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CHEM 181 > Midterm 2 > Flashcards

Midterm 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is photosynthesis?

A
  • Most important reaction in our body
  • Plants take up CO2 + H2O and they produce O2
  • What agriculture is based upon
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2
Q

Explain the change in the amount of farmers

A
  • 50 years ago= 70% involved / Now = 2%
    • As population grew, there was need for more and more food
  • PROBLEM – in the 1800s conventional agriculture was unable to fulfill needs
    • Today we have great technology that allows us to mass produce food
    -Modern fertilizers, pesticides and techniques to meet food needs
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3
Q

What is organic?

A

Growing crops without the use of synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides and relying on natural means to control insects

  • Fertilizer = manure
  • BUT not enough manure in world to sustain crops that are needed
  • Organic farming is difficult on a large scale
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4
Q

What 3 major nutrients are needed in manure for crops to go?

A
  • Nitrogen (one of the most important)
  • Phosphorous
  • Potassium
    -Others in small amounts
    TODAY we use this technology to make fertilizers
  • different kinds of plants require different ratios
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5
Q

What did Fritz Haber discover in the end of 19th century?

A

He found a way to combine N + H to make NH3 (ammonia)

N2 + 3H2 –> 2NH3

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6
Q

What is ammonium nitrate?

A

Ammonia is sometimes umped directly into the soil as a fertilizer but most of the time it recombines with nitric acid to form ammonium nitrate (most widely used fertilizers in the world)
- slowly decomposes to yield nitrous oxide or laughing gas

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7
Q

What is nitrous oxide?

A

A greenhouse gas

- Contributes to global warming

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8
Q

What is soilless gardening called?

A

Hydroponics

  • Grow a large variety of crops in greenhouses without any soil at all
  • Need a good ratio of nutrients
  • Can be grown under many climatic conditions because its in a greenhouse
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9
Q

What is significant about the largest hydroponic farm in Montreal?

A
  • Do NOT need to use pesticides

- Use predatory insects (i.e. ladybug)

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10
Q

What is apple scab?

A

Fungus growth on apples

  • Cosmetic problem; they do not compromise health
  • BUT people won’t buy these apples even though there’s nothing wrong with them
  • Farmers resort to agrochemicals to eliminate the scab
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11
Q

What is botrytis fruit rot?

A

Growth on strawberries

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12
Q

What do weeds do?

A

Suck nutrients from soil –> less nutrients left for crops you want

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13
Q

What are examples of animals clambering all over crops?

A
  • Corn borer invades corn
  • Tunnels of rats and mice in wheat
  • Apple orchard roots are surrounded by nematodes
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14
Q

What happens when you burn sulphur?

A

SO2 (sulphur dioxide) is formed

- Kills many insects and many fungi (dangerous to inhale)

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15
Q

What is a tobacco plant?

A
  • Tobacco plant produces nicotine
  • Tobacco plant evolved so that it could protect itself against predators
  • Nicotine is a natural insect pesticide
  • Burn nicotine = carcinogenic
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16
Q

How are synthetic pesticides made?

A

Buy the combination of substances

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17
Q

What is copper acetoarsenate?

A

arsenic trioxide + copper acetate

  • Called Paris Green” because its used to rid sewers of Paris of mice and rats
  • Used in paints = BAD (Arsenic could dissolve off)
  • The first “synthetic” pesticide
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18
Q

What is DDT?

A

Most famous synthetic pesticide (middle of 20th C)

  • Very effective against flees, mites, ants (anything that crawled)
  • Helped shape outcome of WWII (allied soldiers were sprayed with DDT to keep them free of lice and insects that could transmit typhoid fever)
  • The WHO estimates that 25 million lives were saved because of the use of DDT
  • Has estrogen-like properties
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19
Q

Who is Paul Miller?

A

Physician who introduced DDT and received a Nobel prize

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20
Q

What was the problem with DDT?

A

Problem with DDT was that it was too efficient
- Farmers overused DDT
- FIRST problem = eggshells that were laid by birds broke too frequently
- Fewer hatching and decline of eagle and offspring
• Rachel Carson: DDT gets into food chain and its not biodegradable –> builds up in the food chain
- No evidence that is caused harm to humans but there was an environmental problem
- Banned in 1969 in Canada and 1972 in the US

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21
Q

What did DDT have to do with malaria?

A

• In 2006, the WHO suggests DDT be used to control malaria in Africa

  • DDT to kill mosquito that transmits malaria
  • Spraying powered version on inside of homes, NOT randomly everywhere
  • Has been shown to cut down malaria
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22
Q

What were the effects of DDT among rats?

A

Rats exposed to traces of DDT develop fewer liver tumours than unexposed rats (DDT caused animal to generate detoxicating enzymes in rats)

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23
Q

What is melathion?

A

Interferes with a very important enzyme system in our body

• Can kill us in high amounts, but can kill mosquitos that carry disease

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24
Q

How does the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency makes decisions about safety of chemicals in pesticides ?

A

• Organic pesticides are NOT differentiated in any way from synthetic pesticides in terms of approval process

  • If a pesticide is “registered” it means it can be used in certain applications
  • Before its registered, there’s a lot of information that has to be transmitted to Health Canada
  • Pesticide has very specific instructions
  • Is it a guarantee that its safe? No!
  • *All that PMR says is that when used under proper conditions, the benefits outweigh the risks
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25
Q

What is the nocebo effect?

A

if you believe something does you harm, you can get physical symptoms

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26
Q

What is the lethal dose of the pesticide monocrotophos?

A

1.2g

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27
Q

How is exposure to insecticides linked to Parkinson’s?

A
  • Parkinson’s is higher in agricultural areas

- May have a connection to specific pesticides

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28
Q

What is Paraquat?

A
  • A pesticide that caused caused problem among drug users in California in 1980
  • Young drug users showed up in ER virtually paralyzed
  • Looked like they were suffering of end-stage Parkinson’s disease
  • Problem: contaminant in China White (a drug), the side product destroyed part of brain that causes dopamine and low dopamine causes Parkinson’s
  • Paraquat has a chemical similarity to this contaminant
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29
Q

What is Rotenone?

A

extracted from roots of Derris plants

- Natural compound that has been linked to Parkinson’s because of chemical similarity to paraquat and China white

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30
Q

What is the link between household pesticides and leukemia?

A
  • The use of professional pest control services (indoor) at any time from 1 year of birth to 3 years after was associated with a significantly increased risk of childhood leukemia
  • No risk with outdoor pesticides including herbicides!
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31
Q

What is the difference between long-term lasting and short-term?

A

Long term: more than 6 months

Short term: less than 3 months

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32
Q

What is atrazine?

A

Widely used weed killer, has been shown to disrupt development in tadpoles
- Question affect on humans

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33
Q

Is pesticide exposure linked to increased endometriosis risk (uterus)?

A

Yes, but not PROVEN

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34
Q

What presents a barrier to current risk assessment of pesticides on humans?

A

The lack of human biomonitoring data for environmentally relevant pesticides presents

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35
Q

The WHO estimates how many pesticide poisonings per year?

A

3 million poisonings and 220 000 deaths

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36
Q

Why do pesticides now have lower toxicity?

A

Because they consist of enzymes that do not interact with humans
- NOW you can make more potent herbicides (use less to get greater effect, a few teaspoons for acres of land)

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37
Q

What are neonicotinoids linked with?

A

colony collapse disorder (banned in Europe)

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38
Q

How many suspected or known carcinogens does a cup of coffee have?

A

About 10mg

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39
Q

How many natural pesticides do we consume a day?

A

about 1.5g of natural pesticides a day which is 10 000 times more than synthetic pesticide residues in the body

40
Q

What percentage of pesticides in the environment are natural?

A

99.99%

41
Q

Why does the human body handle synthetic and natural toxins the same way?

A

Detoxicating systems do not recognize the difference between natural and synthetic insecticides

42
Q

Why is it not possible to get rid of pesticides completely and transition towards an exclusively organic culture?

A

1) nature provides us with natural pesticides

2) we cannot produce all the food in the world that is needed by an organic way

43
Q

Is organic pesticide-free?

A

No

44
Q

What is Bacillus thuringinesis?

A
  • Very effective at killing pests
  • NOT toxic to humans (no analogous pathways)
  • Insecticidal gene in the bacteria can be used in crops to ward of insects
    = GMO (NOT organic)
  • Most widely used in corn
45
Q

How many pesticides can apples have?

A

Up to 36

- There are 36 approved pesticides, but farmers don’t use all 36

46
Q

What is Integrated Pest Management?

A

Famers use this to check which insects and fungi are present and target the insecticide only to those species

47
Q

What percentage of fresh and processed foods are residue free?

A

80% of fresh foods are residue free

90% of processed foods are residue free

48
Q

What do nutrients depend on?

A
  • Variety type
  • Soil quality
  • Fertilizers
  • Crop rotations
  • Maturity at harvest
  • Transportation
  • Temperature
49
Q

What is the environmental impact quotient?

A

Looks at all parameters that we are concerned about when using pesticides

50
Q

What is grapefruit a hybrid of?

A

Orange and pomelo

51
Q

What is tricticale a hybrid of?

A

wheat and rye (all caused by cross pollination)

52
Q

What is gene splicing?

A

Specifically mutate genes

  • Genes are fragments of DNA that code for specific proteins
  • Its possible to snip DNA in one organism and insert it in another = recombinant DNA technology
53
Q

What is chymosin?

A

An enzyme used in making of cheese

  • Traditionally came from stomach of calves (+ rennet) to make cheese
  • Possible to extract from the cells of calves
  • Clone gene into yeast –> produce chymosin without calves involvement
  • *Introduced in 1990 and is the FIRST product of genetic engineering in our food supply
54
Q

What was the first real food product of genetic modification introduced?

A

Tomato in 1994

55
Q

Why were tomatoes the first real food product of genetic modification introduced?

A
  • Climate does not allow for good tasting tomatoes all year round
  • Instead, tomatoes are picked green down south, then shipped to the north where they are gassed with ethylene to ripen
56
Q

What is polygalacturonase?

A

Enzyme that breaks down pectin in tomatoes and is responsible for its texture, so it remains stronger faster

57
Q

What factors do we have to consider when introducing any new food?

A
  • Biochemical, toxicological, nutritional, allergenicity data
  • Estimate of dietary exposure
  • Anticipated pattern of use
  • Potential harm to non-target species
  • Potential to spread genetic material to other species
  • Potential of plant becoming a weed
  • Impact on biodiversity
58
Q

What are Brazil nuts?

A
  • Very rich in methionine (critical AA for animal feed)
  • Soya beans are poor in methionine (main animal feed) so they found the gene that coded for Met in brazil nuts and put it in soya beans
59
Q

What are the 4 most common GMO crops grown?

A
  • Maize (corn)
  • Cotton
  • Soybean (soy)
  • Canola (rapeseed)
60
Q

What is the % of GMO crops grown by developing nations versus industrial nations?

A

Industrialized countries = 49%

Developing countries = 51%

61
Q

What is canola crop used for?

A

Used mostly to produce oil

62
Q

What has the canola genome has been modified to provide?

A

Provide tolerance to glyphosate based herbicides (roundup resistant)
- The modified plants are able to withstand application of the herbicide while weeds competing for nutrients in the soil are destroyed

63
Q

What are the benefits of being roundup resistant?

A
  • A lot less tillage (plowing) which is energy intenstive
  • A lot less fuel
  • A lot less herbicide
  • Better yield
64
Q

What is glyphosate?

A

A weed killer and one of safest herbicides out there

  • Use has been increasingly dramatically because it works
  • It is linked to “roundup ready” produce (GMOs)
  • You can kill weeds without destroying crops
  • It less toxic than aspirin, salt and caffeine
65
Q

Explain how glyphosate resistance can occur

A
  • When gene is inserted into crop, not every single plant takes up that gene and some will survive spraying of herbicide
  • These resistant plants will give rise to offspring that are also resistant
    = INCREASE OVERALL RESISTANCE
66
Q

How do you avoid carcinogen production?

A

By using Bt toxin

67
Q

Why is the Colorado Potato Beetle is devastating insect for potato plant?

A

Bt technology not widely used because of public misperception that it makes potato dangerous

68
Q

Why does GM corn has NO effect on the monarch butterfly?

A

The pollen from Bt-corn doesn’t affect caterpillars

69
Q

What does fusarium ear rot lead to?

A

Fumonisins (carcinogens)

70
Q

Does eating GMO corn cause tumours?

A

No

71
Q

What is golden rice?

A

Gene from daffodil inserted in genome of rice and codes for beta carotene (precursor of vitamin A)
- helps with vitamin A deficiency

72
Q

What is the amount of beta carotene in rice?

A

A bowl of 100-150g of cooked golden rice (50g dry weight) can provide about 60% of recommended nutrient intake of vitamin A for 6-8year old children

73
Q

Why do 2 billion people suffer from iron deficiency anemia?

A
  • Deficiency due to high intake of rice (little natural iron content)
    SOLUTION – insert gene in rice from a variety of BEAN that encodes for the production of ferritin, an iron storage protein
74
Q

What is Indole-3-Carbinol?

A

Substance found to slow down the rate of tumour growth in animals
- found in cabbage

75
Q

What are Low Linolenic Acid Soybeans?

A

Soy oil made from these beans doesn’t contain trans fats but it can still be used for frying

  • Withstand high temperature well
  • Less prone to oxidation
  • Less need for hydrogenation
76
Q

What virus is the papaya susceptible to?

A

Papaya ring spot virus

77
Q

What is significant about the GM arctic apple?

A

Does not go brown as easily

  • Only uses genes from apples that naturally don’t turn brown
  • NO foreign gene
78
Q

What is significant about GMO potatoes?

A
  • Fewer black spots and produce less acrylamide

- Genes derived from endogenous potato genes

79
Q

What is the Precautionary Principle?

A

You must have proof of no harm before you introduce any product of some novel technology

  • A demand that science cannot meet
  • Cannot prove that something will never cause harm in anyone
  • Can only make good educated guesses
80
Q

When is labelling required for GMO products?

A

Any GM food that is nutritionally or compositionally different from its traditional counterpart
- BUT if it isn’t, then GMO labelling does not give any information

81
Q

What is dicamba?

A

Herbicide, very effective

- No evidence that dicamba causes cancer

82
Q

What are some problems associated with dicamba?

A
  • Resembles auxin, a plant hormone that causes growth
  • Plants mistake dicamba for auxin and they grow out of control and there aren’t enough nutrients to sustain the plant
  • Dicamba cannot be controlled, it can spread very easily onto neighboring fields that could be growing non-resistant plants, destroying the crop
  • Farmers are suing Monsanto over dicamba devastation
83
Q

What is 2,4-D?

A

Herbicide that has been used for a long time

- Resistant crops to this as well

84
Q

What is agent orange?

A

Chemical used in Vietnam sprayed from airplanes
• Mixtures of herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T
• Idea was to defoliate trees to prevent enemies from hiding
• 2,4,5-T gave rise to a highly toxic substance that is a carcinogen
• Not been made since 60s, it does not exist anymore

85
Q

Explain the different uses of ammonium nitrate

A

Ammonium nitrate can be used as a weapon of war (explosive), however, people make the decision whether to use it for fertilizers or war

86
Q

Why are homeopathic remedies for glyphosate “symptoms” inadequate?

A

They are too diluted to the point where they won’t work

87
Q

What is the difference between a risk and a hazard?

A 
Hazard = innate property of some substance to do damage under some condition
Risk = measure of whether or not that damage is done under realistic conditions
Risk = Hazard x Exposure
88
Q

Why has Glyphosate been placed in the carcinogen category?

A

Because in large doses in some test animals under some conditions it can trigger cancer

89
Q

What is the accepted daily intake of glyphosate?

A

about 0.5 mg/kg body weight

90
Q

If someone was consuming food with glyphosate on daily basis, their urine would contain how much glyphosate?

A

4 mg/L

91
Q

Urine measurements show that people produce how much glyphosate in their urine?

A

anywhere from 1-3 micrograms / L (1/1300th of acceptable daily intake)

92
Q

What does proposition 65 in CA say?

A

Says that any substance that in any dose in any animal can cause cancer must be labelled with a warning.
- Leads to overwhelming amount of cancer warning signs, even when the evidence is not clear

93
Q

France wants to replace glyphosate with pelargonic acid- what is it?

A

Not a highly effective alternative

94
Q

Do GMOs have benefits for celiac patients?

A

Yes

95
Q

What are some benefits of GMOs in foods?

A
  • Higher percentage of nutrients

- Better crop yield, therefore more food

CHEM 181 (3 decks)

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