Deck 10: Environmental Health

Question 1

A nurse is completing the first phase of a risk assessment.Which of the following questions would the nurse most likely try to answer?

A) Has the chemical been released into the environment?
B) How much and by which route of entry can the chemical enter the body?
C) Is the chemical known to be associated with a negative health effect?
D) What is the prediction for potential harm?

Answer 1

Is the chemical known to be associated with a negative health effect?

Question 2

Environmental health is important to nurses because chemical,biological,and radiological materials are:

A) a major cause of global warming.
B) often found in the air, water, and products we use.
C) frequently linked to the development of chronic illnesses.
D) products that nurses work with on a daily basis.

Answer 2

often found in the air, water, and products we use.

Question 3

A nurse has identified a point source of air pollution.Which of the following has the nurse identified?

A) A smoke stack
B) The number of cars and trucks
C) The amount of fossil fuel consumed in a community
D) Ground ozone levels

Answer 3

A smoke stack

Question 4

When would it be appropriate for a nurse to use a Geographic Information System (GIS)?

A) Recording client data collected at a foot clinic
B) Determining neighborhoods that have an increased incidence of lead poisoning
C) Evaluating effectiveness of a farm safety program
D) Scheduling health promotion programs in the community

Question 5

Epidemiology:

A) is a science that studies the poisonous effects of chemicals.
B) explains the association between learning disabilities and exposure to lead-based paint at the cellular level.
C) helps nurses understand the strength of the association between exposure and health effects.
D) is a method for tracking the prevalence of health outcomes.

Question 6

Why is it important for nurses to understand the premises of environmental health?

A) Nurses should be able to assess risks and advocate for policies that support healthy environments.
B) Toxicologists often consult nurses about environmental pollutants.
C) Pollutant exposures such as lead are reported by nurses to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
D) Many Americans live in areas that do not meet current national air quality standards.

Question 7

A city sets the standard of an acceptable level of emissions or a maximum contaminant level allowed for factories.Which of the following concepts is being applied?

A) Controlling pollution
B) Waste minimization
C) Land use planning
D) Environmental standard

Question 8

Which is considered a nonpoint source of pollution?

A) Hazardous waste site
B) Animal waste from wildlife
C) Chlorine poured down a well
D) Stagnant water

Question 9

A nurse is addressing the problem of air pollution in the community.Which of the following would be the first step the nurse would take?

A) Setting standards
B) Monitoring
C) Permitting
D) Compliance

Question 10

Employees working with hazardous chemicals have the "Right to Know" about the chemicals they are working with through the creation of the:

A) Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
B) Consumer Confidence Report.
C) Hazard Communication Standard.
D) EPA.

Question 11

A public health nurse (PHN)is working with a migrant farm worker who has experienced an exposure to a pesticide.When researching pesticides,the nurse looks at the "family" of the chemical.What similarities are found among chemicals that have been placed in the same family?

A) Route of entry into the body
B) Actions and associated risks
C) Effects that they have on the body
D) Potency and toxicity

Question 12

A nurse is completing an exposure history using the mnemonic I PREPARE.What data would a nurse collect when asking questions about the first "P"?

A) Present work
B) Potential exposures
C) Personal protective equipment use
D) Past work

Question 13

How have nurses historically learned to identify a possible relationship between environmental chemical exposures and their potential harm?

A) Extrapolation by toxicologists
B) Biomonitoring
C) Completing chemistry courses
D) Observing signs and symptoms in clients

Question 14

Which example contains the components necessary to form an epidemiologic triangle?

A) Pesticides, water, food
B) Lead, mercury, soil
C) Trichloroethylene, water, infants
D) Children under 12, elderly, temperature

Question 15

A nurse wants to find more information about indoor air quality.Which of the following websites would be most helpful?

A) The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
B) The American Lung Association
C) "Right to Know"
D) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Question 16

A nurse fulfills the environmental health competency of "assessment and referral." Which of the following actions has the nurse most likely completed?

A) Advocating for public policy changes
B) Understanding policy framework and major pieces of legislation
C) Completing an environmental health history
D) Describing the scientific principles about environmental health

Question 17

The greatest single source of air pollution in the United States is from:

A) waste incineration.
B) power plants.
C) motor vehicles.
D) molds.

Question 18

The basic science applied to understanding the health effects associated with chemical exposures is:

A) toxicology.
B) pharmacology.
C) chemistry.
D) environmental epidemiology.

Question 19

A PHN is organizing a multidisciplinary team to address the issue of water pollution in the community.The most likely members that would be invited to address this issue would be:

A) physicians, water sanitation workers, and occupational therapists.
B) pharmacologists, radiologists, and epidemiologists.
C) nurse practitioners, pharmacologists, and environmentalists.
D) geologists, meteorologists, and chemists.

Question 20

A nurse works at the individual level to reduce pollution in the environment.Which of the following actions would most likely be taken by the nurse?

A) Provide a tax incentive to factories that do not pollute
B) Make laws related to allowed levels of pollution in the area
C) Recycle paper, glass, cans, and plastic
D) Move to an area with less pollution

Question 21

A nurse is assessing for environmental health risks in the community.Which of the following approaches would be most appropriate for the nurse to use? (Select all that apply.)

A) Ask legislators to provide a list of environmental pollutants in the area
B) Develop a list of exposures associated with urban, rural, or suburban settings
C) Assess the risk by medium such as air, water, soil, or food
D) Divide the environment into functional locations: home, school, workplace, and community
E) Recruit community members to sign a petition to decrease pollution

Question 22

A PHN working with a family living in poverty is concerned about their exposure to environmental hazards.Which of the following factors should the nurse consider that may put the family at risk? (Select all that apply.)

A) Limited funds to pay for health care
B) Poor nutrition
C) Homes located closer to hazardous waste sites
D) Less education
E) Unsafe working conditions

Question 23

Which environmental law sets basic structure for regulating pollutants to United States waters?

A) Safe Drinking Water Act
B) Toxic Substance Control Act
C) Clean Water Act
D) Pollution Prevention Act

Question 24

A facility is inspected after it has obtained a permit.The inspection is completed for the purpose of observing whether the plans submitted in the permit application are being implemented as approved.Which of the following environmental protection strategies is being applied?

A) Controlling pollution
B) Waste minimization
C) Land use planning
D) Environmental monitoring