EOH Final Exam

extrapolation

Linear ? of a sub-linear or threshold model may overestimate risk in low dose region

psittacosis

infection in humans - inhalation of aerosolized bacteria or by handling of contaminated feather dander, fecal material or body tissue

biological terrorism

intentional use of biological agents to cause harm, create fear

indoor air pollution

* 1/2 of all people worldwide depend on solid fuel for cooking and heating * poorer people tend to use open stoves that are not vented to the outside * short term problems include conjunctivitis, upper respiratory infection, acute respiratory infection, and carbon monoxide poisoning * long - term associations include cardiovascular disease, COPD, and cancer

Risk characterization

* Plug exposure into dose response model * What is risk? Does it vary across population? * Is it uncertain? What is upper/lower bound?

reference dose

* RfD = NOAEL/ (uncertainty factors * MF)

exponential dose response

* Risk = 1 - exp (-dose *r) * Assumes: * 1. organisms are independent trials * 2. there is a fixed probability that each organism will produce disease * 3. Different individuals are exposed to doses with Poisson variability

acute toxicity

* Threshold phenomenon * observe doses (mg/kg) and effects * identify no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) * extrapolate to humans with a safety factor * RfD (reference dose * below this threshold --> you're good

overt

* announced or threatened * site, agent, timing is known

emergency standards

* available for quick actions (grave danger) * effective immediately * must be replaced by a permanent standard within 6 months

outdoor air pollution

* common effects: respiratory systems - cough, irritation of nose and thread, and shortness of breath * older and younger - most susceptible

Category A

* easily disseminated or spread from person to person * high mortality and PH impact * public panic and social disruption * special action required for PH preparedness - diagnosis, treatment, prevention

surveillance systems

* enable the detection of new health problems and epidemics * provide quantitative estimates of the magnitude of morbidity and mortality * identify potential factors involved in injury and disease occurrence * facilitate epidemiological research * target resources for program intervention * assess the effectiveness of prevention activities

hantavirus

* group of viruses carried by some rodents * human infection - inhalation of or physical contact with mouse/rat urine or droppings

written hazcom program

* implemented and monitored for each workplace * describes labels and other warnings * MSDSs * How employee training and information will be met * Methods to inform for non - routine hazards * contractor precautionary measures

reducing indoor air pollution

* improved cooking devices * use of less polluting fuels * reducing need for fuels by using solar cooking and heating * mechanisms for venting smoke * using dried fuels for cooking * keeping children away from cooking area

ringworm

* lesions in humans and animals are circular, irregular, or diffuse erythema with visible scaling * once treated - environment should be vacuumed and disinfected

sanitation, water, and hygiene

* only 60% of people have access to improved sanitation * 1 bill people lack access to safe water sources * lead to waterborne pathogens associated with diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems

covert

* release without notification * first clues are sick and dead people, days later

types of surveillance systems

* reportable disease/injury * disease/injury registry * sentinel * periodic population surveys * syndromic

NIOSH

* research: develop criteria and recommend standard; conduct and fund * education - support programs to provide future professionals

OSHRC

* review contested citations * set/change penalties

OSHA

* rulemaking promulgating standards * applies to any employee or any employee involved with interstate commerce * enforcement * right of entry, inspection, cite, fine, and require records

specific standards

* specification - stipulate fixed requirements * performance - indicate end results but not method of accomplishment * vertical - specific industries * horizontal - applicable generally

types of risk assessments

* technological * ecological * microbial * cancer * acute toxicity

Purpose of risk assessment

* to find whether a risk is "tolerable" or needs us to take action to reduce hazard * to set a risk level * broader terms: identify risk management strategies * find out what we need to know to solve the problem

reducing outdoor air pollution

* unleaded gasoline * low - smoke lubricants for or banning of two - stroke engines * shifting to natural gas to fuel public vehicles * tightening emissions inspections * reducing the burning of garbage

Contributors to global burden of disease

* unsafe water, hygiene, and excreta disposal * urban air pollution * indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels

fair treatment

no group of people, including a racial, ethnic, or a socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs

n - codes

* "nature of injury" * fracture, dislocation, open wound

urban outdoor pollution

* 1.5% of annual deaths * India and China have major burdens of disease

public health surveillance

"? is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretationof health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluationof public health practice, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those who need to know. The final link in the surveillance chain is the applicationof these data to prevention and control. A surveillance system includes a functional capacity for data collection, analysis, and dissemination linked to public health programs.

e - codes

* "external cause of injury" * motor vehicle traffic crash, fall, sharp object

short term exposure limit

15 minute TWA that should not be exceeded at any time

hazard quotient

? = dose/Rfd * For ?<1 the exposure should be safe * For ? >1 it is hard to conclude given the many safety factors used

average daily dose

? = exposure * contact rate* uptake *duration / (body weight * lifetime)

dose

? = exposure *dosimetry factors * (absorption percentage) * ? - how much reaches the body per kg body weight * ? = (concentration * time) contact rate* uptake factor/body weight

exposure

?= concentration * time * (how much is in the environment or medium)

Exposure Assessment

How much is ingested, inhaled/absorbed

Hazard Identification

Qualitative: what may cause problems? What are the pathways of exposure?

Dose Response

What are the effects of different amounts of ingested, inhaled/absorbed substance?

Influenza A

Which is the most common influenza

strategic national stockpile

a national repository of life - saving pharmaceuticals and medical material

procedural inequity

addresses questions of fair treatment: the extent that governing rules, regulations, and evaluation criteria are applied uniformly

vector

agent that carries and transmits disease

time weighted average

average concentration over an 8 hour workday

social inequity

environmental decisions often mirror the power arrangements of larger society and reflect racial biases in the U.S.

meaningful involvement

community residents have an opportunity to participate in decisions about a proposed activity that will affect their environment and/or health

risk

probability * consequence

salmonellosis

reptiles and amphibians are a primary source

zoonotic diseases

result of animals passing infectious organisms to people

ceiling

should not be exceeded during any part of the working exposure

geographical inequity

some neighborhoods, communities, and regions receive direct benefits, such as jobs and tax revenues, from industrial production while the costs, such as the burdens of waste disposal are sent elsewhere

permanent standards

usually recommended by NIOSH, public hearing, cost benefit analysis, published in federal register

unintentional injury

what is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for people between the ages of 1 and 44?