decision. What other information would you want to know in order to form your decision?

Which uses for BPA were of the most concern to families, and why?

Which of the following are components of a critical thinker's skill set?

Which of the following is NOT a part of critical thinking?

Infographic 3.5 -Refer to Infographic 3.5. How do steroid hormones and their mimics do their work?

-Refer to Table 3.1 Which logical fallacies listed in the figure are used to sway the reader in the following example? The proposed Keystone pipeline from Canada to refineries in the Gulf is not safe and should be opposed. The British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil spill wreaked havoc even while those top oil executives made record-breaking profits.

What is the relationship between persistence and biomagnification?

Epidemiological studies show an association of increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in people with higher BPA concentrations found in their urine. Design an in vivo (manipulative) experiment using lab animals as a model for humans to show a cause-and-effect relationship between BPA and cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

What did we learn about endocrine disruptors from the DES given to pregnant mothers between 1938 and 1971?

What is the rule of thumb that calls for leaving a safety margin when the data about a particular substance's potential for harm are uncertain, and where the substance may cause unexpected or unpredictable effects?

Why are water-soluble chemicals sometimes safer for humans but not for the environment?

In order for individual consumers to decide for themselves whether they will purchase products containing BPA, what two things do they need to know?

-Refer to Table 3.1, Which logical fallacies listed in the figure are used to sway the reader in the following example? Genetically modified (GM) foods do not pose a safety concern and should not be labeled. We would need to label the majority of food products available today since most already contain GM products. By including GM crops in agriculture, we have been able to greatly increase yields and feed more people. If GM foods were dangerous, we would have seen the effects already in the population.

Toxicologists are scientists who study ________.

Which of the following is the term for chemicals that work together in the body to produce toxic effects greater than the sum of their individual effects would predict?

The ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information is called __________.

-Refer to Table 3.1. Which logical fallacies listed in the figure are used to sway the reader in the following example? Marijuana should be the preferred treatment for glaucoma. It is effective and safe, as it is a naturally occurring plant. The only reason it is not used more is government opposition.