PH 161 Final Study Guide

Studies conducted by the US Public Health Service in the 1920s observed that people who drank water containing this chemical had far less tooth decay than those who drank water absent this chemical:

Fluoride

Which of the following is not an example of a non-degradable constituent of sewage?

Lead [Notable examples of nondegradable constituents are those that contain inorganic substances, such as ordinary salt and the salts of heavy metals (for example, lead, mercury, and cadmium).] pg. 193

Approximately 500 years ago who proposed pedestrian and vehicle travel within cities be separated?

Leonardo DaVinci

The white-footed mouse is the host for transmitting what arthropod-borne disease?

Lyme disease

Which disease is the most common arthropod borne disease in the United States?

Lyme disease

In the United States, the abbreviation MCL refers to

Maximum contaminant level

At any one time, the total number of insects on Earth is believed to be approximately:

1 million trillion

Chronic short term toxicity studies are generally conducted over what proportion of the life span of an animal

10%

According to the International Labour Office how many children between 5 and 14 years of age work fulltime

100 million

What percentage of the US is not served by sewer systems?

30-35%

The use of tobacco in the United States is believed to produce how many excess deaths per year?

450,000

How many tons of waste are generated in the United States each year?

6 billion

The personal environment and lifestyle account for what percentage of deaths in the United States

70%

By volume, the major share of low-level radioactive waste is produced by:

All answers are correct: Industrial organizations, medical programs, and nuclear power plant operators. [Low-level radioactive wastes, which represent by volume more than 80 percent of the total radioactive waste generated by the commercial sector, include those produced through the operation of nuclear power plants and related industrial facilities, the decommissioning and decontamina- tion of nuclear facilities, and the use of radioactive materials in medicine, research, and industry.]

The 1987 reauthorization of the Water Quality Act (AKA Clean Water Act) provided for:

All answers are correct: Municipal stormwater discharge permits, control of non point sources of waste, industrial stormwater discharge permits.

The major benefit of toxicological studies over epidemiological studies is that epidemiological studies

All these answers are correct: do not assess causation are not preventative or predictive do not assess levels of exposure

Which association prepares and publishes standard method for sampling and analyzing contaminants in drinking water?

American Water Works Association [To encourage the use of up-to-date methods, the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environmental Federation cooperatively prepare and publish on a periodic basis a book of standard methods for the sampling and analysis of a wide range of physical, chem- ical, and bacteriological contaminants in drinking water] pg. 174

A test used to measure the mutagenicity of a chemical is

Ames test

Water is: a) resistant to ultraviolet radiation b) responsible for the transmission of 80% of all illnesses c) a poor carrier of pathogenic bacteria d) effective at inactivating Giardia Iamblia

B [In fact, water may serve as the vehicle for the trans- mission of as much as 80 percent of all illnesses.] pg. 167

The process whereby a body of water become over-enriched with nutrients and becomes biologically more productive is known as:

Eutrophication [Another emerging problem is the discharge of excess nutrients into lakes and coastal waters. Notable examples are detergents, fertilizers, and human and animal wastes. One of the most important impacts of such discharges into lakes is a process called eutrophication, through which a lake becomes biologically more productive. This can lead to flourishing blooms of toxic blue-green algae.] pg. 197

Which of the following is true? a) septic tank systems are designed to separate solids from the liquid and permit the solids to pass through to the drain field where they are digested b) approximately 25% of existing septic tanks malfunction c) pit privies account for 30-35% of all on-site surface sewage-disposal systems precipitation d) the purpose of a drain field is to provide subsurface irrigation to nearby vegetation

B is correct [about one-quarter of the existing tanks malfunction either periodically or continually. The most common result is that the effluent is not absorbed and breaks through to the ground surface or finds its way into a groundwater source. In either case, the surface soil or a potential drinking-water supply is subject to bacterial and viral contamination.] pg. 191 A is incorrect because solids do not pass through to the drain field, they remain in the tank and it is recommended to have them removed every 3-5 years. C is incorrect, about 30-35% of people are served by on-site subsurface sewage-disposal system, most often septic tanks. D is incorrect, [The purposes of the drain field are several. It acts to disperse the septic- tank effluent over a wide area and thus promotes infiltration of the waste into the soil. Furthermore, natural bacterial populations in the soil con- tinue the digestion of soluble organic materials in the septic-tank effluent. The soil also acts as a filter mechanism to adsorb pathogenic organisms remaining in the waste.] pg. 191

Under the 1972 Amendments to the Clean Water Act all waste water treatment plants in the US must have what forms of treatment

Both primary and secondary [Under the 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, all wastewater-treatment plants in the United States must also provide secondary treatment.] pg. 203 [Primary treatment, as noted earlier, involves holding the sewage in a settling tank to permit the removal of solids by sedimentation.... Secondary (or biological) treatment is accomplished through use of a trick- ling filter, the activated sludge process, or a waste stabilization pond. The first two methods are aerobic; the last combines aerobic and anaerobic systems. As previously noted, the overall objective is to make conditions ideal for biological stabilization. No special organisms are added; those that are necessary develop and flourish naturally.] pg. 203

The program designed to stimulate the cleanup and revitalization of properties, and restore their usefulness is known as the:

Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative [The Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative is designed to stimulate their cleanup, revitalize the properties, and restore their usefulness. Recognizing the benefits of this program, many state and local governments have agreed to provide economic incentives to private- sector companies that redevelop such areas. Such incentives include grants, tax exemptions or abatements, low-interest loans, waiver of impact and permit fees, expedited development approvals, and marketing and promotional assistance.]

Dissolved oxygen (DO) may become too low to support fish and other aquatic life when:

Consumption of oxygen exceeds supply [It is when the consumption of oxygen exceeds the supply that problems develop. At this point, the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) may become too low to support fish and other forms of aquatic life.] pg. 196

Modern advances in the detection of biological and chemical contaminants in water have NOT resulted in the following:

Continuation of difficult and tedious measurements pg. 174

Which of the following statements is true? a) approximately 95% of rural households depend on surface water as a source of supply b) approximately 95% of households depend on a cistern as source of supply c) approximately 95% of households depend on urban water delivery systems as a source of supply d) approximately 95% of rural households depend on groundwater as a source of supply

D pg. 195

Malaria rated worldwide began to increase following the ban of:

DDT

Raising and lowering the water in lakes and reservoirs is designed to:

Disrupt the life cycle of the mosquito

According to the Council on Environmental Quality, which region of the United States typically receives more than twice as much precipitation as the areas of the Rocky Mountains?

Eastward of the Mississippi River pg. 161

Primary treatment of liquid waste consists of:

Holding the wastes in a tank to permit settling of the solids. [Primary treatment, as noted earlier, involves holding the sewage in a settling tank to permit the removal of solids by sedimentation.] pg. 205

What is NOT a principle type of well

Piloted Principle types of wells include those that are driven, dug, or drilled

Which of the following substances would be most toxic based on their LD50

Morphine

Those disposal sites with the highest levels of contamination and that pose the most serious threats to health are placed on the:

National Priorities List (NPL) [CERCLA, more commonly referred to as the Superfund Act, authorized the EPA to investigate various waste disposal sites and to identify them as potential Superfund sites. By 1994, more than 40,000 such sites had been so identified. Those sites with the highest levels of contamination and deemed to present the most serious threats to health are placed on what is called the National Priorities List (NPL)] pg. 236

According to the EPA 140,000 deaths in the US were due to smoking. Of these what number were attributed to second hand smoke?

None of the above This includes an estimated 35,000 deaths attributable to cancers in people who are subjected to secondhand smoke.

The concentration of suspended solids and the nutrient content of liquid waste are measurements of:

Polluting potential [these methods are generic in nature and provide a broad measure of the polluting potential of the waste, not the identities of the individual contributors. One indicator is the concentration of suspended solids. Another is its nutrient content. Still another is the amount of chlorine required to oxidize the organic matter in the waste. The acidity or alkalinity of the waste may also be used as an indicator of its polluting potential, or "strength."] pg. 202

The 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act required all wastewater treatment plants to:

Provide secondary treatment [Under the 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, all wastewater-treatment plants in the United States must also provide secondary treatment.] pg. 203 [Overall, the methods for the treatment of municipal sewage and other types of nontoxic liquid wastes are divided into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary treatment consists of holding the wastes undisturbed in a tank for a sufficient period of time to permit the solids within the waste to settle and be removed. Secondary treatment is the use of the previously discussed biological processes for oxidizing the organic matter in the waste. Tertiary treatment involves a variety of processes tailored to the intended uses of the finished product. One of the more common tertiary or advanced methods for treating liquid wastes is very similar to the coagulation, settling, and filtration processes used in treating surface waters to make them acceptable for drinking.] pg. 203

Environmental heath is considered a segment of

Public Health

Black flies can cause which disease?

River blindness

Which disease is not transmitted by mosquitoes?

Salmonellosis (They DO transmit lymphatic filariasis, malaria, and West Nile virus)

For those not served by a sewer system, the most common sewage disposal system is

Septic tank

The early sewer systems from the mid 1800's

Served as conveyance system to transport waste to nearby water bodies [Hamburg, Germany, constructed the first comprehensive sewer system in 1843... followed by almost 500 years a much simpler system that had been built in Paris, France... Even so, in all cases these systems served only as a vehicle for transporting the wastes for discharge into a nearby river or lake. Although some of the sewage in the smaller cities in Europe was used to irrigate nearby farm- lands, this disposal method proved impractical and unsanitary for all but the smallest cities] pg. 192

The activated sludge process refers to:

Sewage aeration [Secondary (or biological) treatment is accomplished through use of a trickling filter, the activated sludge process, or a waste stabilization pond. The first two methods are aerobic; the last combines aerobic and anaerobic systems. As previously noted, the overall objective is to make conditions ideal for biological stabilization. No special organisms are added; those that are necessary develop and flourish naturally.] pg. 205 [The activated sludge process is another form of aerobic secondary treatment for municipal sewage. Sewage is sent into a large open tank, where it is held for several hours and its oxygen content maintained by means of aerators (air diffusers) or mechanical agitators (paddles or brushes).] pg.206

Synthetic organic chemicals may be characterized as:

Slow to be altered by biological and chemical transformation. [synthetic organic chemicals, such as DDT and the phe- nols that result from the distillation of petroleum and coal products. Although they can be altered by biological and chemical transformation, these processes are extremely slow.] pg. 193-94

All rats are accomplished:

Swimmers

Which of the following is not true?

The Sanitary Landfill Act (SLA) regulates waste disposal in the United States. [I believe this is actually the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA. The Sanitary Landfill Act does not appear to exist.] [TRUE statements: Hazardous wastes may be determined based on certain characteristics, the RCRA defines solid waste, hazardous wastes may be listed.]

What is biological magnification or bioaccumulation?

The concentrations of certain heavy metals, such as mercury, in plankton, for example, will be higher than those in the water in which they live, and the concentrations in fish will be higher still. The concentrations in birds that feed on the fish will be even higher, perhaps by as much as several hundredfold. This phenomenon is known as biological magnification or bioaccumulation pg. 32

The maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) refers to:

The quantity of pollutants in water conveyance devices

Which of the following is true regarding Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?

There is no apparent safe level

This individual invented the first valveless water-waste preventer:

Thomas Crapper [1872 when Thomas Crapper, later knighted by the queen of England, in- vented the first valveless water-waste preventer. The principles of his de- sign continue in use today.] pg. 189

In the United States the abbreviation TSCA refers to

Toxic Substance Control Act

Which process is NOT used to treat industrial wastes?

Toxicological Physical, chemical, and biological are all forms of treatment listed beginning on pg. 208

According to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) which country generates more municipal solid waste per capita than any other industrialized nation in the world?

United States of America [Today the average person in this country annually produces substantially more than 725 kilograms (1,600 pounds) of municipal solid waste, including almost 70 kilograms (150 pounds) of the previously cited plastics—more municipal solid waste per capita than in any other indus-trialized nation of the world.]

The Culex pipines mosquito is the species responsible for transmitting this newly prominent virus in the Northern sections of the United States:

West Nile virus

There are approximately ______ public water systems in the United States:

[Preparing water for human consumption is a major industry. There are approximately 170,000 public water systems in the United States, of which about 55,000 are community drinking-water systems. The latter serve about 250 million people, about 90 percent of the U.S. population] pg. 174

Integrated pest management refers to:

a comprehensive approach to pest control that involves control through chemical, biological, and mechanical methods

Secondary treatment with the use of a trickling filter reduces BOD through which process?

adsorption ***I could not find the answer in the book, so this is based on process of elimination. Other options were chemical deactivation and biological conversion***

Which of the following is NOT a step in rapid sand filtration

articulation Included steps are rapid mixing, filtration, flocculation and sedimentation

Spent nuclear fuel wastes are currently being stored:

at individual nuclear power plants [The spent fuel wastes now being stored at the individual nuclear power-plant sites, are tentatively scheduled for disposal in an underground geological repository proposed for construction in Yucca Mountain in the southwest region of the state of Nevada. Prior to disposal, the fuel will be enclosed in containers specifically designed to assure long-term reten- tion of the associated radioactive materials. Liquid wastes generated from the chemical processing of spent fuel in past years in the United States solid will be vitrified and sealed in robust containers prior to disposal.]

Biotransformation of foreign substances into more toxic compounds is known as

bioactivation pg. 30

The work of toxicologists include

both art and science

What atmospheric discharges are most closely associated with global warming?

carbon dioxide

Which of the following methods is effective in the control of tick-borne diseases:

chemical repellents such as DEET

This chemical compound has been the source of much consternation because of soil contamination due to the leaching of arsenic:

chromated copper arsenate (In the early 1970s, wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) began to be widely used in the United States for the construction of structures to be used in outdoor land, aquatic, and marine environments. The treatment process, which involves applying the chemical under pressure so that it enters the pore spaces of the wood, was designed to prevent fungal and microbial decay.)

Liquid wastes may be classified as

degradable and non-degradable [A somewhat oversimplified approach classifies such wastes as degradable and nondegradable.] pg. 193

As a disinfectant, ultraviolet radiation:

does not provide residual disinfectant properties

Which of the following is NOT considered to be one of the primary barriers between our internal and external environments?

ear drums Primary barriers include lungs, GI tract, and skin

While bats do transmit disease, they are particularly beneficial to the agricultural economy for the following reason, they:

eat a tremendous amount of insects

In order, the following represents the lifecycle of the mosquito:

egg, larva, pupa, adult

What type of water source is generally considered free of suspended solids, bacteria, and disease-causing organisms?

groundwater pg. 161

Landfill owners and operators must install monitoring systems to detect:

groundwater contamination [Generally, landfill owners or operators must install monitoring systems to detect groundwater contamination. Moni- toring for changes, such as subsidence, that may be indicative of possible problems is encouraged. If contamination is observed, the concentrations must be reduced to assure compliance with federal limits for drinking water. Methane gas that is generated through decomposition of the waste must also be monitored and controlled, if necessary.]

Animal feces commonly serve as the breeding ground of this insect:

housefly

Transfatty Acids are also known as

hydrogenated fats

According to "Healthy People 2010" (USDHHS) which of the following is not considered to be in the top five health indicators?

immunization

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 establishes policies that:

improved the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste ***This is not the answer I selected for the quiz, but looking now at the text below, I believe this is the correct selection*** [Established policy to ensure that pollution is prevented or reduced at source, recycled or treated, and disposed of or released only as last resort; led to substitution of less toxic substances in wide range of industrial processes, with significant reductions in worker exposure]

Which is not the most effective way to control rat populations:

integrated pest management (effective methods are traps, fumigants, and poisons, rat proofing, and eliminating food sources)

The organ responsible for the production of urine is

kidneys

Waterborne diseases:

result from the ingestion of water that contains pathogenic organisms

Which of the following is not a category of effect

retrospective and prospective

Which organ is responsible for excreting most foreign compounds and their breakdown products:

kidneys The principal pathway for excretion of chemicals from the human body is the urine, but the liver (via reabsorption from the bile into the blood and excretion through the bowels) and the lungs (via various clearance mechanisms—Chapter 5) can also be important excretory organs. In gen- eral, the GI tract is not a major route of excretion of toxicants. Among the less significant routes are the sweat glands pg. 30

Approximately what percentage of water on earth is available for human use?

less than 1% 0.3% per pg. 160

The most effective way to reduce the risk of Sin Nombre virus (Hantavirus) is to:

limit human exposure to rodents, and their urine and feces

Mosquitoes are infamous for causing millions of cases of this disease worldwide each year:

malaria

The mosquito Anopheles quadrimaculatus is the principal vector of:

malaria

A substance that causes death when absorbed at a rate of one ounce to a pint would be considered

moderately toxic

As a disinfectant, ozone:

must be generated onsite [Must be generated on-site since it is highly reactive; produces no unwanted by-products and will inactivate viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, includingCryptosporidium; will also reduce tastes and odors and improve coagulation; does not provide a residual] pg. 179

The use of best management practices such as crop rotation, grass strips, and artificial wetland are effective in treating:

non point runoff

Approximately 96.5 percent of Earth's water is contained where:

oceans [The oceans, which are salty, cover about 70 percent of the Earth's surface and contain an estimated 96.5 percent of its water.] pg. 159

Landfills should not be located:

on a floodplane [Landfills must not be located on a floodplain. They must also not be built on wetlands unless the proposed operator can show that the landfill will not lead to pollution. They also cannot be located in areas subject to landslides, mudslides, sinkholes, or major disruptive events such as earthquakes, which could lead to pollution. In addition, they cannot be located near airports, where birds that are frequently attracted to such facilities might constitute a danger to aircraft.] *See page 234 for further guidelines, such as design

The abbreviation "ppm" refers to:

parts per million

Before the sanitary landfill became the standard, most municipal waste was:

placed into a disposal facility where it was periodically burned [Until the mid-twentieth century, most solid or municipal waste took the form of garbage, yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs), newspapers, cans and bottles, coal and wood ashes, street sweepings, and discarded building materials. Most such waste was not considered hazardous and was simply transported to the local land disposal facility or "dump," where it was periodically set on fire to reduce its volume and to discourage the breeding of insects and rodents.]

A hole in the ground with a small closed shelter and toilet built above it is a:

privy [An early and simple method for disposing of human excreta follows this guidance almost to the letter: the pit privy, a hole in the ground with a small closed shelter and toilet built above it. Generally, the hole is ap- proximately 1 meter (3-4 feet) in diameter and about 2 meters (6-7 feet) deep.] pg. 188

Which is a method for minimizing the production of hazardous waste?

separating or segregating waste [Methods for minimizing the production of hazardous waste include the following: Separating or segregating waste at its source to prevent hazardous materials from contaminating nonhazardous waste and thereby making the entire mixture hazardous; Eliminating raw materials that generate a large amount of hazardous waste or substituting raw materials that generate little or no hazardous waste for those that generate a large amount (for example, the use of nonhazardous materials); Changing manufacturing processes to eliminate steps that generate hazardous waste, or altering processes so that the waste is no longer produced (for example, using more effective and efficient methods of applying paints).] pg. 226

Warfarin is a common __________ used to kill rodents:

slow-acting anticoagulant

Which of the following is a significant benefit of polymer coagulants:

sludge reduction pg. 181

In the United States, the primary responsibility for investigating waterborne disease outbreaks is vested in

state, territorial, or local public health departments pg. 172

Excessive withdrawal (pumping) of groundwater can lead to which problematic condition:

subsidence

The primary source of all water on Earth is:

the oceans

Which of the following is environmental health NOT primarily concerned with?

therapy [public health that is concerned with assessing, understanding, and controlling the impacts of people on their environment and the impacts of the environment on them] pg. 1

What is the principal route of excretion from the human body?

urine

A mixed waste, as defined by the Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1992 is:

waste that contains both hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials [Nonhazardous waste is regulated by state and local governments, and includes refuse, garbage, sludge, and municipal trash. Hazardous waste is regulated by the EPA or authorized states, and includes solvents, acids, heavy metals, pesticide residues, chemical sludges, incinerator ash, and plating solutions. Radioactive waste is regulated by the USNRC or agreement states, and includes high- and low-level radioactive waste, naturally occurring and accelerator-produced materials. Mixed waste us regulated by the EPA and USNRC or states, and includes radioactive organic liquids, radioactive heavy metals]