Environmental Science Chapter 15
The high death toll ultimately resulting from _____ is caused by malnutrition, increased susceptibility to normally nonfatal infectious diseases, and often-fatal infectious diseases transmitted by unsafe drinking water.
poverty
What is the health damage resulting from exposure to a chemical called?
response
What is the deadliest virus in the world?
influenza/flu
Aids is the leading cause of death for people ages ________ worldwide.
15-49
What chemicals has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed as mutagens that repair DNA damage
As: vinyl chloride Pb:polychlorinated biphenyls Hg
The precautionary principle states that until the harmfulness of a toxin is known, it should be _____.
Avoided or used sparingly or heavily regulated
What kind of hazard is a criminal assault?
Cultural hazards
What is risk management?
Decisions are made about whether and how to reduce a particular risk to a certain level and at what cost
Toxicity partly depends on _____, which determines an individual's sensitivity to a particular toxin.
Genetic makeup
Synthetic chemicals that are molecularly similar to hormones and interfere with the endocrine system are called _____.
Hormonally active agents
Despite the declining risk of harm from infectious diseases, they remain serious health threats, especially in _____.
Less-developed countries
Methyl mercury is considered to be a _____. This is especially dangerous because it persists in the environment and can be biologically magnified in food chains and food webs.
Neurotoxin
What are some of the greatest risks to human health
Poverty, lifestyle choices (tobacco/drinking), air pollution, viral diseases
What is a risk assessment?
Statistical methods are used to estimate how much harm a particular hazard may cause to human health or the environment
What is a risk?
The probability of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss, or damage
In the United States, the most proven way to avoid premature death is to avoid the use of _____.
Tobacco