Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

take aways from handout on BPA

A
  • 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]
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

harm is determined by:

A
  • dosage/response
  • solubility
  • persistance
  • bioaccumulation
  • biomagnification
  • chemical interactions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is dosage?

A

amount of exposure/time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

types of exposure(3)

A

inhalation
ingestion
absorption (cutaneous)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are the 4 things involved in risk assessment?

A
  • data collection and analysis
  • exposure assessment
  • toxicity assessment
  • risk characterization
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

key components of health risk assessment

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

limitations of health risk assessment

A

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)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is risk?

A

probability of suffering injury, disease, death, or other loss as a result of exposure to a hazard

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is hazard?

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

classes of hazards/environmental habits? (4)

A

cultural
biological
physical-natural disasters
chemical-mining, refining, manufacturing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is risk assessment?

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

hazardous waste is…

A
  1. on EPA list (listed waste)

2. TICR (characteristic waste)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what does TICR stand for?

A
Toxicity
Ignitability
Corrosivity
Reactivity
(considered a hazardous waste if it exhibits one of these qualities)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

why is a Childs risk greater than an adults?

A
  • 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
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

4 things from his book “Principled plan of action by industry”

A
  1. operate legally and ethically
  2. educate employees of benefits and risks
  3. listen and respond approximately to public
  4. properly disseminate information to media
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What produces public opposition?

A
dread
intrusion
involuntary
proximity
inadequate understanding of operation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what reduces public opposition?

A
onsite waste management/disposal
local control
local culture
voluntary
good community relations
18
Q

Environmental Science Themes (AP)

A
  1. science is a process
  2. energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
  3. the earth itself is one interconnected system
  4. humans alter natural systems
  5. environmental problems have a cultural and social context
  6. human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
19
Q

what is the dirtiest fuel?

A

coal

20
Q

what natural processes acted to dissipate the Ashlyn oil spill?

A
  1. volatilization
  2. mixing and dilution
  3. microbial metabolism
  4. adsorption
  5. sedimentation
21
Q

volatilization

A

oil is volatile, it evaporates therefore, the concentration of oil in the water goes down

22
Q

microbial metabolism

A

bugs eat the oil which makes the concentration of oil in water go down

23
Q

adsorption

A

oils sticks to dirt, makes suspended sediment

24
Q

sedimentation

A

when suspended sediment settles to the bottom of the river and gets the oil out of the water

25
Q

what was the impact of the Ashlyn oil spill on the food chain?

A
mammals
birds
fish
plants
bottom dwellers
aquatic invertebrates
aquatic microbes
26
Q

what does P2/E2 stand for?

A

Pollution prevention energy efficiency

27
Q

examples of energy efficiency

A
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
28
Q

examples of recycling

A

plastic water bottles
paper
styrofoam/foam plastic

29
Q

examples of things to reuse

A

plastic shopping bags

old toys

30
Q

examples of ways to save water

A

keep showers shorter
turn off water when brushing teeth
fix leaky pipes
brick in toilet example

31
Q

examples of things to compost

A

coffee grounds
fruit rinds
egg shells

32
Q

industry pollution prevention practices

A
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
33
Q

industry benefits from pollution prevention practices

A
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
34
Q

how is risk calculated?

A

(1 injury/3 lifetimes) * (1 lifetime/50,000 trips)
=1 injury/150,000 trips
=0.00067%

35
Q

what is a pest?

A
  • 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
36
Q

what is a pesticide?

A
  • 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)
37
Q

problems with chemical pesticide use

A

development of resistance by pests
resurgences and secondary-pest outbreaks
adverse environmental and human health effects
-bioaccumulation/biomagnification

38
Q

synopsis of pesticide issues

A
  • 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
39
Q

what is the IPM?

A

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”

40
Q

amount of mass/amount of body mass

A

ppm