Exam 2 Flashcards
take aways from handout on BPA
- important to have perspective about things
- all substances are poisons. there is none which is not a poison. the right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy
- *look over underlined parts of article again
- there are chemicals that people are exposed to all of the time
- pollutant=contaminant
- -1. chemical not found in nature
- -2. chemical exceeds its natural concentration [mass/volume]
harm is determined by:
- dosage/response
- solubility
- persistance
- bioaccumulation
- biomagnification
- chemical interactions
what is dosage?
amount of exposure/time
types of exposure(3)
inhalation
ingestion
absorption (cutaneous)
what are the 4 things involved in risk assessment?
- data collection and analysis
- exposure assessment
- toxicity assessment
- risk characterization
key components of health risk assessment
s-list of emissions/effluents
-description of emission/effluent toxicity
-quantify maximum release rate
d-evaluation of release dispersion
r-description of environment around facility
limitations of health risk assessment
major scientific uncertainties
-emissions/effluent data
-methodology
only rough estimate of actual risk
-typically only considers human impact-synergistic effects
-no indirect impacts are investigated (only direct)
what is risk?
probability of suffering injury, disease, death, or other loss as a result of exposure to a hazard
what is hazard?
anything that can cause
(1) injury, disease, or death to humans
(2) damage to personal or public property
(3) deterioration or destruction of environmental components
classes of hazards/environmental habits? (4)
cultural
biological
physical-natural disasters
chemical-mining, refining, manufacturing
what is risk assessment?
an evaluation of the short term and long term risks associated with a particular activity or hazard, usually compared to benefits in a cost-benefit analysis
hazardous waste is…
- on EPA list (listed waste)
2. TICR (characteristic waste)
what does TICR stand for?
Toxicity Ignitability Corrosivity Reactivity (considered a hazardous waste if it exhibits one of these qualities)
why is a Childs risk greater than an adults?
- food, drink, and other intake is greater in children
- more direct contact w/ enviornment (outside play and fingers in mouth)
- less developed protective mechanisms
- rapid growth and development
4 things from his book “Principled plan of action by industry”
- operate legally and ethically
- educate employees of benefits and risks
- listen and respond approximately to public
- properly disseminate information to media
What produces public opposition?
dread intrusion involuntary proximity inadequate understanding of operation
what reduces public opposition?
onsite waste management/disposal local control local culture voluntary good community relations
Environmental Science Themes (AP)
- science is a process
- energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
- the earth itself is one interconnected system
- humans alter natural systems
- environmental problems have a cultural and social context
- human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
what is the dirtiest fuel?
coal
what natural processes acted to dissipate the Ashlyn oil spill?
- volatilization
- mixing and dilution
- microbial metabolism
- adsorption
- sedimentation
volatilization
oil is volatile, it evaporates therefore, the concentration of oil in the water goes down
microbial metabolism
bugs eat the oil which makes the concentration of oil in water go down
adsorption
oils sticks to dirt, makes suspended sediment
sedimentation
when suspended sediment settles to the bottom of the river and gets the oil out of the water
what was the impact of the Ashlyn oil spill on the food chain?
mammals birds fish plants bottom dwellers aquatic invertebrates aquatic microbes
what does P2/E2 stand for?
Pollution prevention energy efficiency
examples of energy efficiency
turn off lights when leaving a room keep thermostat not too high or too low keep things unplugged when not in use keep windows sealed use fluorescent lightbulbs
examples of recycling
plastic water bottles
paper
styrofoam/foam plastic
examples of things to reuse
plastic shopping bags
old toys
examples of ways to save water
keep showers shorter
turn off water when brushing teeth
fix leaky pipes
brick in toilet example
examples of things to compost
coffee grounds
fruit rinds
egg shells
industry pollution prevention practices
management initiatives employee training and suggestions energy efficiency preventative maintenance shipping and packaging changes improved housekeeping material substitution/reformulation recycle/reduce/reuse waste exchanges new or redesigned equipment/process automation pretreatment/treatment/control
industry benefits from pollution prevention practices
raw material conservation disposal cost reduction increased efficiency improved corporate image possible product safety improvements possible reduction of workers compensation claims reduction of environmental liabilities decreased regulatory compliance requirements
how is risk calculated?
(1 injury/3 lifetimes) * (1 lifetime/50,000 trips)
=1 injury/150,000 trips
=0.00067%
what is a pest?
- an organism that reduces the availability, quality, or value of a useful resource
- an unwanted organism that directly or indirectly interferes with human activity
- can be troublesome, noxious, or destructive…usually refers to agricultural pests
what is a pesticide?
- a chemical designed to inhibit growth, kill, control, modify behavior, or drive away an organism undesirable to humans
- includes: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematocides, and rodenticides
- from latin–a plague (pestis) + to kill (caedere)
problems with chemical pesticide use
development of resistance by pests
resurgences and secondary-pest outbreaks
adverse environmental and human health effects
-bioaccumulation/biomagnification
synopsis of pesticide issues
- careless and excessive use caused significant harm to wildlife in past
- banning the most persistent and toxic pesticides made good sense
- new generation of pesticides much improved
- farmers can use fewer pesticides and avoid practices leading to runoff into nearby lakes and streams
- doing without pesticides can generate substantial problems
what is the IPM?
integrated pest management
-approach to pest control in which “each crop and its pests are evaluated as parts of an ecological system. Then a control program is developed that includes a mix of cultivation and biological and chemical methods applies in proper sequence and with the proper timing”
amount of mass/amount of body mass
ppm
