Exam #3 Study Guide Flashcards
What is the importance of Rachel Carson’s Book “Silent Spring?”
→ called attention to the harmful effects of pesticide DDT
→ launched the environmental movement that led to sweeping legislation in the 1970s, including the banning of DDT in the US in 1972
What are some reasons why health officials are concerned about BPA and phthalates?
- BPA & phthalates are endocrine disruptors in human and wildlife, meaning they interfere with normal hormone action in the body
- Both BPA & phthalates are components of plastics commonly used in food and drink containers, capable of leaching into the containers’ contents and being consumed
- BPA & phthalates may be safe in low levels commonly found in humans, but there is evidence that they may be especially harmful to infants and developing fetuses
- Traces of BPA and phthalates are found in the blood of almost everyone in the US
- Concentrations of phthalates in the urine of adult American men are associated with increased waist circumference and insulin resistance, adding to evidence that exposure to phthalates may contribute to the prevalence of obesity and diabetes.
What are 3 barriers facing the advancement of the regulation of toxic chemicals in the US?
- There are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use, with about 2000 new ones introduced each year. That’s way too much to test for safety.
- Toxicity testing on any single chemical can be expensive and time-consuming; the EPA has information suggesting that 10-15% of the new introduced chemicals each year need more extensive toxicological evaluation. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) can test only a few dozen agents each year, based on the extent of human exposure and/or suspicion of toxicity.
- Each chemical must be regulated separately, each with potential for controversy, legal challenge, and extensive litigation over each proposed regulation.
What are the targets from the Millennium Development Goals to ensure environmental sustainability?
- Target 9 : Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs: reverse the loss of environmental resources
- Target 10 : Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water
- Increase proportion of the population with sustainable access to an improved water source and proportion of the population with access to improved sanitation
What is active transit?
Integrating physical activity into daily routines such as walking or biking to destinations such as work, grocery stores, or parks.
Active transportation policies and practices in community design, land use, and facility access have been proven effective to increase physical activity.
What are some reasons for supporting active transport?
- Benefits of regular physical activity include: lower risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes; cuts risk of falling and bone fractures; helps manage discomfort of arthritis; develops and maintains strong bones, muscles, and joints; improves mood and sense of well-being; helps control weight
- Lack of physical activity, combined with poor diet, is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the US. In order to make real, sustainable change in the overall health of the community and save healthcare dollars, we must increase opportunities for physical activity
What are the health consequences of climate change? (Understand the relationship between the diseases and mechanisms).
- changes in air quality (increased mold, pollen, toxins, dust) → asthma, allergies
- increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation (decrease in stratospheric ozone) → skin cancer, cataracts
- high temperatures and poor air quality increase incidence of heart attacks and strokes
- changes in temperature and precipitation can reduce crop yields → undernutrition → nutritional diseases
- stress involved with extreme weather issues, internally displaced persons → mental health issues
- increase vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, as well as waterborne diarrheal disease → infectious disease
What are the consequences of climate change on population growth?
• increase in violent conflicts
• climate change can lead to human migration (refugees, internally displaced persons)
→ the UNHCR says that more people are refugees or internally displaced today more than at any time since 1994, and 81% of the world’s refugees are hosted in impoverished developing nations. The #1 reason is war (which can be tied to climate change), but natural hazards are also cited as a reason for being a refugee.
What are the regional effect of climate change in the Northeast?
- heat waves
- heavy downpours
- sea level rise
What are some factors limiting the carrying capacity of the Earth?
- availability of fresh water
- availability of fuel
- the amount and productivity of arable land
- the amount and disposition of wastes
How does the production of livestock affect water issues?
- agriculture is the largest global user of water, with 60-80% of all global water withdrawals used to grow crops
- livestock is the largest human land use, accounting for 70% of all agricultural land
- 1/3 of total arable land is used to produce animal feed
- In the US, 74% of agricultural land is used to grow eight commodity crops; therefore the US is using someone else’s land to raise livestock, meaning we are using someone else’s water to produce our food. We import that virtual water in the form of beef, pork, and other meats.
What is the easiest way to positively influence the water crisis?
Reduce your consumption of red meat.
→ if we lower the demand for red meat, we improve water.
What is the relationship between water issues and population growth?
- growth in population is the single largest factor in the status of water. We have the same amount of water now that we have ever had, but more people are using water, demanding more consumer goods, more food, more everything.
- when you have a growing population, you have more people doing more things that affect water. In general, the poorest countries lack the infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water to its population. But people have to have water. For everything. When there is no basic infrastructure for supplying water, the task of getting water generally falls to women and girls, who often walk miles to get it. When girls spend time getting water, they don’t go to school. Lack of education, and other forms of gender inequity, drive higher birth rates. So, educating girls means lower birth rates, which slows population growth and the demand for water.
- as we add more people, they need something to do. They need to make a living. More and more people are moving to cities, which means cities are developing, getting bigger. When you develop cities, you put down more pavement, which fundamentally changes how water interacts with the land. In a purely natural landscape, half the water soaks into the ground and is stored there, and only 10% of the water runs off into lakes and rivers. As you develop and pave the land, more runs off. In a fully developed urban landscape, more than half the water runs off and maybe 15% soaks into the ground.
What is the “Buffer Law” and what is its purpose?
It establishes new perennial vegetation buffers of up to 50 feet along rivers, streams, and ditches that will help filter out phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment. This will protect water resources from erosion and runoff pollution; studies show that buffers are critical to protecting and restoring water quality and healthy aquatic life, natural stream functions, and aquatic habitat due to its immediate proximity to the water.
What is virtual water?
It is the water used in the production of goods. When we sell commodities like grain, we are really selling water. If countries had enough water to grow their own food, they would.
What is de-institutionalization?
It is the formal movement to move people out of asylums.
