Final Exam (Environmental health) Flashcards
Study and management of environmental conditions that affect the health and well-being of humans
Environmental health
Factors or conditions in the environment that increase the risk of human injury, disease, or death
Environmental hazards
An event of nature that increases the probability of disease, injury, or death of humans; tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.
Natural hazards
Consequences of natural hazards
Contaminated water and food, high temperatures, and loss of shelter
Primary needs after a disaster
Food, water, shelter, health care, clothing
Prepares communities for all hazards and manages the federal response and recovery efforts after any natural incident
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Quasi-governmental agency that provides relief to victims of disasters
American Red Cross
Unwanted by products of human activities
Residues and Wastes
Water that has been used in washing, flushing, etc.; Sewage
Waste water
Food waster, paper products, or most things that come out of the kitchen or bathroom
Garbage
Lots of things including grass clippings, twigs, hedge clippings, junk or rubbish (anything not from the kitchen or bathroom)
Trash
Waste material containing radionuclides
Radioactive wastes
Major source of solid waste
Agricultural (51%)
3% of solid waste. Paper and paper board, glass, rubber, food wastes, metals, plastics, yard trimmings, and appliances are examples of this.
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Each person produces an average of ____ of MSW/day
4.5 lbs.
The primary law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976
National goals set by the RCRA (1976)
- Protecting human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal
- Conserving energy
- Reducing waste generated
- Ensuring wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner
Types of solid waste management
- Collection and disposal
- Source reduction
- Recycling
T/F 80% of waste management money is spent on source reduction
FALSE.
80% is spent on collection and disposal
Highly regulated waste disposal sites on land suited for solid waste management
Sanitary Landfills
Most common and economical method of waste disposal world wide
Sanitary landfills
Liquids created when water mixes with waste and drains from beneath a landfill
Leachates
Second most common method of waste disposal. Used when landfills are not available
Combustion (Incineration)
Advantages of combustion
- Forms heat, steam, gas, and ash which can be harvested for energy
- Completely destroys microbes
Benefits of source reduction
- Conserves natural resources
- Less waste disposal
- Reduces toxicity of wastes
- Reduces costs and saves money
Benefits of recycling
- Decreases the need for landfill and incineration
- Saves energy
- Decreases emissions of greenhouse gases
- Conserves natural resources
- Minimizes risk to the environment
- Cleaner land, water, and ecology
A solid waste or combination of solid wastes that is dangerous to human health and the environment
Hazardous waste
The _____ established a strict system of controlling hazardous wastes from generation to disposal (_________________ regulation)
RCRA
Cradle to Grave regulation
Most common means of hazardous waste management (handles 34%)
Deep well injection
Similar principles to deep well injection, but restrictions are greater because of danger to health and environment. (handles 7%)
Secured landfill and Incineration
Best solution for handling hazardous waste
Hazardous waste recycling (source reduction)
Treating hazardous waste with chemicals to render them harmless
Chemical methods
Using microorganisms that destroy hazardous substances
Bioremediation
Created priority list, makes responsible parties pay, and cleanup program called Superfund
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)
Big problem with leakage. Concern over contaminated water and build up of gases
Underground Storage Tanks