Deck 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology

Question 1

Which would not be characteristic of a disease such as the recent outbreak of cholera and Ebola

A) They are caused by pathogenic organisms.
B) They are called communicable diseases.
C) They are called emergent diseases.
D) They are happening more often in the past 20 years.
E) They are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Answer 1

They are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Question 2

Detection of toxic chemicals depends upon

A) how many chemicals are present.
B) how many individuals respond to them at a certain dosage.
C) the sensitivity of measuring techniques and how many chemicals are present.
D) whether or not individuals or groups of individuals are sensitive to them.
E) whether or not groups of individuals are sensitive to them.

Answer 2

the sensitivity of measuring techniques and how many chemicals are present.

Question 3

Toxic substances are dangerous because they

A) react or interfere with specific cell functions.
B) can physically remove or tear tissues.
C) are usually synthetic.
D) cause debilitating, parasitic diseases.
E) cause excessive water accumulation in tissues.

Answer 3

react or interfere with specific cell functions.

Question 4

Most people do their own personal risk assessments based upon

A) scientific data.
B) whimsical preference devoid of logic.
C) logical reasoning about relative risks.
D) personal biases and preferences as well as logic.
E) statistical probabilities.

Question 5

Hazardous substances ______________ while toxins are ______________.

A) react with specific cell components to kill cells; poisonous substances
B) are dangerous substances; poisonous substances
C) are usually of concern at all concentrations; are dangerous substances
D) All of these are True.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is True?

A) If a substance is toxic, its toxicity is highly dependent on its form and where it is present in the environment.
B) If a substance is toxic, it is equally toxic regardless of its form or where it is present in the environment.
C) The most important factor in the toxicity of a substance is the route by which it enters our bodies.
D) None of these statements are True.

Question 7

Highly persistent toxic chemicals

A) retain their toxicity as they cycle through the food chain and environment.
B) lose their toxicity once released in the environment.
C) accumulate within one organism but break down at higher trophic levels.
D) are highly unusual among artificial chemicals.
E) are usually not that toxic in their life span.

Question 8

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism is defined as

A) Bioaccumulation
B) Body Burden
C) Mutagen
D) Biomagnification
E) Carrying Capacity

Question 9

Examples of POPs, persistent organic pollutants, include all of the following except

A) Phthalates
B) Perchlorate
C) PDBEs
D) PFOs
E) Phosphates

Question 10

An LD50 (lethal dose 50%) is a dose of a toxic chemical that

A) is an acceptable level of risk for most individuals.
B) all individuals react to.
C) kills individuals 50 years old and over.
D) is 50 times less than the minimal dose.
E) kills half of the population.

Question 11

The biomagnification of DDT demonstrates that

A) higher trophic level organisms can concentrate toxins in a type of "inverse biological pyramid."
B) birds should not depend on fish for food.
C) DDT is easily metabolized and excreted by most organisms.
D) DDT is an extremely water-soluble material.
E) water-soluble toxins are widespread.

Question 12

Based on what you know of risk assessment, which of the following factors would not explain the seemingly irrational behavior of a father who smokes (high risk factor for baby) throwing away his baby's teething rings that may contain phthalates (seemingly low risk factor for baby).

A) People tend to downplay risks that are associated with activities they are committed to or enjoy.
B) Most people do not understand the concepts of probability.
C) News media can give a biased view of hazards.
D) People tend to have an irrational fear of certain technologies that are not as well understood.
E) People recognize the risk of man-made objects but not those of natural (tobacco) objects.

Question 13

When comparing the toxicity of natural and synthetic chemicals, natural chemicals are ________ synthetic chemicals.

A) nearly always less toxic than
B) nearly always more toxic than
C) on average, just as toxic
D) much safer
E) more difficult to detect

Question 14

Infectious diseases such as diarrhea are closely linked to

A) emotional stress.
B) malnutrition.
C) toxicity effects.
D) emotional stress

Question 15

The World Health Organization regards health as primarily a matter of ________ well being.

A) physical
B) mental and physical
C) social and mental
D) physical, mental, and social
E) physical and social

Question 16

Which of the following would not be among the most important characteristics of chemicals in determining their environmental risks is/are

A) solubility.
B) reactivity.
C) persistence.
D) toxicity.
E) dose.

Question 17

Historically, the greatest threats to human health came from

A) carcinogenic or toxic chemicals.
B) psychological stress factors due to crowding.
C) pathogenic organisms.
D) teratogenic chemicals.
E) injuries (intentional and unintentional).

Question 18

An advantage of testing for toxicity by exposing animals to chemicals is that using animals is

A) cheaper than other methods.
B) faster than other methods.
C) usually quite humane.
D) easier than using computer models.
E) a trusted and usually reliable way to get results.

Question 19

Infectious diseases that were previously not known or described for at least the prior 20 years

A) Ecological Diseases
B) Disease
C) Infectious Diseases
D) Emergent Diseases
E) Native Diseases

Question 20

The cutting of rainforests causes a lack of normal water flow into the soil. Puddles of water can stand for long periods. Which of the following statements best explains how rainforest destruction is closely tied with human morbidity and mortality?

A) The elimination of top consumers can favor disease-carrying organisms.
B) Mosquitoes with an aquatic larval form spread many highly contagious diseases.
C) The standing water is used for drinking and disease organisms in the water cause diarrhea.
D) All of these explain the connection between rainforest destruction and human morbidity and mortality.

Question 21

Historically, which of the following considerations in setting standards for toxic exposure has been emphasized the least?

A) Information about how toxins affect natural ecological systems.
B) Different members of the population have different sensitivities to toxins.
C) Information about both chronic and acute exposures to a toxin.
D) The bioaccumulation potential of the toxin.

Question 22

Pathogenic organisms are those that are susceptible to diseases.

Question 23

The EPA usually assumes an acceptable risk for environmental hazards is about 1 in

A) 100
B) 1000
C) 10,000
D) 100,000
E) 1 million

Question 24

With respect to exposure to toxins which statement is correct?

A) Acute effects are much worse than chronic effects.
B) Acute effects are not as bad as chronic effects.
C) Acute effects are the immediate results of a single exposure, chronic effects are those that are long-lasting.
D) Acute effects are permanent, chronic effects may be short or long term but go away over time.

Question 25

Two problems encountered in human health risk assessment are _______________________ and ___________________.

A) use of chemical mixtures; lack of knowledge about synergistic effects
B) lack of funding for federal mandates; lack of public support
C) extrapolation of data to low doses; extrapolation of data from non-human species to humans
D) lack of planning; the involvement of politics

Question 26

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and Ebola fever are examples of emergent diseases.

Question 27

Which of the following presents the greatest lifetime risk of death to people in the US?

A) poisonous snakes
B) dog bites
C) plane crashes
D) lightning
E) drowning

Question 28

A factor responsible for the fast spread of emergent diseases is high population density.

Question 29

Policy makers should utilize a(n) ____________ approach to setting environmental risk standards.

A) zero tolerance
B) precautionary
C) case-by-case
D) restrictive

Question 30

As a society, we usually focus money and attention on health risks that are

A) most serious.
B) easiest to clean up.
C) most well publicized and frightening.
D) easiest to research.

Question 31

Which of the following presents the lowest lifetime risk of death to people in the US?

A) poisonous snakes
B) dog bites
C) plane crashes
D) lightning
E) drowning

Question 32

A chemical that causes abnormalities in a growing fetus is called a(n)

A) teratogen.
B) mutagen.
C) carcinogen.
D) endocrine disruptor.

Question 33

Organisms are physiologically able to minimize some of the effects of toxins if

A) a minimal amount is taken into the body.
B) there is no exposure.
C) chemists develop vaccines and antibodies
D) DNA technology is used to change the individual's susceptibility.

Question 34

In 1918 a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people.

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of a neurotoxin?

A) Malaria
B) Formaldehyde
C) Mercury
D) DDT

Question 36

An allergen

A) is a toxic substance.
B) is a natural pathogen.
C) over-stimulates the immune system.
D) attacks the nervous system.