Deck 22: Environmental Health

Question 1

Which statement is accurate regarding the relationship between environmentalism and health?

A)Environmentalists must emphasize the health aspect of the field again.
B)Environmental functions eventually will be returned to state and local health departments.
C)Reintegration of public health into environmental policies will weaken the environmental movement.
D)Reintegration of public health into environmental policies will lead to job loss and economic decline.

Answer 1

Environmentalists must emphasize the health aspect of the field again.

Question 2

As a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress passed a statute that provided money ____.

A)to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allot to states, who allocate to state and local needs
B)directly to local environmental health agencies
C)directly to local public health agencies
D)to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate all counterterrorism planning

Answer 2

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allot to states, who allocate to state and local needs

Question 3

When Chicago experienced very high rates of cholera and typhoid fever in the mid-1800s, who primarily defined and developed solutions to the problems?

A)public health officials and engineers
B)the state level environmental protection agency
C)the federal level environmental protection agency
D)environmental scientists and lawyers

Answer 3

public health officials and engineers

Question 4

According to Oliver Houck, a law professor at Tulane University who studied the BP disaster, the disaster was the result of ____.

A)the use of risky technology without proper vetting through existing laws and policies
B)declining energy use and therefore revenues for the major petroleum companies
C)the use of legally approved but outdated technologies
D)a lack of laws and policies that could have prevented this type of major oil spill

Question 5

The Oil Pollution Act (OPA)of 1990, one of the major policies that address oil spills in the United States, frames oil spills as ____.

A)environmental disasters affecting mainly ecosystems
B)environmental disasters affecting ecosystems and human health and well-being
C)a balance of needs among the environment, human safety, and economic pressures for energy
D)a balance of needs between oil producers and the flora and fauna of the region

Question 6

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)concluded that "new and stronger evidence [demonstrates] that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to ____."

A)human activities
B)the natural exchange of carbon dioxide among the atmosphere, the oceans, and land vegetation
C)developing countries
D)industrial growth in China

Question 7

When the World Trade Center in New York City came crashing down on September 11, 2001, ____.

A)the pivotal role of environmental health in terrorism preparedness became clear for the first time
B)New York City was well prepared to respond the to environmental dangers of the attack
C)the Environmental Protection Agency immediately and accurately assessed the risk
D)workers who cleaned debris from the site were well protected from environmental health risks

Question 8

Hurricane Katrina had significant long-term health effects. Who does this study finding describe? "Not only has [their health] not improved since the storm, over time it has declined to an alarming level . . . [as] reflected in their multiple medical and mental health needs . . . and an unusually high rate of nutrition problems."

A)children living in federally funded trailer parks
B)the elderly
C)racial minorities
D)residents of the Lower 9th Ward

Question 9

What do the authors recommend as a first step?

A)a national summit on environmental health, including public health and environmental protection experts and grassroots communities
B)an international summit on environmental health, including public health and environmental protection experts and grassroots communities
C)the creation of a new super-agency to address environmental health issues along the lines of the Department of Homeland Security
D)a reorientation of the environmental health movement towards urban areas rather than wilderness areas

Question 10

Public health is a multidisciplinary field ____.

A)linked together by the principles of epidemiology
B)with no common bonds among the fields
C)based on the principles of medicine and sociology
D)with no formal professional training

Question 11

A 2004 Pew Center report on global climate change reviewed over 40 studies regarding climate change and observed ecological impacts in the United States. It found the link between human activities and observed biological changes to be ____.

A)strong
B)irrefutable
C)inconclusive
D)moderate

Question 12

In the authors' view, for what reason has the inevitable uncertainty of science been used as a rationale by some in the United States to ignore and criticize the climate change prevention efforts by the rest of the international community?

A)perceived economic costs
B)fundamental disagreement over Darwinism versus creationism
C)attribution of blame to poor environmental regulation in developing countries
D)lack of scientific competence

Question 13

An immediate problem from Hurricane Katrina was the damage to over 4,000 drinking water systems serving more than 15 million residents. Who led the efforts to restore water access to those affected?

A)state and local rural water technicians
B)the Environmental Protection Agency
C)local informal networks in the affected areas
D)the Federal Emergency Management Agency

Question 14

State and local health departments have ____.

A)no apparent constituency
B)significant influence with organized interest groups
C)the general public's support and appreciation
D)political clout on state and national levels

Question 15

The environmental movement in the late 1960s and the 1970s led to new laws designed primarily to protect ____.

A)resources such as air, land, water, or species
B)environmental health and individual and population health
C)individual and population health
D)heavily used waterways and national parks