PUBH 6011 Final Exam Questions And Answers Verified
100% Correct
Define Absorption - ANSWER- The way chemicals pass through the
cell membrane barrier to enter the body (unless injected)
Why do we care about absorption? (3 things) - ANSWER- Different
pollutants have different level of solubility in polar/nonpolar materials. Different
parts of body are more polar (blood) or nonpolar (fats). Information about a
pollutant's solubility can help how it will distribute in the body.
Define distribution - ANSWER- How molecules travel throughout the
body by blood (distribution) and sometimes the lymphatic system.
Define metabolism - ANSWER- The enzymatic alteration of chemical structures of
a molecule. Can make molecules easier to excrete. Changes what they do to the
body.
Define excretion - ANSWER- Removes molecules from the body,
applies to all exogenous chemicals from food, drugs, pollutants, etc.
Routes of excretion (main 3) - ANSWER- 1. Kidney/urinary
2. Bile/fecal
3. Lungs
Name the 3 primary routes of human exposure - ANSWER- 1. Oral
2. Inhalation
3. Dermal
Define reserve capacity - ANSWER- Tolerance someone has to a
certain compound
Define the 4 steps of environmental risk assessment - ANSWER- 1.
Hazard identification (what harm?)
2. Dose-response evaluation (how much does it take to do harm?)
3. Exposure assessment (how much did people take in?)
, 4. Risk characterization (how harmful was/will this exposure be?)
Define absorbed dose - ANSWER- How much of a compound crossed
a biological barrier into the body
Describe the two approaches to cancer risk assessment - ANSWER- 1.
Nonthreshold - As long as there is even ONE molecule around, it could cause
cancer.
2. Threshold - The dangerousness of a compound depends on its dose. (noncancer)
Define MOE - ANSWER- Margin of exposure. Want this number to
be as large as possible. Means that dose that did nothing in animal testing is larger
than the dose that people are being exposed to.
The higher the reference dose (RfD) the (more/less) dangerous a compound is -
ANSWER- LESS
Define hazard quotient (and do we want it to be more or less than 1?) - CORRECT
ANSWER- exposure/RfD. Want hazard quotient to be less than 1, because it
means that exposure is well below the reference dose.
Define the philosophy of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -
ANSWER- A new set of development goals created to replace the Millennium
Development Goals in 2015 addressing similar concerns of health, poverty,
education, and equity, but in a sustainability framework.
Explain the difference in drinking water quality between ground and surface water
sources - ANSWER- 1. Groundwater is usually free of contamination because the
earth acts as a filter and cleans it.
2. Surface water (lakes, streams, rivers) requires extensive treatment before use
because it's exposed to the elements.
Define the water table - ANSWER- The line between unsaturated soil
and saturated soil that has groundwater. When it rises to the surface it causes
flooding.
Explain NPDES as it relates to the Clean Water Act (1972) - CORRECT
100% Correct
Define Absorption - ANSWER- The way chemicals pass through the
cell membrane barrier to enter the body (unless injected)
Why do we care about absorption? (3 things) - ANSWER- Different
pollutants have different level of solubility in polar/nonpolar materials. Different
parts of body are more polar (blood) or nonpolar (fats). Information about a
pollutant's solubility can help how it will distribute in the body.
Define distribution - ANSWER- How molecules travel throughout the
body by blood (distribution) and sometimes the lymphatic system.
Define metabolism - ANSWER- The enzymatic alteration of chemical structures of
a molecule. Can make molecules easier to excrete. Changes what they do to the
body.
Define excretion - ANSWER- Removes molecules from the body,
applies to all exogenous chemicals from food, drugs, pollutants, etc.
Routes of excretion (main 3) - ANSWER- 1. Kidney/urinary
2. Bile/fecal
3. Lungs
Name the 3 primary routes of human exposure - ANSWER- 1. Oral
2. Inhalation
3. Dermal
Define reserve capacity - ANSWER- Tolerance someone has to a
certain compound
Define the 4 steps of environmental risk assessment - ANSWER- 1.
Hazard identification (what harm?)
2. Dose-response evaluation (how much does it take to do harm?)
3. Exposure assessment (how much did people take in?)
, 4. Risk characterization (how harmful was/will this exposure be?)
Define absorbed dose - ANSWER- How much of a compound crossed
a biological barrier into the body
Describe the two approaches to cancer risk assessment - ANSWER- 1.
Nonthreshold - As long as there is even ONE molecule around, it could cause
cancer.
2. Threshold - The dangerousness of a compound depends on its dose. (noncancer)
Define MOE - ANSWER- Margin of exposure. Want this number to
be as large as possible. Means that dose that did nothing in animal testing is larger
than the dose that people are being exposed to.
The higher the reference dose (RfD) the (more/less) dangerous a compound is -
ANSWER- LESS
Define hazard quotient (and do we want it to be more or less than 1?) - CORRECT
ANSWER- exposure/RfD. Want hazard quotient to be less than 1, because it
means that exposure is well below the reference dose.
Define the philosophy of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -
ANSWER- A new set of development goals created to replace the Millennium
Development Goals in 2015 addressing similar concerns of health, poverty,
education, and equity, but in a sustainability framework.
Explain the difference in drinking water quality between ground and surface water
sources - ANSWER- 1. Groundwater is usually free of contamination because the
earth acts as a filter and cleans it.
2. Surface water (lakes, streams, rivers) requires extensive treatment before use
because it's exposed to the elements.
Define the water table - ANSWER- The line between unsaturated soil
and saturated soil that has groundwater. When it rises to the surface it causes
flooding.
Explain NPDES as it relates to the Clean Water Act (1972) - CORRECT
