Adam Harness
Use scientific processes to explore, apply, and communicate information related to the
objectives and accomplishments of public health agencies.
Use the information in "Government Public Health" (linked on the first page) to answer
question 1.
1. a. What is public health? Refer to the top of page 5 in the link to help you answer this
question. (1 point)
Public health is the concept of conditions that people live in and how that impacts their health.
b. Describe the three different ways states have organized public health departments. See page
9 in the link to help you answer this question. (2 points: 0.5 point per row)
Organizational model
Description
Number of
states using
this model
Decentralized
Local public health agencies are independent
from the state and are governed by local
authorities.
29
Centralized
The state government directly governs local
6
health agencies
Hybrid
Some areas have decentralized agencies
13
(mostly metropolitan) and some agencies are
governed by the state (mostly rural).
No local agencies
These have no local public health agencies. All
public health agencies are ran through the state.
2
c. Use the information on pages 11 – 16 of the link to help you determine whether the following
public health services are generally provided by state or local agencies. Note that the state
public health agency services are listed first and the local services are listed next. Each service
is a heading, followed by a description one or two paragraphs in length. (3 points: 0.25 point per
row)
Service
State or local?
Disease surveillance, epidemiology, and data collection
State
Laboratory services
State
Preparedness and response to public health emergencies
State
Population-based primary prevention
State
Health care services
State
Regulation of health care providers
State
Other regulatory activities (inspection of food processing
State
facilities, solid waste removal services, jails, and prisons)
Environmental health
State
Administration of federal public health programs
State
Clinical prevention
Local
Medical treatment and other personal care services
Local
d. Read the paragraph with the heading "Environmental health" located in the middle of page 14
of the provided link. What are some of the environmental health threats that public health
departments could be responsible for monitoring and fixing? (2 points)
Threats such as contaminated food and water, radon gas, mosquitoes, and chemical spills are
all threats that public health departments could be responsible for monitoring and fixing.
Use the information in "WHO Public Health and Environment Health Topics" (linked on the first
page) to answer question 2.
2. The World Health Organization (WHO) is a global public health organization. Give three
examples from the provided WHO link that illustrate how environmental and public health are
related. (2 points)
Air pollution, water sanitation, and climate change are all connected to both environmental and
public health. All three of these things can be argued to be negative towards both people and
the environment.
Use the information in "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System" (linked on the first page) to
answer question 3.
3. One example of a public health agency is the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. One of this agency's programs is the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
(YRBSS). According to the link, what six high-risk behaviors increase one's chance of death and
disability? (1 point)
Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence, sexual behaviors related to
unintended pregnancy and STDs, alcohol/drug use, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and inadequate
physical activity.
Use the information in "U.S. and World Population Clock" and "Urban Threats" (linked on the
first page) to answer question 4.
4. a. Changes in population can affect public health. Use the "Components of Population
Change" section of "U.S. and World Population Clock" to explain how and why the U.S.
population is currently changing due to births, deaths, and immigration. (1 point)
The US population is slowly growing due to births and immigration outweighing deaths and
emigration.
b. How are urban populations changing? What environmental and health problems come with
this trend? (2 points)
They are becoming more and more dense, causing a higher amount of people to be in one area.
This can create pockets of disease, poverty, and heavy pollution that wouldn’t be present in less
densely populated areas.
Use the information in "Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010," "Evaluating the Health Impacts of
the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill," "Air Pollution," and "Air Pollution Levels from Deepwater Horizon
Spill Similar to Large Urban Area" (linked on the first page) to answer question 5.
5. a. Use the "Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010" article (focus on the "Aftermath and impact"
and "Environmental costs" sections) to summarize the environmental impact of the Deepwater
Horizon spill. (3 points)
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill polluted 1100 miles of shoreline and extended over thousands
of square miles in the gulf of mexico. The cleanup effort ran BP’s liability into the billions of
dollars and marine life was greatly damaged. The tourism that would normally be attracted to
the gulf was greatly impacted and legal action was taken against BP.
b. Monitoring health and safety in the workplace is another aspect of the work of public health
agencies. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a division of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What does the "Evaluating the Health Impacts of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill" article say are the
potential ways workers at the Deepwater Horizon spill can be exposed to hazardous
substances, which NIOSH is monitoring? (2 points)
Workers could have a range of symptoms caused by heat stress, dermal exposure to oil, fatigue,
potential exposure to chemicals, sprains, and psychological stress.
c. According to the article entitled "Air Pollution," what is air pollution? (1 point)
Any substance that humans introduce into the atmosphere that causes damage to living things.
d. According to the article entitled "Air Pollution Levels from Deepwater Horizon Spill Similar to
Large Urban Area," why did the the Deepwater Horizon spill contribute to air pollution? (1 point)
Cannot access this site due to government shutdown
If I had to make a guess, I would say that the Deepwater Horizon Spills air pollution was so high
due to not only the levels of people working there but the chemicals released into the ocean by
the oil. These chemicals likely made it out of the ocean by either washing up on beaches or
being evaporated and spread through precipitation.
e. According to the article "Evaluating the Health Impacts of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill," how did
government environmental and health agencies get involved with the oil spill, and how will their
monitoring help in the future? (1 point)
They monitored the possible health effects that people reported that could have been caused by
the spill. This can help in the future by helping bring a faster end to human suffering when
disasters such as this occur.
Use the information in "EPA Finds Six Greenhouse Gases Endanger Human Health" (linked on
the first page) to answer question 6.
6. a. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exists to protect the
environment and human health. In the article, click on the link for the "Endangerment Findings"
and read the summary. According to the summary, how are greenhouse gases related to human
health? (2 points)
Greenhouse gasses are linked to climate change. Climate change will likely exacerbate
problems such as heat waves, increased wildfires, worse air quality, more flooding, more
droughts, sea level rises, worse storms, and overall harm to water sources, agriculture, and
wildlife.
b. According to the article, what are the positives and negatives of the EPA decision? (2 points)
The main positive is that it will likely spur more environmental protection. The main negative is
that it will cause costly regulations to be rolled out to industries that emit a large amount of
greenhouse gasses.
Use the information in "What Is Biotechnology?" and "Ethics and Agricultural Biotechnology"
(linked on the first page) to answer question 7.
7. a. Public health and biotechnology are becoming more and more interconnected. How does
biotechnology influence human health and the environment? (2 points)
As humans’ needs become more complex, the solutions to our needs have to adapt with them.
Biotechnology is making strides to do this buy combining cellular and biomolecular processes
to do things such as help patients of medical diseases and protect crops from insects.
b. According to the article "Ethics and Agricultural Biotechnology," what are some ethical issues
in agricultural biotechnology? (2 points)
The genetic modification biotechnology brings may not be sustainable, may not be enough to
provide food to developing countries (this could create a large wealth gap), and brings up the
general argument that changing a being’s genetic makeup is immoral and should not be
allowed.