Env Health Text Ch 16-19 Flashcards
Define FSMA.
Food Safety Modernization Act (2010). It strengthened FDA’s authority to regulate its share (80%) of the food supply. It gave the FDA expanded recall capabilities, authority to mandate HACCP systems, and enhanced oversight of food processing and imported food.
What are DBPs?
Disinfection By-Products = These are formed when chlorine compounds react with organic matter. Examples = Trihalomethanes, such as chloroform and trichloroacetic acid.
What is chlorpyrifos? Name one fact about it.
It is an organophosphate pesticide.
In August 2018, the EPA was ordered to ban sales of chlorpyrifos within 60 days.
Explain how methane gas can be released from landfills.
Methane gas is released as a byproduct of anaerobic microbial digestion of buried organic matter.
Landfills account for ~23% of total methane emissions in the USA.
Name 2 examples of carbamates.
Carbaryl and methomyl.
What type of diseases are spread by Aedes albopictus?
Dengue fever, eastern equine encephalitis, West Nile virus, and chikungunya virus.
What type of disease is spread by Anopheles?
Malaria.
What is atrazine?
It is an herbicide.
What is the scientific name of the Asian tiger mosquito?
Aedes albopictus.
Name 3 disadvantages of using chlorine to disinfect water.
- Chlorination byproducts may be toxic (for this reason, other forms of disinfection, such as ozonation and pulsed UV, have been gaining popularity).
- Some microbes can survive the “safe” levels of chlorination that are currently used.
- Chlorine compounds react with organic matter to form DBPs.
What type of diseases are spread by Aedes aegypti?
Yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika.
How will climate change affect the water cycle?
Warming global temperatures will cause increased evaporation from the oceans. This will cause increased precipitation, resulting in more water in certain places. But, mountainous regions will experience water shortages if the warmer temperatures prevent snow accumulation.
Why is e-waste a concern? What does the USA do with its e-waste?
Discarded electronics can contain hazardous metals (example = CRT monitors contain lead) and chemicals (example = flame retardants in cable insulation).
The USA ships most of its e-waste to Asia and Africa.
What percent of underground water extracted for agriculture is nonrenewable?
About 33%.
Define alicyclic.
Both aliphatic (non-aromatic) and cyclic.
How do organophosphates work (what is their mechanism of action)?
They are cholinesterase inhibitors.
Define fossil aquifer.
An aquifer that is very old and is nonrechargeable.
Define conservation tillage.
This is when the residue from previous crops is left on the ground (rather than tilling the soil in between crops). This practice reduces the amount of soil lost and fuel used.
Name the 2 main routes of exposure to organophosphates.
Ingestion and inhalation.
Define manure cesspit.
A large pool that is used to store animal manure in IFAP.
Describe deep well injection.
It is a liquid waste disposal technique where liquid waste is injected deep underground, into a region that cannot readily contact any potential aquifers. The wells are typically several thousand feet deep.
What are specialty crops?
Fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. These crops receive relatively little funding from the Farm Bill.
Define PulseNet.
PulseNet is run by the CDC. It uses DNA fingerprinting to track pathogens.
What type of disease is spread by sand flies?
Leishmaniasis.
Name 4 examples of pyrethroids.
Allethrin, permethrin, fenvalerate, and resmethrin.
Name the main route of exposure to organochlorines.
Ingestion of contaminated food (these compounds bioaccumulate and biomagnify). The highest concentrations are found in fatty animal foods.
Explain point sources vs nonpoint sources.
Point source = a stationary location or fixed facility that discharges pollutants.
Nonpoint source = Diffuse pollution source without a single point of origin.
What are the negative health effects of organochlorines?
Acute exposure causes headaches, dizziness, etc.
Chronic exposure causes damage to certain body systems, and possibly cancer.
Also, some are endocrine disruptors (example = DDT causes birds to have thin eggshells).
What is methomyl?
It is a carbamate pesticide.
How do organochlorines work (what is their mechanism of action)?
They target the nervous system of insects.
Describe the Total Coliform Rule. When was it created? What is one potential problem with it?
This was created by the EPA in 1989. It requires water suppliers to create a regular coliform sampling plan, with sample sites that accurately represent water quality throughout the distribution system.
Potential problem = routinely monitored coliform bacterial counts do not reliably signal the presence of most pathogens (because pathogen distribution is heterogeneous in the system).
Define turbidity.
Turbidity = cloudiness or haziness of a fluid. When water is contaminated, it may show “turbidity spikes” (large, sudden increases in turbidity).
What is 2,4-D ?
AKA 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.
It is an herbicide.
Define flocculant, and give an example.
AKA clarifying agent. A flocculant is used to remove suspended solids from solution. Example = Calcium hypochlorite.
Name 4 ways in which climate change will threaten future food security.
- Extreme weather will damage crops.
- Weeds will benefits more than crops will.
- Pests will expand their ranges.
- Rising sea levels will cause salt-related damage coastal soils, river deltas, and groundwater.
What is chloropicrin?
It is a fumigant.
Define Farm Bill.
It is the primary agricultural and food policy tool for the federal government. It has provisions for farm commodity supports, land conservation, nutritional assistance programs, and much more.
What is azinphos-methyl?
It is an organophosphate pesticide.
How can mold growth be prevented?
Proper sorting, drying, and storage of food crops.
What are the 2 regulatory categories of pesticides, according to the US EPA? Briefly describe each one.
- General use - “over the counter”, in other words, everyday people can buy them.
- Restricted use - tightly regulated. The businesses that use them must be registered with the appropriate state agency, and must have certified applicators.
What is the major route of exposure to arsenic?
By drinking groundwater that is naturally contaminated with inorganic arsenic.
What is pendimethalin?
It is an herbicide.
How do pyrethroids work (what is their mechanism of action)?
They are neurotoxins (they prevent the closure of voltage-gated sodium channels in the axon).
What is FFDCA? Describe it.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
This act is very broad, but one thing it does is it allows the EPA to set tolerances (limits) on the amount of pesticide residues in foods.
Define blackwater and graywater.
Blackwater = wastewater from toilets (likely to contain pathogens).
Graywater = wastewater from non-toilet uses (showering, washing dishes, etc).
What does the USDA Organic label require? What is the problem with this?
The USDA Organic label mostly establishes rules about what can not be used to produce the food (no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or GMOs, and no antibiotics or artificial growth hormones).
The Label is not synonymous with sustainable. Demand for organic food has fueled the rise of industrial organic farming.
Name one way that dioxins can be released into the environment.
Dioxins are created by the burning of things such as paint, plastics, and solvents. They are released in small amounts by municipal incinerators, but they are released in (proportionally) much greater quantities by backyard trash burning.
Define embodied energy, as it relates to food and food waste.
Embodied energy = all of the energy required to grow, pick, transport, process, package, store, and prepare food. When food is wasted at the consumer level, its embodied energy has tripled from its original amount.
How long do organophosphates persist in the environment?
Only a few days (they degrade quickly).
Define secondary transmission.
Secondary transmission occurs when an infectious disease spreads from person to person, rather than from a contaminated source (such as bad water). Many pathogens (and chemicals) do this, which makes it extremely difficult to tell where a disease comes from.
Define aflatoxin.
It is a mycotoxin found in peanuts and peanut butter. It increases the risk of liver cancer and childhood stunting.
What is glyphosate?
AKA Roundup. It is an herbicide.
Define NPDWR.
The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations are legally enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water systems. They were created by the US EPA.
Define CWA.
Clean Water Act (1972). This federal law regulates pollutant discharge into bodies of water.
Define dead zone.
A coastal area in which the water has reduced oxygen levels, due to the decomposition of dead extra algae (eutrophication).