Full Test Bank Chapter 8 Environmental Health and Toxicology

Principles of Environmental Science, 9e (Cunningham)

Chapter 8 Environmental Health and Toxicology

1) The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism is defined as

A) bioaccumulation.

B) body burden.

C) mutagen.

D) biomagnification.

E) carrying capacity.

2) Examples of POPs, persistent organic pollutants, include all of the following except

A) phthalates.

B) perchlorate.

C) PDBEs.

D) PFOs.

E) phosphates.

3) Infectious diseases that were previously not known or described for at least the prior 20 years

A) ecological diseases.

B) disease.

C) infectious diseases.

D) emergent diseases.

E) native diseases.

4) The World Health Organization regards health as primarily a matter of ________ well being.

A) physical

B) mental and physical

C) social and mental

D) physical, mental, and social

E) physical and social

5) Historically, the greatest threats to human health came from

A) carcinogenic or toxic chemicals.

B) psychological stress factors due to crowding.

C) pathogenic organisms.

D) teratogenic chemicals.

E) injuries (intentional and unintentional).

6) Infectious diseases such as diarrhea are closely linked to

A) emotional stress.

B) malnutrition.

C) toxicity effects.

7) Which would not be characteristic of a disease such as the recent outbreak of cholera and Ebola?

A) They are caused by pathogenic organisms.

B) They are called communicable diseases.

C) They are called emergent diseases.

D) They are happening more often in the past 20 years.

E) They are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

8) The cutting of rainforests causes a lack of normal water flow into the soil. Puddles of water can stand for long periods. Which of the following statements best explains how rainforest destruction is closely tied with human morbidity and mortality?

A) The elimination of top consumers can favor disease-carrying organisms.

B) Mosquitoes with an aquatic larval form spread many highly contagious diseases.

C) The standing water is used for drinking and disease organisms in the water cause diarrhea.

D) All of these explain the connection between rainforest destruction and human morbidity and mortality.

9) Hazardous substances ________ while toxins are ________.

A) react with specific cell components to kill cells; poisonous substances

B) are dangerous substances; poisonous substances

C) are usually of concern at all concentrations; are dangerous substances

D) All of these are true.

10) Toxic substances are dangerous because they

A) react or interfere with specific cell functions.

B) can physically remove or tear tissues.

C) are usually synthetic.

D) cause debilitating, parasitic diseases.

E) cause excessive water accumulation in tissues.

11) When comparing the toxicity of natural and synthetic chemicals, natural chemicals are ________ synthetic chemicals.

A) nearly always less toxic than

B) nearly always more toxic than

C) on average, just as toxic

D) much safer

E) more difficult to detect

12) Which of the following statements is true?

A) If a substance is toxic, its toxicity is highly dependent on its form and where it is present in the environment.

B) If a substance is toxic, it is equally toxic regardless of its form or where it is present in the environment.

C) The most important factor in the toxicity of a substance is the route by which it enters our bodies.

D) None of these statements are true.

13) Which of the following would not be among the most important characteristics of chemicals in determining their environmental risks is/are

A) solubility.

B) reactivity.

C) persistence.

D) toxicity.

E) dose.

14) The biomagnification of DDT demonstrates that

A) higher trophic level organisms can concentrate toxins in a type of "inverse biological pyramid."

B) birds should not depend on fish for food.

C) DDT is easily metabolized and excreted by most organisms.

D) DDT is an extremely water-soluble material.

E) water-soluble toxins are widespread.

15) Highly persistent toxic chemicals

A) retain their toxicity as they cycle through the food chain and environment.

B) lose their toxicity once released in the environment.

C) accumulate within one organism but break down at higher trophic levels.

D) are highly unusual among artificial chemicals.

E) are usually not that toxic in their life span.

16) An advantage of testing for toxicity by exposing animals to chemicals is that using animals is

A) cheaper than other methods.

B) faster than other methods.

C) usually quite humane.

D) easier than using computer models.

E) a trusted and usually reliable way to get results.

17) An LD50 (lethal dose 50%) is a dose of a toxic chemical that

A) is an acceptable level of risk for most individuals.

B) all individuals react to.

C) kills individuals 50 years old and over.

D) is 50 times less than the minimal dose.

E) kills half of the population.

18) Detection of toxic chemicals depends upon

A) how many chemicals are present.

B) how many individuals respond to them at a certain dosage.

C) the sensitivity of measuring techniques and how many chemicals are present.

D) whether or not individuals or groups of individuals are sensitive to them.

E) whether or not groups of individuals are sensitive to them.

19) Most people do their own personal risk assessments based upon

A) scientific data.

B) whimsical preference devoid of logic.

C) logical reasoning about relative risks.

D) personal biases and preferences as well as logic.

E) statistical probabilities.

20) Based on what you know of risk assessment, which of the following factors would not explain the seemingly irrational behavior of a father who smokes (high risk factor for baby) throwing away his baby's teething rings that may contain phthalates (seemingly low risk factor for baby).

A) People tend to downplay risks that are associated with activities they are committed to or enjoy.

B) Most people do not understand the concepts of probability.

C) News media can give a biased view of hazards.

D) People tend to have an irrational fear of certain technologies that are not as well understood.

E) People recognize the risk of man-made objects but not those of natural (tobacco) objects.

21) As a society, we usually focus money and attention on health risks that are

A) most serious.

B) easiest to clean up.

C) most well publicized and frightening.

D) easiest to research.

22) Historically, which of the following considerations in setting standards for toxic exposure has been emphasized the least?

A) Information about how toxins affect natural ecological systems.

B) Different members of the population have different sensitivities to toxins.

C) Information about both chronic and acute exposures to a toxin.

D) The bioaccumulation potential of the toxin.

23) Two problems encountered in human health risk assessment are ________ and ________.

A) use of chemical mixtures; lack of knowledge about synergistic effects

B) lack of funding for federal mandates; lack of public support

C) extrapolation of data to low doses; extrapolation of data from non-human species to humans

D) lack of planning; the involvement of politics

24) With respect to exposure to toxins which statement is correct?

A) Acute effects are much worse than chronic effects.

B) Acute effects are not as bad as chronic effects.

C) Acute effects are the immediate results of a single exposure, chronic effects are those that are long-lasting.

D) Acute effects are permanent, chronic effects may be short or long term but go away over time.

25) Which of the following presents the lowest lifetime risk of death to people in the US?

A) poisonous snakes

B) dog bites

C) plane crashes

D) lightning

E) drowning

26) Which of the following presents the greatest lifetime risk of death to people in the US?

A) poisonous snakes

B) dog bites

C) plane crashes

D) lightning

E) drowning

27) The EPA usually assumes an acceptable risk for environmental hazards is about 1 in

A) 100.

B) 1000.

C) 10,000.

D) 100,000.

E) 1 million.

28) SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and Ebola fever are examples of emergent diseases.

29) A factor responsible for the fast spread of emergent diseases is high population density.

30) Pathogenic organisms are those that are susceptible to diseases.

31) In 1918 a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people.

32) Organisms are physiologically able to minimize some of the effects of toxins if

A) a minimal amount is taken into the body.

B) there is no exposure.

C) chemists develop vaccines and antibodies.

D) DNA technology is used to change the individual's susceptibility.

33) Policy makers should utilize a(n) ________ approach to setting environmental risk standards.

A) zero tolerance

B) precautionary

C) case-by-case

D) restrictive

34) An allergen

A) is a toxic substance.

B) is a natural pathogen.

C) over-stimulates the immune system.

D) attacks the nervous system.

35) Which of the following is an example of a neurotoxin?

A) malaria

B) formaldehyde

C) mercury

D) DDT

36) A chemical that causes abnormalities in a growing fetus is called a(n)

A) teratogen.

B) mutagen.

C) carcinogen.

D) endocrine disruptor.

37) Estrogen-like compounds that can disrupt normal cellular function are called a/an

A) endocrine disruptor.

B) mutagen.

C) carcinogen.

D) teratogen.

E) antigen.

38) How are bioaccumulation and biomagnification different?

A) Bioaccumulation occurs in an individual, while biomagnification occurs through the food chain.

B) Biomagnification occurs in an individual, while bioaccumulation occurs through the food chain.

C) Bioaccumulation occurs in humans, while biomagnification occurs in animals in nature.

D) Biomagnification involves storing substances in adipose tissue, while bioaccumulation refers to water soluble substances.

E) Bioaccumulation is a regular cellular process, while biomagnification refers to toxic substances.

39) The complex set of chemical markers and genetic switches that regulate gene function is called the

A) epigenome.

B) genome.

C) mutagen.

D) chronic effect.

E) carcinogen.