Exam 14: Environmental Health and Toxicology

Louis Guillette is well known for his studies of _____________.

_____________ are substances that cause birth defects.

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. -A naturally occurring substance that is potentially toxic to people is _____________.

How is the precautionary principle used in environmental health? What is an alternative philosophical approach?

Debate over the use of DDT to control malaria is likely to continue. However, over the past several decades, much has been learned about how this insecticide works, and why its extensive use poses an environmental concern. Discuss three characteristics of this chemical that cause it to be problematic.

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. -Based upon the specific health effects described in the scenario, mercury would be best classified as a _____________.

The worldwide drop in sperm counts among men has been attributed to _____________.

Toxicant used as a flame retardant and insulator; carcinogen and scars the lungs when inhaled

_____________ are substances that cause cancer.

The Toxic Substances Control Act regulates _____________.

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. -Of the chemicals that fall under the Toxic Substances Control Act, ____________% have been thoroughly tested for toxicity and ____________ have been tested for endocrine, nervous, or immune system damage.

Most widely used herbicide in the United States; an endocrine disruptor

Toxicant potentially present in paint; damages the brain, liver, kidney, and stomach when ingested