Environmental Health Midterm

In a landmark epidemiological study of ambient air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities, Dockery et al. (1993) 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 (Lim et al., 2012), 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%

Which region of the world has the highest burden of diarrheal disease?

Sub-Saharan Africa

A U.S. law, initially enacted in 1972, regulating pollution discharge into rivers and s streams, and the quality of these bodies of water is

The Clean Water Act

Which of the following defines "Environmental Health?"

The field of PH that addresses physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychological factors in the environment. It aims both to control and prevent environmental hazards and to promote health and well-being through environmental strategies.

Which of the following represents a unique, defining feature of environmental justice?

a focus on environmental exposures of vulnerable populations such as racial minorities

All of the following are smart growth principles to promote equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities except

strengthen and direct development towards unused farmland

Health concerns related to nuclear power include all of the following except:

substantial contributions to climate change

Smart Growth principles include

taking advantage of compact building design

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

temperature inversions

All of the following features of urban sprawl have been associated with unintended negatives health consequences except

uniform setback requirements

Low-density development across large swaths of land outside traditional city boundaries is

urban sprawl

Which of the following statements is NOT an accurate reflection of upstream thinking in environmental health?

water treatment plants are generally placed upstream from sources of drinking water

All of the following except which directly affect an air pollutant's ability to penetrate the respiratory system

weather

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

PM2.5

Reducing vehicle miles traveled in ___ is a primary way to reduce air pollution and the resulting health consequences

single-occupancy vehicles

The pioneer of occupational health in the U.S. was

Charles Turner Thackrah (1795-1833)

Which of the following air pollutants is NOT expected to increase as a result of climate change?

Dioxins

All of the following are true about tropospheric ozone except

It protects us from ultraviolet radiation

Which of the following environmental health disasters does NOT correctly identify the toxic exposure?

Love Canal, New York - contaminate fish from the Great Lakes

Which of the following statements about climate change mitigation and adaptation is true?

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:

adverse health impacts

In ancient times, our ancestors confronted which of the following environmental health challenges:

all of the above: food sanitation, water sanitation, human waste mgmt, solid waste mgmt

Energy conservation may offer considerate health co-benefits, as exemplified by which of the following:

all of the above: more fuel efficient cars reduce levels of air pollution, more walking and cycling promote cardiovascular health, more natural daylighting in buildings improves well-being and performance

Policies that regulate land use include

all of the above: subdivision regulation, comprehensive plans, zoning codes

Major health impacts of fossil fuel combustion include all of the following EXCEPT:

allergies

In the United States, all of the following are examples of policies that regulate land use except

ambient air quality standards

Anthropogenic emissions result from human activity while ___ emissions come from natural sources (e.g., vegetation, volcanoes, deserts)

biogenic

Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?

biomass

The ___ compromises the totality of places and the infrastructure people create-buildings, neighborhoods, streets, parks, transportation systems, and more-almost all the settings in which we live, work, study, and play

built environment

Which one below is a water-borne disease?

cholera

The vast majority of the world's energy comes from which of the following?

coal and petroleum

With the development of industrialization and urbanization in the 17th through the 19th centuries, which of the following most contributed to the heightened public health threats?

crowding and substandard housing in cities

Households in low and middle income countries often burn solid fuels for heating and food preparation. This can result in high levels of indoor air pollution. The highest levels of indoor particulate matter (PM) are associated with which of the following solid fuels?

dung

Cities that aim to reduce energy use, to shift renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, to capture and reuse rainwater, and to plant local vegetation are

eco-cities

Which of the following is NOT a primary energy source?

electricity

Which of the following is true regarding public belief in climate change?

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

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth is known as?

hydrological cycle

John Snow, a seminal figure in the history of public health, made his mark by?

identifying contaminated water as the cause of cholera outbreak in London

In the first half of the 20th century in the U.S., infant mortality and total mortality fell dramatically, and life expectancy rose. Which intervention accounted for the largest part of these gains?

improved potable water supplies

Climate change may contribute to water contamination through all of the following mechanisms EXCEPT

increased chlorine concentrations due to water treatment malfunctions

Which of the following statements about the human health impacts of energy use, at the scale of societies or countries, is true?

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

The provision of water to land by artificial means, such as diverting streams or spraying, usually for agricultural purposes is

irrigation

___ and ___ are examples of healthy community design policies that encourage physical activity and reduce automobile dependence

joint use policies, unbundled parking

Which of the following major ambient air pollutants are considered primary pollutants, vs., secondary, or primary and secondary

lead, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide

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

Environmental noise may cause a myriad of health issues such as mental disorders, cardiovascular disease, and childhood development. High noise levels are found at the Memphis International Airport and within parts of its approaches and landing, which could be a _____ environmental health issue.

local scale

Each of the following sources of energy is considered renewable EXCEPT:

natural gas

Global climate change contributes to each of the following EXCEPT:

peak petroleum production

Which of the following is true regarding mental health in the context of climate change?

people with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia are at increased risk during heat waves

Use of a reverse osmosis filter in your kitchen faucet belongs to?

point of use treatment

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

All of the following except which are regulatory strategies used to control air pollution in the United States

power plant cap-and-trade from CO2 emissions

The impacts of climate change on food and agriculture include all of the following EXCEPT:

reduced growth of most weeds, enhancing crop production

Which of the following statements about heat waves is true?

risk factors for death during heat waves are well defined