Exam 14: Environmental Health and Toxicology

Carcinogens may be difficult to identify because ____________.

Tyrone Hayes is well known for his studies of _____________.

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below. Mercury is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in minerals and rocks. Release of mercury from natural sources has been relatively constant over time. However, anthropogenic release of mercury has increased significantly in recent years primarily due to increased fossil fuel mining and combustion. Mercury that is released into the air eventually ends up in soils or surface water. Once in water, microbes convert mercury into methyl mercury, which is absorbed quickly and concentrated in the tissues of predatory fish such as shark and swordfish. Large fish typically concentrate more mercury than small fish. People who eat fish with high methyl mercury concentrations can show tremors, deafness, muscle incoordination, and attention deficits. Pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to methyl mercury's toxic effects. Learning disabilities and developmental delays are common in children who have been exposed to significant levels of methyl mercury. -Mercury is not readily excreted; it is stored in mammalian body tissues. This is best described as ____________.

Transport of airborne toxicants, a specific problem in agricultural environments, is called pesticide ____________.

Briefly comment on the research to determine the toxicity of bisphenol- A (BPA). Also, explain why this topic represents a challenge to scientific integrity and credibility and the implications for national and international policies that depend on the research of this compound.

PCB contamination ____________.

Explain how response to hazards can vary based upon individual differences and type of exposure. Give examples, where appropriate.

Insecticide used to kill mosquitoes; banned in the United States in 1973 due to its toxicity

Bisphenol- A is _____________.

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring focuses primarily on the environmental problems associated with _____________.

Explain what endocrine disruptors are, and give examples. Explain why endocrine disruptors are a problem for humans, and discuss why they have not been banned.

The bald eagle and peregrine falcon are ____________.

Used as a sleeping pill for pregnant women; teratogen that now is banned

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. Mercury is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in minerals and rocks. Release of mercury from natural sources has been relatively constant over time. However, anthropogenic release of mercury has increased significantly in recent years primarily due to increased fossil fuel mining and combustion. Mercury that is released into the air eventually ends up in soils or surface water. Once in water, microbes convert mercury into methyl mercury, which is absorbed quickly and concentrated in the tissues of predatory fish such as shark and swordfish. Large fish typically concentrate more mercury than small fish. People who eat fish with high methyl mercury concentrations can show tremors, deafness, muscle incoordination, and attention deficits. Pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to methyl mercury's toxic effects. Learning disabilities and developmental delays are common in children who have been exposed to significant levels of methyl mercury. -Prior to 2005, no rules regulating mercury emissions from coal- fired power plants existed in the United States. This represents the _____________.

Explain and give an example of biomagnification.

What are the properties of toxicants that are likely to build up in animals through bioaccumulation?

List the environmental factors and chemical properties that determine the rate of degradation of toxicants.

What does the field of environmental health encompass?

The Yaqui Valley, Mexico, study showed that ____________.

The effect of a toxicant on fetuses and young children _____________.