ENVR 22- testbank
1) The Inuit people are at greatest risk to the biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants because in their ecosystems the Inuit people are functioning as A) primary producers. B) primary consumers. C) secondary consumers. D) decomposers and detritus feeders.
C
12) Determining a discrete threshold level of exposure is most difficult for A) all carcinogens. B) most acids. C) all salts. D) almost all bases
a
13) When exposure to a substance is below the threshold level, we expect to see A) no ill effects. B) acute but no chronic effects. C) chronic but no acute effects. D) short-term but no long-term effects.
a
14) After cleaning up a lawn mower, Jason piles up a bunch of gas and oil soaked rags in the corner of the garage. During the night, the rags undergo spontaneous combustion, setting fire to the garage before the fire could be extinguished. According to HAZMAT guidelines, these rags exhibited a dangerous level of A) ignitability. B) toxicity. C) neutrality. D) corrosivity.
a
2) Most persistent organic pollutants enter food webs at the level of A) primary producers. B) primary consumers. C) secondary consumers. D) decomposers and detritus feeders.
a
21) By design, the molecules that resist biodegradation and include some of the most problematic persistent organic pollutants are the A) synthetic organic compounds. B) inorganic compounds. C) recycled organic compounds. D) chlorinated heavy metals.
a
22) Brightly colored antique children's toys from before 1970 may be colored with paints that are contaminated with A) heavy metals. B) toxic plastic compounds. C) synthetic organic compounds. D) synthetic inorganic compounds.
a
23) Heavy metals can quickly move through ecosystems because they A) are soluble in water as ions and as a few other compounds. B) quickly dissolve in the fats of animals. C) quickly become incorporated into sugars and starch. D) easily clump together and bind tightly to soil compounds
a
26) Hard plastic bottles commonly used by hikers often contain the chemical A) BPA, which is a hormone mimic and may pose a health hazard. B) phenolphthalein, which has been clearly shown not to have significant health effects. C) PERC, which may result in minor skin rashes and other allergic reactions. D) PCBs, which may interfere with thyroid gland function.
a
27) Using its authority from a new rule issued under the Clean Air Act in 2011, the EPA A) can require a 90% reduction of mercury emissions from power plants. B) can reintroduce leaded gasoline beginning in 2014. C) can permit chromium, tin and arsenic in fungicides dispensed with fertilizers. D) will require coal-fired power plants to remove heavy metals from coal before it is burned.
a
32) In January 2010, three California Condors died when they accidentally ate lead ammunition used to kill the animals they were consuming. The California Condors' deaths represent an example of A) acute toxic effects of consuming high levels of lead. B) chronic toxic effects of lead resulting from biomagnification. C) chronic toxic effects of lead resulting from bioaccumulation. D) chronic toxic effects of lead resulting from biomagnification and bioaccumulation
a
4) POPs such as dioxins and PCB's are transported into arctic ecosystems and food chains by A) global air patterns and then deposited on snow from where they enter streams and plankton. B) being eaten by fish when toxic materials are dumped into oceans. C) local industries run by native people which use toxic chemical processes. D) ocean currents which contaminate local streams.
a
47) A large tank truck carrying crude oil turns over on a major interstate highway, spilling its oil onto the grass at the edge of the road. To remove much of the oil from the soil, oxygen and special bacteria that consume oil are added to the soil. This form of cleanup illustrates A) bioremediation. B) phytoremediation. C) hydroponic intervention. D) remediation by incineration.
a
56) Some of the worst new hazardous waste sites that will require cleanup using Superfund (SARA) money instead of private resources are A) military bases. B) soil immediately surrounding the buildings of an oil refinery. C) in states that border an ocean. D) in rural agricultural environments.
a
6) Bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastics in bottles and can liners A) mimics estrogen and can potentially cause disruption of human reproduction and development. B) causes mutations similar to those caused by UV light and X-rays. C) has been tested by the European Commission and found safe for human consumption. D) has been withdrawn from manufacture and use in the United States.
a
65) When driving down the highway, the backs of many trucks have HAZMAT signs with blue, red, and yellow sections. These signs indicate A) the type of hazardous material being transported. B) the amount of hazardous material being transported. C) the type and amount of hazardous material being transported. D) the source of the hazardous material being transported.
a
76) Many companies have reduced their generation of toxic wastes and saved money by A) recycling toxic materials. B) using different combinations of toxic materials. C) purchasing toxic materials from other companies. D) developing more on-site toxic waste storage facilities.
a
17) Osmium tetroxide is widely used in electron microscopy because it is an excellent lipid fixative. However, osmium tetroxide can quickly cause irritation of the eyes and skin. Therefore, when handling osmium tetroxide, people should use a chemical hood and wear gloves to protect again osmium tetroxide's A) ignitability. B) toxicity. C) photoreactiviity. D) corrosivity.
b
18) In general, the most hazardous of all HAZMAT materials are those that demonstrate high levels of A) ignitability. B) radioactivity. C) photoreactivity. D) corrosivity
b
24) Some of the most toxic organic compounds, widely used in plastics, pesticides, and solvents, are the A) heavy metals. B) chlorinated hydrocarbons. C) sulfated hydrocarbons. D) radioactive hydrocarbons.
b
25) Lingering in a long line at the dry cleaners, waiting for holiday clothing, a woman starts to feel dizzy and tired with a quickly developing headache. Someone suggests that her symptoms might be from breathing something used in the shop. A substance that can cause such symptoms, and is commonly used in dry cleaning, is a A) heavy metal. B) halogenated hydrocarbon, PERC. C) radioactive hydrocarbon. D) safe and gentle natural compound.
b
28) At the Stockholm Convention of 2004, A) all attending nations signed a pledge to prohibit manufacture and use of BPA. B) several of the most toxic POPs were banned or restricted. C) funds were made available to clean up toxic chemical spills in developing nations. D) the European Union lifted its ban of BPA.
b
30) The widespread poisoning of the nervous systems of people living in the fishing village of Minamata, Japan, in the mid-1950s revealed the toxic consequences of environmental pollution by A) lead. B) mercury. C) PERC. D) halogenated hydrocarbon pesticides.
b
31) Today, one of the continuing threats to the consumption of large quantities of fish and shellfish from around the world is exposure to toxic levels of A) lead. B) mercury. C) sodium. D) copper.
b
39) Which one of the following hazardous-waste disposal methods is safest with regard to ground/drinking water pollution and involvement in ecosystem food chains? A) a secure landfill B) a deep-well injection C) an on-site surface impoundment D) a best-demonstrated available technology
b
41) The disaster of Love Canal in New York in the 1970s illustrated the problem of A) unsafe nuclear waste disposal. B) unsafe toxic waste disposal. C) management of on-site surface impoundments. D) health problems resulting from processing of electronic wastes.
b
42) The cleanup of hazardous waste accumulated in orphan sites is complicated because A) most of the waste is buried below the water table. B) there is no responsible party to clean up the waste. C) the chemicals have evaporated before they could be removed. D) there are no longer places available to dispose of hazardous wastes.
b
46) An abandoned field in an industrial region has been found to contain high levels of nonbiodegradable organic compounds. Recognizing the specific nature of the contaminants, plants that accumulate these chemicals are grown on the soil and then disposed of as toxic waste. This cleanup method illustrates A) bioremediation. B) phytoremediation. C) hydroponic intervention. D) remediation by incineration.
b
53) All of us help to pay for the cleanup of leaking gasoline storage tanks when we A) purchase groceries. B) purchase gasoline. C) pay our federal income taxes. D) pay sales taxes on anything we buy
b
54) The LUST fund would most likely be used to address the cleanup of A) any Superfund site with the highest priority. B) leaking, buried gasoline storage tanks. C) radioactive wastes buried in the soil. D) sites in which bioremediation is used
b
55) Which of the following methods would be most effective at the cleanup of soils at hazardous waste sites eligible for LUST funds? A) phytoremediation B) bioremediation C) reverse osmosis refinement D) hydroponic intervention
b
57) Many brownfield sites involve social issues centering around A) the precautionary principle. B) environmental justice. C) ecosystem restoration. D) environmental economics.
b
64) The safe movement of hazardous materials by rail or highway in the United States is regulated by A) individual states and cities. B) the Department of Transportation. C) the regulations of the RCRA. D) the Justice Department.
b
75) Which of the following best illustrates a pollution prevention strategy? A) using bioremediation or phytoremediation to remove hydrocarbons spilled into soils B) increasing the mileage rates on automobiles C) chemically treating discharges from sewage treatment plants D) tracking the movements of toxic wastes
b
8) Getting ready to mow the lawn, Jerome spills gasoline on his hands as he tries to fill up the gas tank on the mower. About an hour later, his skin is very red and itches intensely, and he just does not feel well. Jerome is experiencing A) chronic effects of a carcinogen. B) acute toxicity from the gasoline. C) metabolic relief from a toxin. D) chronic effects of toxic components of gasoline.
b
9) In your laboratory, you open a jar of a chemical that is known to have a very low LDL0. Therefore, your concerns about the safe handling of this chemical are primarily about A) acute toxic effects. B) chronic effects. C) immediate health effects. D) radioactive exposure.
b
16) Picric acid is always stored wet, often in glass bottles in water. If the crystals dry out, they can explode! Therefore, picric acid demonstrates high levels of A) ignitability. B) toxicity. C) reactivity. D) corrosivity.
c
20) In the United States, the Toxics Release Inventory monitors and reports the release of more 600 chemicals from A) industries, small businesses, and homes. B) industries and small businesses but not homes. C) industries but not small businesses or homes. D) natural sources, such as volcanoes and natural oil spills.
c
29) Most thermometers used by students in laboratories contain alcohol, which replaced A) lead, known to cause insanity and crippling birth defects. B) lead, known to cause mental retardation. C) mercury, known to cause insanity and crippling birth defects. D) mercury, known to cause mental retardation.
c
49) In general, since its creation in 1980, the Superfund cleanup program has resulted in A) fewer than 10 sites receiving all the necessary cleanup. B) only about 100 sites receiving all the necessary cleanup. C) about a thousand sites receiving all the necessary cleanup. D) the necessary cleanup of more than 99% of all Superfund sites.
c
5) Because of their specific effects exerted by mimicking hormone chemical structure and function, hazardous chemicals that are endocrine disruptors will cause abnormal events in A) the musculoskeletal system. B) digestion and absorption of foods. C) growth, metabolism and reproduction. D) vision, hearing and taste.
c
52) The new federally funded Brownfield Act has been a success by providing cleanup of real or perceived sites of environmental contamination that are not serious enough to reach Superfund status. This has been especially important in the creation of A) waterways for the transportation of coal and oil. B) new national parks in several states. C) economic development in disadvantaged communities. D) new wildlife refuges for outdoor recreation and conservation purposes.
c
63) The new RCRA requirements for the disposal of toxic wastes will prevent midnight dumping by A) requiring all landfills to have a permit. B) requiring all toxic wastes to be converted to forms that will not leach. C) tracking the generation, movement, and disposal of all wastes. D) banning the disposal of all toxic wastes anywhere in the United States.
c
74) The location of hazardous waste sites and hazardous facilities in the United States is most related to the A) occupations of the people living in the affected region. B) income and sex of the people living in the affected region. C) race and income of the people living in the affected region. D) mobility and diversity of the people living in the affected region.
c
11) The threshold level for harmful effects of toxic pollutants is most closely related to the A) first appearance of chronic effects. B) duration of exposure. C) concentration of exposure. D) concentration and duration of exposure.
d
15) The chemistry professor warned the students that you never store acids in metal containers because acids demonstrate a high level of A) ignitability. B) toxicity. C) reactivity. D) corrosivity.
d
19) In general, the release of toxic chemicals to the environment over the past 30 years has A) increased dramatically in the United States, doubling about every ten years as the U.S. population has increased. B) increased slightly in the United States, about 10% per decade, as the U.S. population has increased. C) remained steady in the world, despite increases in the world's population. D) greatly declined, by more than 50%, despite increases in the world's population.
d
3) Given the history of biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in British Columbia ecosystems, we would expect to find the highest concentrations of POPs in A) water in the oceans. B) algae in the oceans. C) salmon living in the oceans. D) grizzly bears that eat the salmon from the oceans.
d
40) Concerned with the expensive disposal of their hazardous wastes, a company learns that it can purchase another chemical that will neutralize the company's hazardous wastes into a nontoxic form. The strategy used by this company is most consistent with which of the following hazardous-waste disposal system methods? A) secure landfill B) deep-well injection C) on-site surface impoundment D) best-demonstrated available technology
d
44) The cleanup of toxic wastes at orphan or abandoned sites, without responsible parties, is largely addressed by A) local governments. B) state governments. C) money raised from gasoline taxes and pollution fines. D) federal superfund money.
d
45) As of 2012, more than 70% of the cost of toxic waste cleanup for most sites has been paid for by A) increasing taxes in the region affected. B) increased sales taxes in the affected state. C) federal dollars in the Superfund. D) the polluters.
d
60) Discharge permits and the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act A) do not allow any wastes to be dumped into natural waterways. B) limit the type but not the amount of wastes dumped into natural waterways. C) limit the amount but not the type of wastes dumped into natural waterways. D) limit the type and the amount of wastes dumped into natural waterways.
d
62) Because of the RCRA, disposal facilities for solid wastes on land must A) be sanctioned by permit. B) pretreat toxic wastes to convert them to forms that will not leach. C) track the generation, movement, and disposal of all wastes. D) do all of these activities.
d
7) Despite much evidence to the contrary, BPA manufacturers claim the chemical is perfectly safe and to ban it would do great damage to the food industry. To ban BPA would be in harmony with A) the "guilty until proven innocent" policy. B) cost and benefit analysis. C) putting profits on a par with consumer safety. D) the precautionary principle.
d
