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56 Cards in this Set
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assesses environmental factors that influence our health and quality of life |
environmental health |
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hazards that arise from processes that occur naturally in our environment and pose risks to human life or health. Humans help cause this with deforestation. |
Physical Hazards: Ex: UV radiation from sunlight, fires, floods, blizzards. |
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Hazards that include many of the synthetic chemicals that our society manufactures, such as pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, and pesticides. (can also be produced naturally like venom). |
Chemical hazards. Ex: hydrocarbons, lead and asbestos, venom |
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Hazards that result from ecological interactions among organisms. |
Biological hazards Ex: malaria, cholera, tuberculosis and influenza |
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when we become sick from a virus, bacterial infection, or other pathogen, we are suffering parasitism by other species that are simply fulfilling their ecological roles. |
infectious disease |
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an organism that transfers the pathogen to the host |
vector Ex. Mosquito, |
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hazards that result from our place of residence, our socioeconomic status, our occupation, or our behavioral choices can be thought of as |
Cultural hazards or lifestyle hazards Ex: drug use, bad diet, smoking |
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The science that examines the effects of poisonous substances on humans and other organiisms |
Toxicology |
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The degree of harm a chemical substance can inflict |
toxicity |
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A toxic substance or poison is called |
toxicant |
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science which deals specifically with toxic substances that come from or are discharged into the environment |
environmental toxicology |
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a highly toxic radioactive gas that is colorless and undetectable without specialized kits |
Radon |
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Long, thin, microscopic fibers that trap heat, muffle sounds and resist fire that can cause lung failure with prolonged exposure |
asbestos: causes asbestosis: can lead to cancer |
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Top three causes of death around the world |
1. Cardiovascular (29%) 2. Infectious diseases (23.4%) 3. Cancer (12.6%) |
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toxic chemicals made in tissues of living organisms |
Toxins |
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A2002 study found that 80% of U.S. streams contain 82 contaminants Antibiotics,detergents, drugs, steroids, solvents, etc. A2006 study of groundwater found 18% of wells and 92% of all aquifers contain 42volatile organic compounds (from gasoline, paints, plastics, etc.) Lessthan 2% violate federal health standards for drinking water |
Synthetic chemicals in our drinking supply |
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BPAis linked to cancer, nerve damage, and miscarriages Inextremely low doses§Usedto make hard plastic found in hundreds of products Cans,utensils, baby bottles, laptops, toys BPA leaches into food, water, air, and bodies |
93% of Americans have it in their bodies Negative effects occur at extremely low doses BPA mimics estrogen, a female hormone In lower levels than set by regulatory agencies |
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What percentage of our lives do we spend in doors |
90% |
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caused by lead, a heavy metal; damages the brain, liver, kidney, and stomach. Also cause learning problems |
lead poisoning |
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a group of chemicals with fire-retardant properties. Used in computers, telecisions, plastics, and furniture. Mimic hormones and persist and accumulate in living tissue |
Polybrominated dephenyl ethers (PRDE's) |
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toxicants that over-activate the immune system. Cause an immune response when one is not needed. Not a universal toxicant since it only affect some people |
allergens |
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toxicants that affect the endocrine (hormone) system = chemical messenger system |
endocrine disruptors. Ex: Bisphenaol A |
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toxicants that assault the nervous system. Ex animal venom, heavy metals, pesticides and chemical weapons |
neurotoxins |
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chemicals that cause birth defects in embryos |
teratogens |
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sustances that cause cancer: cells grow uncontrollably, damaging the body |
carcinogens |
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substabces that cause DNA mutations |
Mutagens |
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high exposure to a hazard for short periods of time is called |
acute exposure Ex. ingestion, oil spills, nuclear accident |
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low exposure for long periods of time |
chronic exposure |
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the drug banned in the 1960 for causing birth defects and is now studies for the sake of treating Alzheimers |
thalidomide |
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toxicants that interrupt vital biochemical processes in organisms by blocking one or more steps in important biochemical pathways |
pathway inhibitors Ex. Rat poisons, some herbocides (atrazine) and cynide |
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is an inevitable and sometimes unforeseen chain of events due to an act affecting a system. Can threaten ecosystem fuctioning |
cascading impacts |
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What are the two ways toxicants can travel? |
By air and water |
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The property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a solution of the solute in the solvent. One of the most important characteristics in determining the movement of a toxin |
Solubility |
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Fat soluble compounds. They are stored in body fat and persist for many years |
Hydrophobic |
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Water soluble compounds mover rapidly through the environment and have access to cells |
Hydrophilic |
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simpler products that toxicants degrade into |
breakdown products Ex. DDT degrades int DDE |
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process of toxicants building up in animal tissues to greater concentration than in the environment |
bioaccumulation |
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process that occurs when concentrations of toxicants become magnified in higher levels of the food chain |
bio-magnification |
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large-scale comparisons between exposed and unexposed groups. Can last years, yield accurate predictions about risks |
epidemiological studies |
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"everything is poisonous, yet nothing is poisonoous" |
Paracelsus
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testing method that measures the effect a toxicant produces or the number of animals affected at different doses |
dose-response analysis |
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the type of magnitude of megative effects |
response |
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the amount of toxicant required to kill (lethal dose) or show symptoms in 50% of the test subjects |
LD50 |
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the level of toxicants that causes 50% of test subjects to be effected in some way |
ED50 |
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a level below which no effect occurs and above which effects begin to occur |
Threshold effect |
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interactive impacts that are greater than the sum of their constituent effects |
synergistic effects |
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scientific process of estimating the quantitative threat that particular hazards pose to human health |
risk assessment |
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the quantitative description of the likelihood of a certain outcome |
probability |
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consists of decisions and strategies to minimize risk |
risk management |
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The two approaches for determining safety |
1. innocent-until-proven-guilty (US) 2. precautionary principle (Europe) |
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directs the EPA to monitor thousands of industrial chemicals manufactured in or imported into the US. Can ban substances that pose excessive risk |
Toxic Substance Control Act: |
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Charges the EPA with "registering' new pesticides manufacturers want to market |
Federal insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) |
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EU's program that shifts to burden of proof for safety to industry. Precautionary principle. Chemicals producing over 1 metric ton must be registered |
Registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals (REACH) |
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NOTE: Carbon dioxide has increased from from about 292ppm (parts per million) to over 360 PPM over the last 100 years. |
From lab |
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two methods for tworting the growing levels of CD in the autmosphere |
1. Change the way we burn fossils fuels 2. Plant more trees (6 CO2 + 6 H2O + sunlight ---> C6H12O6 + 6 O2) AKA Carbon Credit |
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the measure and study of relative growth of a part in relation to an entireorganism or to a standard |
allometry: first describe by Galileo Galilee |
