Deck 8: Environmental Health and Toxicology

Question 1

What is conservation medicine ?

Answer 1

The leading causes of global diseases burden expected by 2020 according to Table 8.1 Leading Cause of Global Diseases Burden:
1. Heart diseases : it will be primary sources of disability and deaths worldwide.
2. Depression : it is predictable to be the second largest reason of all years lived with disability worldwide, as well as the cause of 1.4 % of all death.
3. Traffic accidents : are now soaring as more citizens drive.
4. Stroke : is the sixth cause of disease burden in 1990, is expected to be fourth on the list in 2020.
5. Chronic lung cancer : these diseases are estimated to improve from eleventh to fifth in disease burden by 2020.

Question 2

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
In the list of reasons people have a flawed perception of certain risks, do you see things that you or someone you know sometimes do?

Answer 2

The leading causes of global diseases burden expected by 2020 according to Table 8.1 Leading Cause of Global Diseases Burden:
1. Heart diseases : it will be primary sources of disability and deaths worldwide.
2. Depression : it is predictable to be the second largest reason of all years lived with disability worldwide, as well as the cause of 1.4 % of all death.
3. Traffic accidents : are now soaring as more citizens drive.
4. Stroke : is the sixth cause of disease burden in 1990, is expected to be fourth on the list in 2020.
5. Chronic lung cancer : these diseases are estimated to improve from eleventh to fifth in disease burden by 2020.

Question 3

What is the difference between toxic and hazardous? Give some examples of materials in each category.

Answer 3

The democratic procedure is reliant on compromise and popularity. Olden time has frequently verified that popularity is not the top sign of suitability. The truth, demands that the scientist look for accurate outlooks of phenomena, rather than support popular outlooks. A small amount of the scientists most respected at present were popular in their lifetimes, since of their tendency to accurate misreading, however we declare these counter-culture persons to be the top of civil servants.
Scientists have always been beset by the problem of funding, whether open or secret. When study brings an undesired result support tends to dry up, forcing the scientist to search for funding away or work at a different career. The community is not served when this happens.

Question 4

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Do you agree that 1 in 1 million risk of death is an acceptable risk? Notice that almost everything in table 8.4 carries a greater risk than this. Does this make you want to change your habits?
Table 8.4 : Lifetime Chances of Dying in the United States

SOURCE: Data from U.S. National Safety Council, 2003.

Question 5

What are endocrine disrupters , and why are they of concern?

Question 6

What are bioaccumulation and biomagnification ?

Question 7

Why is atrazine a concern?

Question 8

What is an LD50 ?

Question 9

Distinguish between acute and chronic toxicity.

Question 10

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Is it ever possible to be completely healthy?

Question 11

Define the terms health and disease.

Question 12

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Why should we be concerned with diseases, such as Ebola, that occur only in tropical countries? What's wrong with simply closing our borders and letting the diseases run their course? Are there ethical, moral, economic, or political implications?

Question 13

Name the five leading causes of global disease burden expected by 2020.

Question 14

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Why do we spend more money on heart diseases or cancer than childhood diseases?

Question 15

Define emergent diseases and give some recent examples.

Question 16

Apply the principles you have learned in this chapter to discuss these questions with other students.
Why do we tend to assume that natural chemicals are safe while industrial chemicals are evil? Is this correct?