hlth 322 midterm 2 Flashcards
definition of environmental justice
fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies…it will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn and work
Environmental justice (who is affected)
minority and low SES populations (know why)
- latino populations face language barriers which compound problems and limits understanding of government proposals and educational campaigns
point source pollution
pollution that is discharged from a single source, air pollution emitted by an industrial plant smoke stack, sewage discharged from a pipe into a river
non point source pollution
pollution that is discharged from many diffuse sources, pesticides sprayed onto fields that runoff into nearby streams after a rainstorm, sewage from flooded septic tanks after a hurricane
atmospheric decomposition
process by which gases, particles, aerosols, and precipitation move form the atmoshpere to the earth’s surface: air pollutance enter bodies of water through atmospheric decomposition, pollutants that detract from water quality: nitrogen compounds, mercury, other metals, pesticides, and combustion emissions
advantages of chemicals
essential for development and everyday life, have been a boom in agriculture and help feed growing popultions
- served medicine in ways from pharmaceuticals to equipment and materials used in hospitals
- from transportation, to info tech to entertainment, quality of life has increased
disadvantages of chemicals
accidental poisionings form inappropriate use of toxic pesticides
- chemicals help deplete the ozone layer & accumulate in poorly managed stockpiles, waste sites and pollute air, water, soil
-many persist in the environment leading to increasing levles in humans and wildlife
chemical toxicity
the inherent capacity of a subtance to cuase injury to libing organisms
4 toxickinetic processes
absorption: main routes of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, dermal) primary rates of absorption into the body)
distribution: occurs via the bloodstream to organs and tissues
metabolism: toxicant undergoes biotransformation, wherein it is detoxified or undergoes increased toxicity
excretion: the toxicant is eliminated form the body: by kidneys via urine, by liver and GI tract via feces, pulmonary system via exhaled air, breast milk
biotransformation
bioactivition: chemical is broken down and becomes MORE toxic than it was before
Detoxification: the chemical is broken down and becomes LESS toxic than it was
Biomagnification: The chemical is broken down and becomes LESS toxic that it was
Biomagnification: concentration of chemicals in the body becomes greater as you move up the food chain
Bioaccumulation: chemical is stored in fat and tissue in the body
Persistant Organic Pollutants
organic, often highly chlorinated, compounds that degrade slowly over many yers, accumulate in food chains, and are toxic to living organisms, including
DDT, DDE, DDD
hexachlorobenzene, PAHS, PCBS, PCDDS
endocrine disrupting chemicals
chemicals that either mimic, antagonize or disrupt the action of endogenous hormones or alter synthesis or metabolism of natural hormones in human or animal systems
animal feeding operations
agricultural enterprises where animals are kept and raised in confined situations
concentrated animal feeding operations
relativley small number of ADOs that are regulated by EPA
integrated pest management
conservation of natural enemies, crop rotation, intercropping, and cultivation of pest-resistant varieties
- pesticides may be used but only selectivley and in reduces quantities
Organic agriculture
agriculture which uses composted manure and other natural materials and crop rotation rather than synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that can pollute soil with excess of nitrogen and phosphorous causing runnoff and pollution of groundwater and larger bodies of water
risk
change or probability of harmful effects to human health resulting form exposure to an environmental stressor
risk assessment
the process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects to people who may be exposed to hazardous substances in contaminated environmental media
aspects of HHRA by the US EPA ATSDR
EPA: largely via the cercla process but also others regulatory
ATSDR: non regulatory, issues recommendations, which are usually folloed advises regulatory agencies on human health aspects of hazardous waste sites and spills
Pre steps of the US EPA’s human health risk assessment process
- who/what/where is at risk
- what is the environmental hazard of concern
- where do these environmental hazards come from
- how does exposure occur
- what does the body do with the hazard and how is it impacted by factors like age, sex, race
-what are the health effects
-how long does it take for the hazard to cause a toxic effect
steps of US EPA human health risk assessment
- Hazard identification: can exposure to the chemical cause adverse health effects?
- Dose response: how does the probability or severity of health effects change as the dose increases
-exposure assessment: the magnitude, frequency and duration of exposrue to the hazard
-predict the frequency and severity of health effects in exposed human populations
Acute
right away or within a few hours a day
subchronic
weeks or months (for humans: generally less than 10% of their lifespan)
chronic
a significant part of a lifetime or a lifetime (for humans at least seven years)
intermittent diseases
recur at certain intervals
toxicokinetics
how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes and eliminates the hazard
toxicodynamics
health effects of the hazard and biological mechanisms by which the hazard causes of health effects
Linear dose response assessment
linear, no toxicity threshold exists or is known, often found or assumed when assessing cancer health effects
non linear dose response assessment
non-linear, could be j shaped, u shaped, s shaped etc, a toxicity threshold exists or is known, often found or assumed when assessing non cancer health effects
NOAEL
no observed adverse effect level: highest exposure dose for which there is no adverse health response
LOAEL
lowest observed adverse effect level: the lowest exposure dose for which there is an adverse health response
Reference dose
an estimate of daily exposure in humans, including sensitive populations, that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse effects during a lifetime
uncertainty factors
full or partial order of magnitude values that help quantify the uncertainty in dose- response relationships from
using data about animals instead of humans
- using loael instead of noael
- using a short term study instead of a long term study
exposure pathways
how the exposure gets form its source to humans
exposure routes
how the exposure gets into the body
quantifying exposure: point of contact
exposure measured at the boundary with the body while it is occurring, measuring both concentration and time of contact
quantifying exposure: scenario evaluation
exposure estimated by separately evaluating the concentration and contact time
quantifying exposure: reconstruction
exposure is estimated from the dose, which is reconstructed from indicators after exposure has occured
risk characterization
predict the frequency and severity of health effects in exposed human populations
-determine probability of health effects likely to occur in humans exposed under similar conditions
-develop an overall conclusion about risk
EPHT
environmental public health tracking network: potential uses of EPHTN data/information: pertaining to specific environmental hazards or diseases
APPLETREE
ATSDR’s partnership to promote localized efforts to reduce environmental exposure: evaluating and responding to environmental public health issues in utah
composition of unpolluted air
nitrogen: 78.1%
oxygen 20.9%
argon- .9%
carbon dioxide 0.03%
neon- 0.002%
helium 0.00052%
air pollution
man made industrial emissions form manufacturing and power generating stations: reactant chemicals, air toxins, fine particles
- natural emissions from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, massive dust storms, toxic gases fine particles
criteria air pollutants and NAAQS
ozone
nitrogen oxides
sulfur oxides
carbon monoxide
particulate matter
lead
Primary standard limits
protect human health
secondary standard limits
work to prevent environmental and property damage
inversion and air pollution
inversions occur air higher in the atmosphere is warmer that air closer to the earth’s surface trapping the cooler air below
-occur during the winter months when normal atmospheric conditions become inverted
FDA recommendations for fish consumption
don’t eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish (too high in mercury)
- eat up to 12oz a week of a varity of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury- shrimp, canned light tuna, no more than 6oz of albacore tuna
- check local advisories for safety of fish caught by family and friends in area; 6oz of local fish and no other fish that week
man mad sources of pollution
industrial emissions from manufacturing and power generating stations
natural sources of pollution
emmisions from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, massive dust storms
combinations
meterological and geological conditions (inversions) along with industrial polllution
vehicle idling
driver/passenger exposed to more pollutants than vehicle in motion becuase exhaust enters cabin
low cost methods of reducing car emissions
do not idle your care more than 10 sec
- combine care trips
-avoid drive-up windows
-reduce car use
-buy only teir 3 gas when it is available
- beare of red, orange, and yellow air quality days
low cost methods of reducing house emissions
avoid burning wood or coal indoors or out if possible
-adjust your house thermostat down a bit in the winter, up in the summer
-lower water heater thermostat to reduce emissions
-close drapes and blinds at night in the winter to reduce heat loss
-turn off computers, modems, and tvs at night
higher cost methods of improving air quality
replace car with one that pollutes less
- gas powered –> electric
- improve home insultion
-replace furnace with high efficiency one
-plant trees on south and west side of house to reduce ait conditioning use in the summer
biological hazards case study
unexpected transplant scenario: know general summary of the case and how we can prevent this from reoccurring
transmission of sin nombre virus/hantavirus
disease: HPS is rare but potentially fatal pulmonary disease transmitted to man by rodents. also descrived as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome
-transmission: a zoonotic disease cuased by inhalaltion of virus from dried rodent urine, feces, or saliva
- common exposure results from cleaning out barns, sheds, or homes infested with the rodent house
activities that increase risk of hantavirus infections
domestic: increasing numbers of host rodents in human dwellings, deeping wild rodents as pests or research subjects
occupational: occupying or cleaning previously vacant cabins or other dwellings actively infested with rodents, cleaning barns and other outbuildings, hand plowing or planting
Prevention and control of hantavirus infections
keep home clean to discourage rodents
seal potential rodent entryways
there is no vaccine available
wear gloves, launder clothing when finished, double bag waste for disposal
spread of dengue fever and dengue hemmorrhagic fever
transmitted through infected mosquitoes, DF?DHF currently spreading globally, due to population movement, commerce, travel, climate change
clime change and incidence of vector diseases
expected impact of global climate change of mosquite boen diseases
-global climate change expected to result in vector movement into northern latitudes
prevention of dengue virus infection
community based mosquito control, education, improved publich health infrastructure
-no effective immunization available
control mosquitoes outside home
once a week empty scrub, turn over, cover or throw out items that hold water
- tightly cover water storage containers
-use larvicides to kill young mosquitoes in containers of water that cannot be emptied and will no be used for drinking
control mosquitoes inside the. home
use window and door screens
-use air conditioning when possible
- empty scrub, turn over or those out items that hold water,
use indoor insect fogger or indoor insect spray
wearing insect repellent
use repellent with deet, picaridin, ir3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus or paramenthane
-always follow product label instructions
-do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing
-if also using sunscreen apply that before insect repellent
transmission of SARS_COV-2
a novel coronavirus likely from bats, has been identified as the cause of the reparatory illness covid-19
-spread person to person via respiratory droplets
contact tracing
when a person become ill, epi identify everyone who the ill person had contact with during the incubation period
- epi monitor identified contacts of ill person for incubation period to see if contact become ill
