Week 8 Tuesday Flashcards
Environmental health is the responsibility of ____________.
government
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1970) does what?
Consolidate research, monitoring, standards-setting, and enforcement activities to achieve a cleaner, healthier environment in the US
Besides the creation of the EPA in 1970, what else happened that year?
Clean Air Act (1970)
List and describe each of the 3 parts of the physical environment
1) Unaltered (natural): sun-induced skin cancer, radon risk (increased lung CA risk)
2) Altered: Chemicals, radiation, and biological products introduced to the environment
-Intentional vs unintentional introductions
3) Built: Construction, pollution (indoor and outdoor)
5
Population boom has caused a major impact on physical environment
Consumption of resources increases
Waste production increases
Measuring the burden of disease is difficult.
Why?
Effects may be subtle, may take a long time to affect the body
Urban growth: Over ____% of Americans live in metropolitan areas of 50,000 or more people
85%
List and describe 2 impacts of urban living
1) Crowded conditions in urban areas have contributed to health issues over the years
-Ex: Uncollected garbage
2) Car dependence leads to an increase in air pollution and reduces exercise
-Exs: public transportation , bike lanes, walking paths
bike-share programs
1) When does air pollution occur?
2) Give examples
1) When particulate matter is suspended in the air.
2) Acids, organic chemicals, metals, dust, and pollen/mold spores.
Why do the size of particles in air pollution matter?
Our body’s defenses can dislodge larger particles
BUT smaller particles (<10 microns in diameter, <2.5 microns pose highest risk) can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed in the bloodstream
How can you see particulate matter?
Visible as smoke, soot, ash, grime on buildings, corroded metals
Particles that are [greater or less] than 10 microns in diameter may get absorbed into the blood stream
greater
What is being done to reduce particle pollution (PM)? (2 things)
1) In 1987, the EPA revised air pollution standards to limit emissions of smaller particles (<10 microns)
-In 1997 (and 2006), EPA revised it again to <2.5 microns
2) Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act (1970)
Established strict air quality standards, set limits on several major pollutants, and mandated reduction of automobile and factory emissions
Requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for six principal pollutants:
CO, Lead, nitrogen oxides, O3, PM, SO2
*The EPA has added asbestos, mercury, beryllium, benzene, coke-oven emissions (coal) and others to the law over the years.
Impact of the Environment on Health:
1)
13 million deaths or 20% of all deaths are due to avoidable environmental causes.
½ of these are due to air pollution
List the 4 measures of AQI
- ground level ozone
- particle pollution
- carbon monoxide
- sulfur dioxide
Burden of Disease Due to the Physical Environment
Motor vehicle injuries and exposure to toxic substances = ~100,000 deaths yearly
~20% preventable deaths yearly (and 10% of all deaths) in the United States
1) ~100,000 deaths yearly
~20% preventable deaths yearly (and 10% of all deaths) in the United States
Occupational exposures and injuries
Example: Lung diseases, hearing loss, back pain, etc.
5% of cancer deaths in males are estimated to be caused by occupational exposures
Occupational exposures decreasing over past 30 years in the US
Toxic exposures also alter ecosystems
Once chemicals, radiation, and biological products are released into the environment, the process cannot generally be easily reversed.
Give examples of barrier protection
Cilia, keratin, etc
The impacts of ______________ on health are complex and our body has multiple mechanisms for protection (barrier protections).
environment
Risk is affected by…
Route of exposure
Skin, respiratory tract, digestive tract, GU tract
Timing of exposure
Short-term vs long-term?
Stage of life
Other diseases
Ex. Chronic lung diseases, HIV/AIDS
Special sensitivities
True or false: Location of exposure affects the consequences of the exposure
True
Location of exposure affects the consequences of the exposure. Give an example.
Consequence of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium depend on whether exposure via the skin, respiratory or GI tracts
(“Mad as a Hatter”)
The presence of other diseases will affect how the body is impacted by an environmental exposure. Give 2 examples.
Chronic lung diseases and environmental exposures
Short-term high-dose impacts differ from long-term low dose impacts even if the totals are the same. Give an example
Childhood sunburns vs adult sunburns
What differs between vulnerable populations (based on age) and others?
Exposures during these stages of life, especially during pregnancy, tend to differ from exposures at other times during life
True or false: the presence of other diseases will NOT affect how the body is impacted by an environmental exposure
False; will affect
Some people are hypersensitive to specific environmental exposures that have no measurable impact on the vast majority of individuals. Give an example.
Environmental chemicals such as phthalates (commonly used in plastic products) aggravate atopic dermatitis.
List 4 approaches to address complex interactions between humans and physical environment
1) Risk assessment
2) Public health assessment
3) Ecological assessment
4) Interaction analysis
Occupational injuries:
1) How many deaths?
2) Give examples of occupational injuries
3) Who regulates these?
1) 5000 deaths due to injuries
Lung Diseases
Hearing Loss
Back pain
Carpel Tunnel
Cancers
Formaldehyde, benzene, dyes
3) OSHA, NIOSH
Public Health Assessment:
1) What does it include?
2) What risks does it address?
3) How many years to complete?
1) Data on actual exposure in a community.
2) Not just the risks in a specific location, but also the risks to large numbers of individuals and often to the population as a whole.
Can take years/decade
True or false: Public Health Assessment only includes risks specific to one location
False!!
1) Is it normal to screen kids for lead?
2) Is lead an air pollutant?
3) When was lead banned from paint?
1) Yes; all young kids are screened
2) Can be; leaded gasoline was banned in vehicles 1975
3) 1977
Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in 2008; what did this do?
Imposed regulations and testing requirements for toys and children’s furniture on manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers
When was there an issue of popular American toys from China containing lead?
2007
List 4 ways to be exposed to lead
1) Inhalation
2) Ingestion
3) Water
3) In-utero
Ecological risk assessment
examines what?
the impacts of contaminants on ecological systems ranging from chemicals, to radiation, to genetically altered crops
1) What are fossil fuels?
2) Give examples
1) A natural fuel formed underground from the remains of dead plants and animals that humans extract and burn to release energy for use
2) Coal, petroleum, natural gas
What are some issues with fossil fuels?
Land degradation
Water pollution
Emissions
CO2, mercury, PM, ozone, and sulfur dioxide production
Joe grew up in an industrial district of town. His family lived in an old apartment building, and he played in a playground near a major intersection. By the age of 6, Joe was found to have high lead levels in his blood and was not doing well in school.
Where could all that lead come from?
Water, paint, soil, etc
