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