CHAPTER 12

The Environment and Health

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From a population health perspective, “environment” refers to ________.
   1. the natural, outdoor environment
   2. all the aspects of an individual’s context
   3. the natural and the human modified environment, both indoors and out
   4. ecologic balance in nature
2. Climate change is best understood as ________.
   1. natural variation in temperatures and weather patterns
   2. a spike in temperatures due to a variety of natural and human induced factors
   3. a trend toward higher land and ocean temperatures
   4. a hoax
3. Among the features associated with climate change are ________.
   1. more frequent extreme weather events
   2. warmer and wetter conditions everywhere
   3. warmer and drier conditions everywhere
   4. improved climate conditions for plants and animals
4. Natural disasters harm people mostly because ________.
   1. they are unpredictable
   2. human populations are helpless against nature
   3. people lack the knowledge needed to mitigate disasters and respond to their effects
   4. poverty, inadequate planning, ineffective regulation, and poor disaster response contribute to casualties and deaths

1. Factory farming of plants ________.
   1. involves diverse plantations
   2. improves soil fertility
   3. relies heavily on chemicals and irrigation
   4. produces high-quality food
2. Factory farming of animals does NOT ________.
   1. improve health by making meat more available and affordable
   2. generate prodigious amounts of waste
   3. rely on drugs, hormones and genetic manipulation
   4. threaten populations with highly dangerous novel zoonotic pathogens
3. Fish farming involves _________.
   1. the sustainable production of quality seafood
   2. massive pollution and harm to wild fish
   3. production of an affordable and healthy food
   4. protection of wild fish stocks
4. Junk, processed, and commercial packaged foods makers depend on ________.
   1. the surpluses of milk, corn, and soya generated by government subsidized factory farming
   2. the enthusiasm of their customers
   3. the low energy and high cost of their products
   4. the slimming effects of the things they sell
5. Every year, about ________ Canadians die prematurely because of exposure to air pollution.
   1. 1100
   2. 2200
   3. 5500
   4. 7700
6. ________ is most dangerous to human health.
   1. Nitrogen dioxide
   2. Gross particulates such as dust and soot
   3. Fine particulates and micro fibers
   4. Pollens and spores
7. The following statement about heavy metals is TRUE: ________.
   1. Lead, iron, and titanium are heavy metals
   2. Heavy metals are difficult for organisms to metabolize and excrete
   3. Mercury and arsenic are poisonous but also easy to avoid
   4. Lead no longer poses a threat to drinking water in North America
8. Lead is ________.
   1. a highly versatile metal used for many years in windows, roofing, pipes, and paint
   2. a by-product of many industrial processes, as well as from refining min­erals
   3. rarely found in the environment
   4. safely locked up in the compounds and applications where it is used
9. Apex predator fish from contaminated water are very dangerous to human health because ________.
   1. they contain a lot of bacteria
   2. they contain a large amount of micro-plastics
   3. they accumulate toxins such as heavy metals
   4. they contain a lot of omega-3 fats, which cause heart disease
10. One reason why the gradient in health is so steep is ________.
    1. poorer people are exposed to more spores from mould and mildew
    2. richer people have fewer synthetic carpets and items containing flame retardants
    3. richer people are exposed to more mercury because they have more dental work
    4. poorer people use more cosmetics than richer ones
11. A particularly potent hormone mimicker is found in ________.
    1. scented candles
    2. laminate flooring
    3. flame retardants
    4. synthetic fabrics
12. Tiny amounts of neonicotinoids, widely used in agriculture and previously thought to be harmless, are now known to ________.
    1. cause birth defects in mammals
    2. contribute to falling human fertility
    3. contribute to honeybee colony collapse
    4. disrupt the normal development of fish and amphibians
13. From a population health standpoint, we should be most concerned about ________.
    1. one-off exposures to a toxin
    2. multiple exposures to a toxin
    3. the duration of an exposure to a toxin
    4. the cumulative effect over time of exposure to many different toxins
14. Toxic exposures are most common for ________.
    1. rich people
    2. poor people
    3. rural populations
    4. urban populations
15. Natural disasters mostly adversely affect ________.
    1. rich people
    2. poor people
    3. rural populations
    4. urban populations
16. Most environmental risks ________.
    1. cannot be mitigated
    2. cannot be anticipated
    3. can be mitigated
    4. operate independently of policy and planning

True or False Questions

1. Beef and dairy cattle are major contributors to climate change.
2. Meat production in Canada is environmentally sustainable.
3. Fish farms produce affordable, high-quality food in an environmentally responsible way.
4. Factory farming harms population health because it is the backbone of the junk and processed foods industries, as well as a major threat to the environment.
5. Airborne particulates cannot cross over from the lung to the bloodstream.
6. Lead paint and lead soldered water pipes are common in older houses.
7. Arsenic is never absorbed by food crops irrigated by groundwater.
8. Poor ventilation and high humidity, common in poor quality dwellings, foster the growth of moulds and mildews.
9. Estrogen entering sewage systems when excreted in urine by women taking birth control pills disrupts the normal development of fish and amphibians.
10. Carpets made from synthetics release dangerous micro fibers as well as off-gas formaldehyde.

Short Answer Questions

1. Are the consequences of natural disasters strictly the result of natural forces? Explain your answer.
2. How is agri-business linked to poor diet as well as health-related environmental damage?
3. Why should people limit their consumption of tuna fish, sword fish, and other predator species?
4. What features of heavy metals make them especially dangerous to children?
5. What measures could be introduced to improve indoor air quality in Canadian homes?

Essay Questions

1. Why do most deaths from hurricanes, cyclones, and flooding occur in mobile home parks?
2. How are the issues of sustainable agriculture linked to the quality, price, and availability of food?
3. It is now clear that extreme weather events, global warming, and species extinctions are at least partly caused by pollution, mostly the release of greenhouse gases from power generation, vehicles, agri-business and manufacturing. Why is the science so widely denied? Why do many politicians resist implementing policies that will reduce the amounts of CO₂ and methane that are released into the atmosphere?