Health Impacts
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AP Environmental Science › Health Impacts
Each of the following is an example of a waterborne disease EXCEPT:
tuberculosis
cholera
typhoid
polio
meningitis
Explanation
Tuberculosis has an airborne mechanism of transmission. Cholera, typhoid, polio, and meningitis are all diseases capable of waterborne transmission.
Smog is primarily made up of __________.
ozone
carbon dioxide
carbon monoxide
nitrous oxides
Explanation
Ozone is created when sunlight reacts with nitrous oxides and other pollutants, many of which originate from gasoline vapors, combustion products, etc. It is harmful when breathed. On hot days, some metropolitan areas issue smog warnings.
Carbon monoxide limits oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues. 95% of carbon monoxide emissions in cities comes from __________.
automobile exhaust
industrial facilities
coal burning
None of these
Explanation
Only 5% of carbon monoxide in cities does not originate from car exhaust. Though industrial facilities are a major concern as a source of pollution, regarding carbon monoxide specifically, automobiles have a much higher impact.
Which of the following is NOT a primary pollutant?
CFCs
Explanation
A primary pollutant comes from a direct source, while a secondary pollutant is formed by chemical reactions from primary pollutants in the environment. 
This pollutant is not easily excreted. Accumulations of this pollutant in the body can affect the kidneys, liver, and nervous system. The largest concentrations of this pollutant are found near battery plants and smelters.
Lead
Iron
Carbon monoxide
Ozone
Explanation
Lead, a heavy metal, accumulates in the body. Children are especially susceptible to airborne lead. Iron, also a metal, can be problematic in large quantities, but is also necessary in extremely small amounts for proper function.
What is the difference between chronic and acute exposure?
Concentration and delivery time
Acute exposure is more hazardous
Chronic exposure is more toxic
Acute exposure is more sustained
Explanation
Acute exposure is an exposure to a substance over a short period of time in a relatively high concentration. Conversely, chronic exposure occurs over long periods of time at relatively lower concentrations. Toxicity and hazard depend of the circumstance of the substance, not the type of exposure. Acute exposure may or may not be more hazardous or toxic than chronic exposure to the same substance.
A skull and crossbones symbol on a container indicates that the contents are __________.
toxic/poisonous
flammable
corrosive
alcoholic
Explanation
Skull and crossbones indicates poison. Corrosive materials are labelled "corrosive" and signs indicating the substance corroding metal may be present. Flammable materials are marked with flames.
Which of the following toxins is most likely to cause a birth defect?
Teratogen
Mutagen
Carcinogen
None of these
Explanation
A teratogen is most likely to cause a birth defect. Exposure to a teratogen specifically causes deformities in an embryo.
Which of the following is NOT an example of bioaccumulation?
Mishandled or spoiled food can contain toxins that result in illness and cause vomiting and diarrhea, the body's natural method of expelling said toxins.
Mercury found in industrial waste enters the ocean, where it is absorbed by plankton and subsequently absorbed by fish that eat plankton, and bigger fish that eat the smaller fish. It thus accumulates at the higher trophic levels.
Nuclear fallout from atomic weapon tests conducted in the South Pacific has been found in samples of local coconuts and fish populations, leaving several islands uninhabitable.
Most commercial fruit and vegetable producers spray chemical herbicides, which accumulate in human consumers when we don't wash our produce before eating it.
Up until the 1980s, hunters used lead shot to hunt waterfowl, and the lead was consumed by the waterfowl, accumulating in their tissues and heightening risk of lead poisoning.
Explanation
Bioaccumulation is the process of a toxin entering an organism at a rate faster than it is evacuated. Toxins from food poisoning are expelled by the body's response to evacuate the substance, while mercury in seafood or lead in waterfowl populations tend to accumulate over time.
This pollutant is typically credited for promoting dental health, but in water in high quantities, health impacts include yellowing teeth and spinal cord damage.
chlorine
arsenic
fluoride
nitrate
Explanation
Fluoride in high doses is extremely problematic, making it a concerning pollutant. It is extremely prevalent in products used in dental health. Because these are products that are generally washed away, fluoride is of special concern as a water pollutant.