Midterm Exam (Definitions & Terms)

Question 2

What is Environmental Health?

Answer 2

A branch of public health that focuses on how environmental factors impact human health and well-being.

Question 3

What is the goal of Environmental Health?

Answer 3

To identify, assess, and control environmental hazards to prevent disease and promote health.

Question 4

What is the DPSEEA framework, and what does each letter stand for?

Answer 4

Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Exposure, Effect, Action - used to analyze environmental health concerns.

Question 5

What is a Driving Force in environmental health?

Answer 5

The underlying factors that drive human activities affecting environmental health, such as population growth and urbanization.

Question 6

What is a Pressure in environmental health?

Answer 6

The direct stressors placed on the environment due to driving forces, such as emissions, waste generation, and pollution.

Question 7

What does the ‘State’ refer to in the DPSEEA framework?

Answer 7

The condition of the environment due to pressures, including air and water quality.

Question 8

What is Exposure in the DPSEEA framework?

Answer 8

The way humans come into contact with environmental hazards, such as inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact.

Question 9

What is the definition of an Effect in environmental health?

Answer 9

The health outcomes resulting from exposure to environmental hazards, such as respiratory diseases or cancer.

Question 10

What are Actions in the DPSEEA framework?

Answer 10

Interventions aimed at breaking the causal chain to reduce health risks, such as policies and technological solutions.

Question 11

What is Exposure Assessment?

Answer 11

The process of measuring or estimating human exposure to hazardous agents.

Question 12

What are the four types of hazards in environmental health?

Answer 12

Physical, Chemical, Biological, Environmental.

Question 13

What is a Physical Hazard?

Answer 13

A hazard that includes noise, radiation, temperature extremes, and ergonomic stressors.

Question 14

What is a Chemical Hazard?

Answer 14

A hazard that includes toxic gases, solvents, heavy metals, and pesticides.

Question 15

What is a Biological Hazard?

Answer 15

A hazard that includes viruses, bacteria, fungi, and allergens.

Question 16

What is an Environmental Hazard?

Answer 16

A hazard that includes air pollution, water contamination, and foodborne toxins.

Question 17

What is Industrial Hygiene?

Answer 17

The science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards.

Question 18

What is Toxicology?

Answer 18

The study of poisons and their effects on biological systems.

Question 19

What is Toxicokinetics?

Answer 19

The process of how a substance is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted from the body.

Question 20

What are the four steps of Toxicokinetics?

Answer 20

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion.

Question 21

What is Absorption in toxicology?

Answer 21

How a chemical enters the body through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact.

Question 22

What is Distribution in toxicology?

Answer 22

The movement of a chemical within the body to various organs and tissues.

Question 23

What is Metabolism in toxicology?

Answer 23

The body’s process of breaking down or transforming chemicals, primarily in the liver.

Question 24

What is Excretion in toxicology?

Answer 24

The removal of chemicals from the body through urine, feces, exhalation, or sweat.

Question 25

What is LD50?

Answer 25

The dose of a substance that is lethal to 50% of a test population.

Question 26

What is NOAEL?

Answer 26

No Observable Adverse Effect Level - the highest dose at which no adverse effects are observed.

Question 27

What is the Precautionary Principle?

Answer 27

A policy approach where action is taken to prevent harm even if scientific evidence is incomplete.

Question 28

What is Environmental Justice?

Answer 28

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental laws and policies.

Question 29

What is Environmental Racism?

Answer 29

Policies and practices that disproportionately expose communities of color to environmental hazards.

Question 30

What is the Climate Gap?

Answer 30

The disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income and marginalized communities.

Question 31

What is an Urban Heat Island?

Answer 31

An urban area that experiences higher temperatures due to dark surfaces, lack of greenery, and human activities.

Question 32

What is Biomonitoring?

Answer 32

The measurement of chemicals in human tissues, such as blood and urine, to assess exposure.

Question 33

What is Environmental Epidemiology?

Answer 33

The study of how environmental exposures impact human health and disease patterns.

Question 34

What is Occupational Epidemiology?

Answer 34

The study of how workplace exposures impact the health of workers.

Question 35

What is a Cohort Study?

Answer 35

A study that follows a group of exposed and unexposed individuals over time to measure disease outcomes.

Question 36

What is a Case-Control Study?

Answer 36

A study that compares individuals with a disease to those without to determine past exposures.

Question 37

What is a Cross-Sectional Study?

Answer 37

A study that measures exposure and disease at the same time in a population.

Question 38

What is Relative Risk (RR)?

Answer 38

A ratio comparing the risk of a disease in an exposed group to an unexposed group.

Question 39

What is an Odds Ratio (OR)?

Answer 39

A measure of association used in case-control studies to estimate the strength of an exposure-disease relationship.

Question 40

What is Attributable Risk (AR)?

Answer 40

The proportion of disease cases that can be attributed to a specific exposure.

Question 41

What is Selection Bias?

Answer 41

A type of bias that occurs when participants in a study do not represent the general population.

Question 42

What is Confounding Bias?

Answer 42

A type of bias where an unaccounted variable distorts the relationship between exposure and disease.

Question 43

What is Information Bias?

Answer 43

A type of bias that occurs due to incorrect measurement or classification of exposure or disease.

Question 44

What is the Hierarchy of Controls?

Answer 44

A framework for controlling workplace hazards, ranked from most to least effective.

Question 45

What is Elimination in the Hierarchy of Controls?

Answer 45

Removing a hazard completely from the workplace or environment.

Question 46

What is Substitution in the Hierarchy of Controls?

Answer 46

Replacing a hazardous substance or process with a safer alternative.

Question 47

What is an Engineering Control?

Answer 47

A modification to equipment, processes, or environments to reduce exposure to hazards.

Question 48

What is an Administrative Control?

Answer 48

Policies or procedures that limit exposure, such as rotating shifts or reducing work hours.

Question 49

What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Answer 49

Protective clothing and equipment used as a last resort to minimize exposure.

Question 50

What is the difference between Acute and Chronic Exposure?

Answer 50

Acute exposure occurs over a short time, while chronic exposure happens over a long period.

Question 51

What is a Superfund Site?

Answer 51

A contaminated site designated for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Question 52

What is Risk Assessment in environmental health?

Answer 52

The process of evaluating potential adverse health effects from environmental exposures.

Question 53

What is Bioaccumulation?

Answer 53

The buildup of chemicals in an organism over time.

Question 54

What is Biomagnification?

Answer 54

The increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms at higher levels of the food chain.

Question 55

What is Environmental Sustainability?

Answer 55

The practice of meeting current environmental needs without compromising future generations.