Hu environmental health

Question 1

What are 6 axes for conceptualizing environmental health problems?

Answer 1

1. Sources
2. Media/vector
3. exposure setting
4. specific hazards
5. target organs
6. Populations affected

Question 2

What are some examples of sources of health problems for the power industry?

Answer 2

coal-firing plants, nuclear plants

Question 3

What are some examples of sources of health problems for vehicles?

Answer 3

lead, carbon monoxide

Question 4

What are some examples of sources of health problems for toxic waste sites?

Answer 4

Groundwater pollution

Question 5

What are some examples of sources of health problems for agriculture/livestock?

Answer 5

Biologic wastes

Question 6

What are 3 examples of media/vectors?

Answer 6

1. Air; aerosols, microbes
2. Water
3. Food

Question 7

What are examples of aerosols?

Answer 7

Dusts, fumes, mists

Question 8

What are examples of water contaminants?

Answer 8

Microbes, chemicals, byproducts

Question 9

What are examples of Food contaminants?

Answer 9

microbes, pesticides, additives

Question 10

3 examples of exposure settings

Answer 10

1. Workplace/occupation
2. Community (urban/rural/high vs low SES)
3. Extreme climate (mountain, underwater, tropics, polar, space)

Question 11

What are examples of specific chemical and particle hazards?

Answer 11

1. Metals
2. pesticides
3. Dust and fibers (asbestos)

Question 12

What are 6 examples of physical factors?

Answer 12

1. radiation/ionizing and non-ionizing
2. heat/cold stress
3. hyperbaric/hypobaric
4. vibration/noise
5. accidents/trauma/injury/mechanical insult

Question 13

What are 4 general groups of specific hazards?

Answer 13

1. Chemicals and particles
2. Physical factors
3. Infectious agents
4. Stressful environments

Question 14

What are some well-known target organs?

Answer 14

1. Lung (asbestos, asthma, emphysema)
2. CVD (heart, hypertension)
3. Brain (IQ, Behavior, lead, solvents)
4. Liver (solvent hepatitis)
5. Skin (contact/allergic dermatitis - rash)
6. Fetus (teratgoens-birth defects, radiation)

Question 15

which populations are affected, vulnerable sub-populatons

Answer 15

1. Children
2. Low-income/minority communities
3. Developing vs developed countries
4. genetic susceptibility

Question 16

What is toxicology?

Answer 16

The study of the adverse effects of chemicals on biological systems (NOT just chemicals, can be human, animal, microbial, DNA)

Question 17

What is the exposure-disease model?

Answer 17

1. Source
2. Transported/transformed
3. Acummulates in environment
4. can have human contact, exposure
5. potential dose (internal dose and bioavailability)
6. can be eliminated/accummulate and transformed
7. biologically effective dose
8. early expression/health effect

Question 18

Where does biotransformation most commonly take place?

Answer 18

in the liver

Question 19

What is the intent of biotransformation?

Answer 19

to convert products that are less toxic and easier to excrete

Question 20

What is the process of biotransformation?

Answer 20

Chemical reactions (oxidation, reduction etc)

Question 21

What is the problem of biotransformation?

Answer 21

Some can result in products that are more toxic

Question 22

What are the properties of the dose-response relationship?

Answer 22

1. threshold vs non-threshold response (cancer not threshold)
2. Potency
3. Extrapolation issues
4. hypersusceptibility
5. tolerance
6. interactions

Question 23

What is the relationship between bone lead and hypertension?

Answer 23

Looked at cumulative exposure to lead - If you are in the highes quartile of lead accummulation - higher risk for developing hypertension

Question 24

Describe the prospective study looking at bone lead concentrations and death from all causes

Answer 24

1. 241 deaths over 9 year follow up
2. 5.6x more CVD deaths
3. 8.4x more ischemic heart disease deaths
4. 1.1x increased cancer risk