Human Health and the Environment Quiz 3

In a landmark epidemiological study of ambient air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities found a ____ higher mortality rate in the city with the highest pollution compared to the city with the lowest

26%

According to the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, ambient particulate matter, one type of air pollution, was responsible for over _____ premature deaths and ________ of global disability-adjusted life years in 2010

3,200,000, 3.1%

Suppose your local health department hired you to oversee climate change planning and preparedness. What steps would you take in your first sixty days on the job? In your first year?

Public health response: adaptation Adaptation aims to reduce the public health impact of climate change Corresponds to public health preparedness Requires forecasting, vulnerability assessment vegetation, building placement, white roofs, and architectural design can reduce the urban heat island effect and therefore electricity demands for air conditioning

The most widely supported economic strategy for combatting climate change is

Putting a price on carbon through a carbon tax or "cap and trade" mechanism

Health concerns related to nuclear power include all of the following except: Substantial contributions to climate change, Potential of accidents at nuclear plants, Radiation exposure from nuclear waste, Potential of weaponization of nuclear fuel

Substantial contributions to climate change

7) Outdoor sports: How would you advise school officials to handle this situation?

a) short term health risks: decreased lung function, increased airway resistance, and increased respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing. Long term exposure: development of chronic lung disease, asthma & bronchitis, and accelerated lung aging b) risk increased for children because they have narrow caliber airways; causes increased clinic and emergency room visits, school absenteeism, and hospitalizations c) solutions

Ambient concentrations of an air pollutant can be highest under conditions of stagnant winds and ________

temperature inversions

why diseases are a major environmental health challenge caused by climate change

waterborne diseases (caused by changes in water quantity, quality, temperature, ph, and salinity) foodborne diseases (higher temp + humidity promote persistence and dispersal of pathogens) vectorborne diseases (vectors such as mosquitos and ticks thrive in warmer, more humid climates)

All of the following except which affect an air pollutant's ability to penetrate the respiratory system: Size, Weather, Chemical properties, Exercise

weather

Each of the following sources of energy is considered renewable EXCEPT: Solar, Hydroelectric, Wind, Natural gas

Natural gas

Climate change has been called the major environmental health challenge of the twenty-first century. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning.

Outline Physical threats caused by more severe weather events: Floods and droughts Heat waves and wildfires Direct health threats caused by increasing temperature: Malnutrition Air pollution Diseases

Identify two current environmental health problems likely to be exacerbated by climate change. How might existing public health practices be altered to anticipate these effects of climate change?

Ozone, Vector borne diseases- malaria and lyme disease due to rising global temperatures, Increased rainfall due to rising sea-levels causing worse storm surges and rising temperatures causing more evaporation, Human migration

In general, which particle size category is likely to penetrate most deeply into the lung

PM2.5

Nuclear energy is essential in the fight against climate change. Please make a health-based argument for or against this position. Use evidence

A) Nuclear waste contributes little to climate change compared to fossil fuels B) Most of the dangers of nuclear energy affect workers --correlated to higher risk of solid cancer and leukemia due to radiation exposure dangers to people living near nuclear plants: correlated with higher leukemia in children, believed to be a teratogenic effect of in utero radiation exposures due to maternal radionuclide intake during pregnancy C) Potential weaponization --have nuclear energy in states that already use nuclear weapons, those states already do their part d) conclusion: use nuclear energy in countries where it can be heavily monitored

The process of hydrofracking a shale deposit permits extraction of natural gas resources. Please describe the physical process of "fracking." The fracking process has come under close scrutiny in New York and Pennsylvania lately. Please make a health-based argument either supporting or not supporting the use of fracking in shale gas production. Use evidence

A) deeply invasive and noisy process can often contaminate nearby water sources B) The mixture inserted also poses the threat of spreading toxins because often companies do not disclose the chemicals utilized C) fracking has the ability to induce earthquakes which is dangerous for surrounding regions (water pollution, noise pollution, inducing earthquakes, spread of toxins)

Conservation is not only the least expensive source of energy, but it is also the healthiest. Please make a health based argument for or against this position. Use evidence!

A) many pollutants released when energy is produced from nonrenewable sources --affects our air and water, toxins affect our organs B) the amount of fine particulate matter and nitrous oxides would be minimized which would in turn would reduce the prevalence of respiratory system related cancers C) less energy and reducing demand would also benefit cardiovascular and nervous system health -decreases in heart disease

Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?: Natural gas, Biomass, Petroleum, Coal

Biomass

Individual actions that can be taken to lower air pollution emissions

Conserve energy = Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Turn off lights and electronics when not in use. Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full. Carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible

Which of the following air pollutants is NOT expected to increase as a result of climate change: allergens such as pollen, dioxins, particulate matter from wildfires, ozone

Dioxins

What are some of the major driving forces behind both the risks of climate change and our vulnerabilities to that change? Which scientific experts would be best able to assemble a comprehensive assessment of climate change risks? What types of policy makers should be involved, and at what levels (local, regional, international)?

Driving forces behind the risks of climate change and vulnerabilities: i) Weather extremes: Heat waves, severe storms, droughts, wildfires, floods , ii) Food security, iii) Malnutrition- crop yields, crop losses iv) Air pollution- Ozone, allergens Scientific experts-Meteorologists, Agricultural scientists, Epidemiologists - infectious diseases Policy makers i. Local - mayors or local politicians ii. Region - state representative iii. International - president/prime minister, specialist national government organizations

How is regional air pollution related to other health and environmental issues?

Effects on wildlife - studies show that air toxics are contributing to birth defects, reproductive failure, and disease in animals; for aquatic animals, they biomagnify tissues global warming- Earth's atmosphere appears to be trapping more of the sun's heat, causing the Earth's average temperature to rise

The extraction of unconventional gas involves which set of health related hazards

Fracking flowback and production waters

The process of hydrofracking seeks to:

Increase porosity in tight reservoir rocks through injection of high pressure fluids and soilds.

true statement about health impact of energy use at the scale of societies and countries

Increasing per capita energy use is associated with improved health but only up to a point; after that, increasing energy use confers no further health benefit.

All of the following are true about tropospheric ozone except: It protects us from ultraviolet radiation, It is a powerful oxidant that can trigger asthma attacks, It is formed by the reaction of precursors (VOCs, NOx) and sunlight, Indoor concentrations are usually lower than outdoor concentrations

It protects us from ultraviolet radiation

The United States Clean Air Act mandates health-protective national ambient air quality standards for which group of key outdoor pollutants (i.e., the criteria pollutants)

Lead, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulates, ozone

True statement about climate change mitigation and adaptation

Mitigation includes both reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, and promoting the removal of greenhouse gases from the air through sequestration.

The "energy ladder" refers to a sequence of energy courses. In general, as a society moves up the energy ladder, each of the following increases EXCEPT: Cost, Adverse health impacts, Cleanliness, Distance between the energy production and end user

adverse health impacts

Major health impacts of fossil fuel combustion include all of the following EXCEPT: Mercury exposure, Air pollution, Contributions to climate change, Allergies

allergies

Which of the following is NOT a significant greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming? Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide, Water vapor, Methane, Chlorofluorocarbons

carbon monoxide

Where does the vast majority of the world's energy come from?

coal and petroleum

Which of the following is NOT a primary energy source?: Wind, Hydroelectric, Coal combustion, Biomass combustion, Electricity

electricity

True statement regarding public belief about climate change

family and friends are a powerful determinant of a person's beliefs about climate change

why floods/droughts are a major environmental health challenge as a result of climate change

flooding due to rising sea levels (caused by melting of arctic and antarctic ice), severe droughts (caused by faster evaporation of soil moisture)

why air pollution is a major environmental health challenge caused by climate change

formation of ozone, aeroallergens (a warmer, more variable climate leads to increase in pollutant formation and dispersal), smoke (from wildfires)

8) technical innovation: Describe the resulting co-benefits to energy and health and the potential trade-offs, How might a health impact assessment determine the ultimate value of the innovation?

health impact assessment (HIA)- a combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population.

why heatwaves/wildfires are a major environmental health challenge caused by climate change

heat waves can cause heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat strokes (risk factors: age, location [close to the equator, urban areas], poverty, preexisting medical conditions [high blood pressure, heart problems]), wildfires

Government actions that can be taken to lower air pollution emissions

i) Incentives to be green = Tax reductions for companies who use build solar panels. Offer rebates with energy providers. Tax benefits when buying a hybrid or electric cars ii) Emission controls for automobiles = limit the toxic gases from car emissions.

Community actions that can be taken to lower air pollution emissions

i) Raise awareness through development = Support new developments that promote pedestrian traffic through the inclusion of sidewalks, pathways, and crosswalks. Encourage alternative transportation by developing regional or local bus programs and bike lanes. ii) Pass new laws = Consider passing a local ordinance to restrict or prohibit open burning. Smoke from open burning pollutes the air with fine particles and gases that may cause health problems or reduce visibility.

Climate change may contribute to water contamination through all of the following mechanisms EXCEPT: Vibrio contamination due to warmer marine waters, Coliform contamination from combined sewer outflows following severe rainfall, Increased chlorine concentrations due to water treatment malfunctions, Harmful algal blooms, Contamination by cryptosporidium or giardia from increased non-point source runoff after storms

increased chlorine concentrations due to water treatment malfunctions

Global climate change contributes to each of the following EXCEPT: Ocean acidification, Peak petroleum production, Rising sea levels, Species extinctions, More severe storms

peak petroleum production

Each of the following is a vector-borne disease that has expanded its range in recent years, in a pattern consistent with climate change contributions, EXCEPT: Polio, Lyme disease, Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue fever

polio

why malnutrition is a major environmental health challenge caused by climate change

reduced crop yields (caused by rising heat, changes in rainfall, changes in prevalence of plant diseases, pests, weeds), rising food prices (caused by biofuel competition: due to the rising need for more alternative energy sources, some cropland will be converted from food to fuel)

impact of climate change on food and agriculture include all of the following except: A) Increased crop loss due to plant diseases, B) Increased production of staple crops in some parts of the world, such as parts of Canada and Russia, C) Reduced production of wheat, maize, and other staple crops in much of the world, especially parts of Africa and Asia, D) Reduced growth of most weeds, enhancing crop production, E) Reduced nutrient content of some foods.

reduced growth of most weeds, enhancing crop production

True statement about heatwaves

risk factors for death during heat waves are well-defined