Environmental Epidemiology Midterm Quiz

What is the role of the EPA?

Responsible for protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment including air, land, and water.

What is the role of WHO?

Serve as the international organization responsible for environmental health at the global level.

What is the role of NIOSH?

Responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.

What is the role of ATSDR?

ATSDR stands for Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Clean Air Act 1970 regulate?

Regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources of pollution. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Safe Drinking Water Act 1974 authorize the EPA to do?

Establish national, enforceable health standards for contaminants in drinking water. Signup and view all the answers

What is reverse zoonosis?

Transmission of diseases from humans to animals Signup and view all the answers

What is anthrax?

An infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis bacteria Signup and view all the answers

What is ebola?

A severe, often fatal disease in humans caused by the Ebola virus Signup and view all the answers

What is zika?

A mosquito-borne illness that can cause microcephaly during pregnancy Signup and view all the answers

What are heavy metals?

Metals with high densities that are toxic and nondegradable Signup and view all the answers

Which is the most dangerous form of mercury?

Vapor form (gas) Signup and view all the answers

What are some disadvantages of the chemicals discussed?

cancer risks, unregulation, danger to environment from oil spills, some non-renewable resources Signup and view all the answers

How many chemicals are made/used in the US?

Not specified Signup and view all the answers

What does the FDA regulate in the US?

food additives, color additives, animal drugs, some medical devices, human cells and tissues Signup and view all the answers

What does the FDA not regulate in the US?

compounded drugs, tobacco products, cosmetics, medical food, infant formula, dietary supplements, food labels, structure function claims Signup and view all the answers

What chemicals are found in the water we drink?

fluoride, chlorine, chloramine, dioxins Signup and view all the answers

What is bisphenol?

BPA, a primary organic synthetic compound in plastics with negative health effects from overexposure Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of mortality is linked to environmental factors?

23% Signup and view all the answers

Who is most at risk from diseases caused by environmental factors?

Elderly, chronic illness, disabilities, pregnant women, children Signup and view all the answers

What are 'zombie' viruses?

Colloquial term for a class of diseases that have returned from the dead or reappeared after being thought to be extinct Signup and view all the answers

What is the demographic transition?

Model that theorizes changes in population based on fertility and mortality rates throughout time, 3 phases: pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial Signup and view all the answers

What is the epidemiological transition?

Explains changes in population using cause of death, 3 phases: (1) high infectious disease and famine, (2) medicine advances infectious decreases, (3) death from old age/chronic Signup and view all the answers

What do I mean by fertility rate?

Total number of children born to one woman during her childbearing years Signup and view all the answers

What is the formula for calculating Point Prevalence?

Point prevalence = # of persons ill / total # persons in group Signup and view all the answers

Define Incidence Rate.

The occurrence of a new disease within a defined period of observation within a given population, expressed as the rate at which a new disease occurs per capita. Signup and view all the answers

What does Case Fatality Rate measure?

Case Fatality Rate (CFR) measures the lethality of a disease as a percentage, by calculating (# of deaths due to disease / # of cases of the disease) x 100. Signup and view all the answers

Explain what an Odds Ratio represents.

Odds Ratio is a measure of association between exposure and outcome, where a higher odds ratio indicates a greater likelihood that exposure leads to a certain outcome. Signup and view all the answers

Define Relative Risk.

Relative Risk is the ratio of the probability of an outcome occurring with exposure to the probability of an outcome occurring without exposure. Signup and view all the answers

What is Selection Bias?

Selection Bias refers to the unrepresentative nature of a sample, which may include control selection bias, loss to follow-up bias, self-selection bias, and the healthy worker effect. Signup and view all the answers

Explain Information/Misclassification Bias.

Information/Misclassification Bias refers to errors in the measurement of exposure or disease, which can arise from subject variation, observer variation, deficiencies in tools, or technical errors in measurement. Signup and view all the answers

What is Confounding Bias?

Confounding Bias occurs when the association between an exposure and an outcome is distorted by the presence of a third variable (confounder) that is associated with both the exposure and the outcome. Signup and view all the answers