HEA 316 CH 6-10 questions – Flashcards
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In reference to cancer prevention, which of the following statements is false?
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Including more fats in the daily diet and avoiding irritating fibrous foods can help in preventing stomach, colon, and rectal cancer.
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Pregnant women whose diet is deficient in folic acid are at heightened risk of bearing a child with what type of birth defect?
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Neural Tube Defect
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Regular consumption of which of the following foods is believed capable of reducing an individual's chances of developing cancer?
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Broccoli
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The death rate due to which of the following type of cancer has declined dramatically over the past 50 years because of improved diagnostic procedures?
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Uterine Cancer
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The fact that asbestos workers who smoke are 60 times more likely to develop lung cancer than are their nonsmoking colleagues is an example of:
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Synergism
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What are aflatoxins?
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Carcinogens produced by a fungus growing on grains and nuts
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What is P53
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A tumor suppressor gene whose mutant form is believed responsible for many cancers
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What is the cause of Down Syndrome?
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Presence of 47 chromosomes per cell rather than the normal 46
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Which of the following statements about lung cancer is true?
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Lung cancer rates are higher among both men and women in regions where are quality is poor.
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Which of the following types of cancer is sometimes associated with a prior viral infection?
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Liver cancer
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Which of the following substances acts as a mutagen, a teratogen, and a carcinogen?
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X-rays
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Which of these teratogenic substances is the cause of approximately 5% of all deaths among newborns un the U.S., most of them resulting from low birth weight caused by a reduction in blood oxygen levels?
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Cigarette smoke
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For which toxic substances do researchers say there is no safe level--no threshold below which exposure will result in no adverse health impact?
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Asbestos and lead
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Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung or stomach lining, is known as a "marker disease" because its only known cause is exposure to what toxic substance?
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Asbestos
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Human poisonings due to mercury exposure most commonly result in what kind of health damage?
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Brain and/or nervous system disorders
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The most serious effect of lead poisoning is:
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Damage to brain and central nervous system
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PCBs, which biomagnify as they move up the food chain, are most commonly taken up by humans when they eat certain kinds of:
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Freshwater fish
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Reaffirming dioxin's status as an environmental toxin, a recent EPA report cited which of the following as the major threat posed by TCDD and related chemicals?
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Disruption of endocrine hormones
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What is the most problematic step in the risk assessment process?
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Assessing the actual amount and duration of exposure received by human populations
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Where do PCBs, dioxins, or any of the chlorinated hydrocarbons concentrate in living tissues?
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Fat
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Which of the following is the leading source of dioxin emissions in the U.S.?
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Medical waste incinerators
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Which of the following is characteristic of both PCBs and dioxin?
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Chemically very stable, don't break down readily
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Which of the following toxic substances has been found as a contaminant in farmed salmon?
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PCBs
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Which two of the following toxic substances are capable of crossing the placental barrier and causing severe fetal damage in humans?
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Lead and mercury
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An example of a persistent, broad-spectrum insecticides is:
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DDT
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If a pesticide label indicates the product is "EPA-Registered," what does this mean in practical terms?
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The product is legal to sell and use in the United States
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In recent years there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of malaria in many tropical countries due to
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Development of resistant strains of insects
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In which of the following groups of organisms would you expect to see the greatest effects of pesticide biomagnification?
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Quarternary Consumers (e.g. Pelicans)
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Serious gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera and dysentery are carried by the insect vector:
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Houseflies
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The mosquito-borne illness of greatest concern in the United States today is:
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West Nile virus
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What characteristic of the organophosphate insecticides make them more environmentally acceptable than the chlorinated hydrocarbons?
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Not persistent
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What characteristic of botanical insecticides such as pyrethrum and rotenone makes them useful?
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They are very effective against a wide range of insect pests, yet are harmless to humans and pets
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What is the basic cause of the phenomenon known as "secondary pest outbreak"?
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Population explosion of formerly insignificant pests which become economically important after spraying eliminates most of their natural enemies
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What was the major reason EPA gave for banning the use of most chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides?
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The chemicals had been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals
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Which of the following pesticidal groups is most acutely toxic to the pesticide applicator?
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Organophosphate insecticides
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Which of the following is nonselective herbicide, capable of killing any plant in contacts?
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Glyphosate
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A type of allergic reaction known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome" is experienced by many consumers who eat foods containing the food additive:
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Monosodium glutamate (MSG
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Chronic arthritis may develop as a lasting after-effect of which food borne illness?
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Salmonellosis
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For which two bacterial food-borne diseases is the infective dose thought to be very low?
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E.coli 0157:H7 and listeriosis
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How does the federal government attempt to regulate pesticide residues on food?
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By setting "tolerance levels" for the maximum amount that may be present on specific crops
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Outbreaks of bacterial food poisoning are most often associated with eating:
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Poultry, meat, or dairy products
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Sneezing on foods during preparation or handling food when an open cut or skin eruption is present is a likely way to inoculating foods with the pathogen responsible for which food borne disease?
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Staphylococcus intoxication
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Some authorities advise consumers to avoid regular consumption of hot dogs, bacon, and lunch-meats because they contain a suspected carcinogenic food additive which is intended to deter spoilage and to make the meat look fresher. What is this controversial food additive?
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Sodium nitrite
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The incidence of both tapeworm and roundworm infections in the U.S. has been increasing as a result of the growing popularity of which ethnic specialty?
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Sushi
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what is the "Danger Zone"- the temperature range which will support the multiplication of food poisoning bacteria and which should be avoided as much as possible during handling, preparation, and storage of susceptible foods?
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41 F-140 f
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What is the most likely way in which the American consumer is currently being exposed to potentially dangerous pesticide residues?
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By eating imported fruits and vegetables on which overuse of chemicals banned in the U.S. is common
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Which of the following food borne diseases is particularly worrisome to public health officials because the pathogen involved is capable of growing quite well at temperatures considerably lower than those within the "Danger Zone"?
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Listeriosis
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Why are many researchers today worried about the continued use of antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracycline in livestock feed?
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Their use may promote the development of bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics and this resistance can then be transferred to bacteria which cause human diseases
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For the average American, which of the following represents the single largest source of exposure to ionizing radiation on a yearly basis?
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Radon gas
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The sharp increase in skin cancer rates during the past few decades in the U.S. has largely been attributed to excess exposure to:
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Ultraviolet light
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What disease is most frequently associated with low-level exposure to ionizing radiation?
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Leukemia
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What is the minimum SPF sunscreen rating that is effective for preventing skin damage?
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15
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When would the largest number of health problems associated with detonation of a "dirty bomb" occur?
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Immediately after the initial explosion, due to the blast itself
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Which from of ionizing radiation is least penetrating, capable of being blocked by a layer of skin?
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Alpha particles
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Which of the following statements in reference to health effects of radiation is false?
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If a person received a 2 Sv whole body dose of radiation within 5 minutes, the damage would be less than if the same dose were received over a period of 5 months
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Which of the following forms of radiation is non-ionizing?
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Ultraviolet light
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Which of the following statements about skin cancer is false?
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Malignant melanomas are the most common type of skin cancer, responsible for 400,000 new cases annually
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Which of the following parts of the body is most vulnerable to the damaging effects of microwaves?
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Eyes
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Which type of skin cancer has the highest fatality rate?
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Malignant melanoma
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Why are substances that emit beta particles of special concern?
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They are chemically similar to normal boy constituents, if taken internally they are incorporated into the bones or thyroid
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Which of the following diseases is caused by a point mutation?
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Sickle-cell anemia
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A mutation is defined as any change in the _____ material.
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Genetic
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During which of the following stages of fetal development is exposure to a teratogenic agent likely to be the most damaging?
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3rd through the 8th week of pregnancy
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According to the American Cancer Society, the only cancers for which death rates have been rising in recent years are:
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Esophageal cancer and liver cancer
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Which of the following statements about cancer is false?
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Hereditary predisposition to cancer has been shown to have a negligible impact on cancer incidence.
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What is the cause of phocomelia?
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Presence of thalidomide during the first trimester
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The standard procedure for testing the health effects of new chemicals is to administer very large doses of the substance in question to laboratory animals and to observe any adverse effects which might develop. Why are such large doses used?
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To compensate for the relatively short life span of the animals used and to obtain statistically significant results from a small sample group
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Thalidomide, methyl mercury, Dilantin, Accutane, DES, and cytomegalovirus all share what characteristic?
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They are all teratogenic
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What is considered to represent the single most frequent cause of lead poisoning among American children?
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Swallowing paint chips or paint dust
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What was the toxic contaminant in Agent Orange which allegedly caused a variety of ailments among Vietnamese civilians and American servicemen exposed to the chemical during the Vietnam War?
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Dioxin
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Which of the following statements about LD50 is false?
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A substance with an LD50 of 85 is more toxic than one with an LD50 of 30
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Which of the following is NOT a step in health risk assessment
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implementation of regulations
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What is currently the leading cause of asbestos-related death?
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Lung cancer
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Why is testing for chronic toxicity more difficult, time consuming, and expensive than testing for acute toxicity?
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symptoms are often similar to other common health complaints and may be misdiagnosed tests are usually carried out for a time period equivalent to the average lifespan of the rats or mice symptoms may take months or years to manifest themselves
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Which of the following is now banned from production, sale, and distribution in the U.S.?
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PCBs
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Of all the human-made contaminants found in the modern environment today, which is the most widespread?
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PCBs
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"Minamata Disease" killed or seriously disabled hundreds of Japanese who had inadvertently eaten fish contaminated with:
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methyl mercury
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"Chloracne" is the first and most characteristic symptom of poisoning with which of the following?
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PCBs
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True or false: On the dose-response curve, the threshold is the point where the curve flattens out after reaching its maximum effect
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False
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Which of the following options describes the effects of endocrine disruptors?
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immune effects in humans and animals
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Which of the following animals is most acutely sensitive to the toxic effects of dioxin?
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Guinea pigs
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Prospecting methods employed by gold miners in Brazil are resulting in what serious public health problem?
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Mercury poisoning
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PCBs, which biomagnify as they move up the foodchain, are most commonly taken up by humans when they eat certain kinds of:
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Freshwater fish
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Which of the following is no longer an effective method for controlling malaria?
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treatment of victims with chloroquine
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When did DDT first come into widespread use?
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after World War II—1945
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Minamata Disease, reproductive failure among peregrine falcons and eagles exposed to DDT, and the death of western grebes at ClearLake, CA, are all examples of:
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biomagnification
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For what accomplishment did Paul Muller receivea Nobel Prize in 1948?
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discovered that DDT is effective for killing insects
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Lyme disease is a newly recognized ailment transmitted by the bite of which of these pests?
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black-lidded ticks
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What is meant by the term "integrated pest management"?
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a method aimed at keeping pest populations below the level at which they can cause significant harm by using a combination of controls such as natural enemies, sanitation, and judicious use of chemicals when necessary
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Serious gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera and dysentery are carried by this insect vector:
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houseflies
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"Agent Orange" was used in Vietnam by the U.S.military as a:
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selective herbicide
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The first large-scale use of DDT occurred in Italy in 1943 when the insecticide was used for dusting refugees in a successful attempt to prevent an outbreak of a deadly disease spread by body lice which frequently occurs under wartime conditions of overcrowding and poor sanitation. What disease did DDT prevent in this situation?
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typhus fever
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Which of the following insects could not be controlled through use of a stomach poison?
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mosquito
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Which of these pests is a problem because its bite results in a painful ulceration which may take months to heal and leaves a large, permanent, ugly scar?
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brown recluse spider
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Which of the following would be a likely target of public health efforts to control breeding of the Asian tiger mosquito?
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tire casings
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Chronic arthritis may develop as a lasting after-effect of which foodborne illness?
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salmonellosis
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What substances are prohibited by the Delaney Clause?
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carcinogenic food additives
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What synthetic food additive has virtually eliminated goiter as a health problem in the U.S.?
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iodine
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Food Defect Action Levels are aimed at regulating what type of substances in food?
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contaminants
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Which foodborne disease has the most rapid time of onset following consumption of the tainted food item, with symptoms generally appearing 2-7 hours after eating?
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Staphylococcus intoxications
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What provision in the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act addressed an important issue not covered by previous legislation?
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ensuring that tolerance levels set for pesticide residues on food were safe for children
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What substances comprise the GRAS List?
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food additives in use prior to government requirements for safety testing
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Strained relations between the European Union and the United States are a result of the EU's ban on imports of what American food product?
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hormone treated meat
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What is the current legal status regarding the use of sulfiting compounds?
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prohibited in supermarkets and salad bars but permitted in other foods and drugs if their presence is specifically noted on label
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Choose the types of ionizing radiation form the list below:
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alpha particles; x-rays; gamma rays; beta particles
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What is the purpose of nuclear fuel reprocessing?
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to recover uranium and plutonium from the spent fuel rods so that these fissionable fuels can be reused
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Which of the following constitute high-level nuclear wastes?
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spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors
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A few inches of lead or several feet of concrete are necessary in order to protect from gamma rays
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True
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Nuclear weapon fallout need no longer be taken into consideration in calculating total human radiation exposure
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True
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The "half-life" of a radioactive isotope refers to:
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the time required for half of the original amount to undergo radioactive decay
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What characteristic of ionizing radiation gives it special significance in both human health and environmental pollution?
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it has the ability to break chemical bonds
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Only when this type of radiation is inhaled or in some way brought into contact with living tissue inside the body is harm caused by
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alpha particles
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After years of research, what do most scientists say about health risks posed by exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs)?
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no evidence that EMFs pose any human health risk
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Alpha particles are the most energetic type of radiation yet can be blocked by a simple piece of paper
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True
