Environmental Factors and Health Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of the hazard exposure outcome model?

To calculate the legal consequences of environmental damage

To evaluate potential harmful effects under specific circumstances (correct)

To assess the financial impact of health hazards

To determine the safest materials for construction

How is risk defined according to the framework presented?

The probability that harm will occur from a specific hazard (correct)

The absence of any potential harm from a hazard

The potential hazard posed by non-ionizing radiation

The amount of exposure necessary to cause harm

Which of the following best describes ionizing radiation?

Radiation capable of transferring energy and damaging DNA (correct)

Radiation that does not affect charged particles

Radiation that has low energy and causes thermal damage

Radiation that is emitted solely by the sun

What does the term LD50 refer to in risk assessments?

The amount of a substance that causes death to 50% of test animals Signup and view all the answers

Which type of radiation can cause thermal damage to humans?

Non-ionizing radiation Signup and view all the answers

What is defined as the amount of a contaminant that gets biologically available in the body?

Dose Signup and view all the answers

Which type of dose-response curve represents the relationship between exposure and the probability of an event occurring?

Quantal dose response curve Signup and view all the answers

What is the practice of introducing small amounts of a stressor or toxin for potential health benefits called?

Hormesis Signup and view all the answers

What is a critical threshold in the context of the threshold effect?

The minimum dose required to elicit a response Signup and view all the answers

What does the dose-response relationship describe?

The correlation between dose and response severity Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes epigenetics?

Reversible changes in gene expression influenced by environment Signup and view all the answers

What does the socio-economic environment influence?

Institutional systems impacting resources and health Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following measures does NOT directly assess health?

Genetic predisposition Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of illness?

An experience of unhealthiness that is personal to the individual Signup and view all the answers

What do the Sustainable Development Goals aim to achieve by 2030?

End poverty and ensure peace and prosperity for all Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) is correct?

Each DALY represents a year of functionally impaired health Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is part of a person's personal environment that affects health?

Dietary choices and lifestyle behaviors Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following does NOT fall under the category of external environment?

Genetic predisposition to diseases Signup and view all the answers

What type of hazards are related to slippery floors and poorly maintained equipment?

Mechanical hazards Signup and view all the answers

What best describes background radiation?

It is a constant source of ionizing radiation. Signup and view all the answers

Which group of people experienced increased incidences of leukemia and cataracts due to radiation exposure at Chernobyl?

Workers onsite during the disaster Signup and view all the answers

How does exposure concentration relate to health risk?

It includes the quantity and the duration of exposure. Signup and view all the answers

Why are children especially vulnerable to iodine-131 released into the environment?

They have a smaller thyroid gland and a higher metabolism. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of biological agents can potentially cause harm if contacted or ingested?

Viruses and fungi Signup and view all the answers

What can be a consequence of institutional hazards on a person's health?

Limited access to essential resources Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by the term 'infection intensity'?

The number of microorganisms present in an infected host Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a human reservoir in disease transmission?

It can transmit diseases directly from person to person. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a zoonotic disease?

Rabies Signup and view all the answers

What does the portal of exit refer to in the chain of transmission?

The way an infectious agent leaves its host. Signup and view all the answers

Which mode of transmission includes both human contact and environmental contact?

Direct contact Signup and view all the answers

In which stage does the infectious agent grow and multiply?

Reservoir Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes tetanus from other vaccine-preventable diseases?

It is not spread from person to person. Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates droplet spread in disease transmission?

Coughing or sneezing and expelling aerosols. Signup and view all the answers

What type of reservoir does soil represent in disease transmission?

Environmental reservoir Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Environmental Factors Affecting Health

Personal Environment: Includes individual characteristics and behaviors that impact health, such as diet, exercise, lifestyle choices, and genetics.
External Environment: Encompasses physical surroundings such as clean water, air pollution, working conditions, and housing quality.
Socio-Economic Environment: Involves institutional systems that influence resources, money, and health, including welfare states and universal healthcare access.

Epigenetics

Studies how environmental factors and behaviors affect gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
These epigenetic changes are reversible and can impact how the body uses genetic information.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A set of 17 interconnected goals established by the United Nations to address global challenges such as poverty, environmental protection, and peace.
All UN member states have adopted these goals, which include specific targets to measure progress.

Health Definitions and Measures

Disease: Any deviation from normal bodily structure or function, leading to reduced efficiency.
Illness: A personal experience of feeling unwell, subjective and individual to the person.
Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Health Measures: Include assessments of bodily structure and function, presence or absence of disease, symptoms, abilities, and limitations. Common measures include morbidity, mortality, self-rated health, life satisfaction, happiness, sense of belonging, life expectancy, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and perceived quality of life.

Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)

One DALY represents the loss of one year of healthy life.
MPOX (Monkeypox) is becoming more prevalent in Africa.

Hazards, Exposure, and Outcomes

Hazard Exposure Outcome Model: A framework for risk assessment, which considers the possibility of harm from hazards.
Hazard: Something with the potential to cause harm to health and well-being.
Risk: The likelihood or probability that harm from a specific hazard will occur, calculated as Hazard x Exposure.

Types of Hazards

Physical Hazards

Chemical Hazards: Substances that cause direct harm to human tissue, including:
- Legal Dose Thresholds: Quantify the amount of a substance that can be ingested without causing harm.
- LD50: The dose of a substance that is lethal to 50% of a group of test animals, indicating acute toxicity.
Radiation Hazards:
- Ionizing Radiation: Radiation with enough energy to remove electrons from atoms, potentially damaging DNA (e.g., X-rays, radioactive decay).
- Non-Ionizing Radiation: Radiation that does not have enough energy to remove electrons, but can cause thermal damage (e.g., UV radiation).
UV Radiation: A form of non-ionizing radiation emitted by the sun and artificial sources (e.g., tanning beds).

Mechanical Hazards

Excessive energy transmitted to tissues that exceed their ability to resist harm.
Occupational Hazards: Slippery floors, falls, poorly maintained equipment, loud noises, and unguarded walkways.
Community Hazards: Sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and fall injuries.

Biological Hazards

Viruses, bacteria, prions, fungi, or parasites that can cause harm through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact.
Infection Intensity: The number of microorganisms in an infected host.
Evidence of Infection: Detection of genetic material, antibodies, and antigens.

Institutional factors that limit access to health services, water, food, transportation, or increase the risk of health complications.

Exposure

Exposure: The combination of concentration and route of exposure to a hazard.
Exposure Concentration: The quantity and duration of contact with a hazard.
Background Radiation: Constant exposure to ionizing radiation from sources such as cosmic radiation.
Cosmic Radiation: High-energy particles, X-rays, and gamma rays produced in space.

Chernobyl Health Impact

Workers:
- 600 workers onsite, 134 suffered acute radiation syndrome (ARS), and 28 died within 3 months.
- Increased leukemia and cataracts reported among workers exposed to higher radiation doses.
- 530,000 recovery operation workers exposed to 20 - 500 mSv (average 120 mSv) of radiation between 1986 and 1990.
Public: Exposure to radioactive iodine-131, particularly affecting children's thyroid glands.

Dose and Dose-Response

Dose: The amount of a contaminant that enters the body in a biologically available form.
Dose-Response Relationship: Links the dose of exposure to the effects on individuals or populations.
Continuous Graded Dose-Response Curve: Shows how the severity of a response changes with increasing doses (e.g., drug effects).
Quantal Dose-Response Curve: Represents the probability of an outcome (e.g., disease or death) at different doses.
Hormesis: The concept that some stress or toxicity in small amounts can be beneficial (e.g., radiation therapy for cancer).
Threshold Effect: An outcome occurs only after a specific critical threshold of exposure is reached.

Chain of Transmission

Describes how infections spread through a series of stages:
Infectious Agent (Pathogen): The causative organism.
Reservoir: The habitat where the pathogen lives, grows, and multiplies.
Portal of Exit: How the agent leaves the reservoir.
Mode of Transmission: How the agent travels to a susceptible host.
Portal of Entry: How the agent enters the new host.
Susceptible Host: An individual vulnerable to infection.

Reservoirs

Human Reservoir: Humans who carry and transmit infectious agents.
Animal Reservoir: Animals that host pathogens (e.g., rabies, avian and swine flu, plague).
Environmental Reservoir: Elements of the environment that harbor pathogens (e.g., soil, water).

Portals of Exit

How an infectious agent leaves its reservoir (e.g., mouth, skin cuts, stool).

Modes of Transmission

Direct Contact:
- Human Contact: Transmission through physical contact, kissing, or sexual intercourse.
- Environmental Contact: Transmission through contact with contaminated soil or vegetation.
- Droplet Spread: Short-range transmission through aerosolized particles from sneezing, coughing, or talking.

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Description

Explore the connections between personal, external, and socio-economic environmental factors and their effects on health. Additionally, delve into epigenetics and the role of sustainable development goals in health outcomes. Test your knowledge on how these elements interrelate within our global society.