Human Health – High School
1. If there are two towns similar in every respect except for levels of air pollution, how many more children are likely to
have autism in the town with more air pollution? Assume the odds ratio is 1.5 for developing autism if exposed to air
pollution in the womb.
A. about half again as many
B. about half as many
C. about twice as many
D. the numbers will be about the same
2. The formula for an odds ratio is o.r. = (a x d)/(b x c). What are the odds a child will have autism if exposed to air
pollution in the womb given these numbers: a (exposed and autistic) = 10, b (exposed and healthy )= 40, c (not exposed
and autistic) = 10, d (not exposed and healthy) = 60
A. 1.5 times higher for exposed children
B. no higher for exposed children
C. 0.6 times lower for exposed children
D. 25 times higher for exposed children
3. What is an endocrine disruptor?
A. a chemical that mimics or interferes with hormones
B. a chemical that causes mutations
C. a chemical that interferes with neurological development in fetuses
D. a chemical that triggers an asthma attack
4. Which of these skews the sex ratio of wild animals towards females?
A. endocrine disruptors
B. ozone
C. nitrogen fertilizer
D. heavy metals
5. Which of these has a chemical structure similar enough to hormones that a body mistakes them for natural hormones?
A. endocrine disruptoors
B. heavy metals
C. sulfur dioxides
D.
6. What category of health effects do Atrazine, Chlordane and DDT have?
A. endocrine disruption
B. heavy metal toxicity
C. lung function impairment
D. neurological damage
7. Which of these are heavy metals?
A. lead, mercury, cadmium
B. sodium, flourine, carbon
C. Atrazine, Chlordane, DDT
D. ozone
Correct Answer - A
Human Health – High School
8. What is a heavy metal?
A. any metal of environmental concern
B. any element on the periodic table
C. just elements denser than uranium
D. synthetic metals
9. Which of these causes nausea, vomiting, neurological problems and cancers?
A. heavy metals
B. endocrine disruptors
C. protein starvation
D. air pollution
10. Which of these has a mode of action that involves binding to proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids, and then interfering
with their function?
A. heavy metals
B. endocrine disruptors
C. viruses
D. DDT
11. Metals are naturally occuring elements. What factor caused some of them to become a health and environmental
concern?
A. mining and industry have spread metals around the environment
B. the increased exposure of miners and industrial workers to metals
C. the compulsion of some people to eat dirt increases exposure to metals
D. the rise in human population means more people come in contact
12. One model of the effect of lead on intelligence is: GCI = 119.5 - 0.38(ug/decilitre lead). In this equation, GCI is the
general cognitive index (similar to IQ), and ug/declitre lead is the amount of lead in a child's blood. What would happen to
a child's intelligence, as measured by GCI, if their blood lead level went up?
A. the GCI would go down
B. the GCI would go up
C. the GCI would stay the same
D. there is not enough information to answer the question
13. If a child had 10 ug/decilitre of lead in their blood, what would his or her GCI (general cognitive index) score be? Use
this information to answer the question: GCI = 119.5 - 0.38(ug/decilitre lead).
A. 115.7
B. 123.3
C. 3.8
D. 119.5
Correct Answer - A
Human Health – High School
14. About how many American women of child-bearing age are estimated to have levels of mercury in their blood that
could harm a developing fetus?
A. over 1 million
B. between 100,000 and a million
C. between 10,000 and 100,000
D. under 10,000
15. What is the primary health effect of methyl mercury in fetuses, infants and children?
A. impaired neurological development
B. impaired limb development
C. impaired lung and respiratory function
D. cancer
16. What is DDT?
A. a persistent, chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide
B. a low-toxicity drug taken to cure malaria
C. an elemental plant nutrient
D. a microbicide that is safe for people.
17. What is DDT used for?
A. to kill insects
B. to promote plant growth
C. to cure malaria
D. to kill microbes in public drinking water systems
18. DDT was banned for agricultural uses in the U.S. in 1972 . What was one reason for the ban?
A. it poisoned wildlife
B. there wasn't enough for both medical and agricultural uses
C. it broke down too quickly to be of use
D. it was too expensive
19. Who studies the detection and treatment of poisonous substances in the environment?
A. environmental toxicologists
B. epidemiologists
C. environmental field technicians
D. hazardous materials specialists
20. Who studies patterns of illness to find the sources or causes?
A. epidemiologists
B. environmental toxicologists
C. environmental field technicians
D. hazardous materials specialists
Correct Answer - A
Human Health – High School
21. Who samples air, water and soil to measure levels of pollutants?
A. environmetal field technicians
B. environmental toxicologists
C. epidemiologists
D. hazardous materials specialists
22. Who cleans up leaks and spills from chemical tanks, train wrecks, and other industrial accidents?
A. hazardous materials specialists
B. environmental toxicologists
C. environmental field technicians
D. epidemiologists
23. Why was the EPA given the job of regulating pesticides instead of the USDA?
A. It would have been a conflict of interest because the USDA promotes agriculture
B. the USDA didn't have the expertise to evaluate pesticides
C. the USDA didn't have enough money in its budget to take on additional responsibilities
D. it wasn't, the USDA regulates pesticides
24. Which agency handles global health issues?
A. the World Health Organization (WHO)
B. the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
C. the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
D. the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
25. Which of these does the EPA use to estimate the daily exposure to or uptake of a toxin that is not likely to cause
harmful effects over a lifetime?
A. a reference dose (RfD)
B. an LD50
C. a dose response relationship
D. a threshold dose
26. What is the dose required to kill 50% of a population of test animals?
A. an LD50
B. a dose response relationship
C. a threshold dose
D. a reference dose (RfD)
27. What is the change in effect on an organism caused by changes in the dose of a chemical or other stressor?
A. a dose response relationship
B. an LD50
C. a threshold dose
D. a reference dose (RfD)
Correct Answer - A
Human Health – High School
28. What is the lowest does that causes a change in the organism?
A. a threshold dose
B. an LD50
C. a reference dose (RfD)
D. a dose response relationship
29. What is the idea that if an action has a suspected risk and there is no scientific consensus it is safe, it is up to those
who want to take the action to prove it is safe before doing anything?
A. the precautionary principle
B. substantial equivalence
C. the dilution paradigm
D. the boomerang paradigm
30. What is the idea that if an action is essentially the same as an existing action considered safe, it can also be
considered safe?
A. substantial equivalence
B. the precautionary principle
C. the dilution paradigm
D. the boomerang paradigm
31. What is the idea that if you dilute a hazardous substance enough, it will no longer be a hazard?
A. the dilution paradigm
B. the boomerang paradigm
C. the precautionary principle
D. substantial equivalence
32. What is the idea that some systems are so complex that poorly thought out solutions can actually make the problem
worse?
A. the boomerang paradigm
B. the dilution paradigm
C. the precautionary principle
D. substantial equivalence
33. What is the measure that quantifies how much more likely someone exposed to a chemical will have a disease than
someone that has not been exposed?
A. an odds ratio
B. chance
C. a dose response relationship
D. a threshold dose
34. There are at least three factors that affect a person's risk from toxic chemicals. One is how toxic the chemical is and
another is how much is in the environment. What is the third important factor that affects risk?
A. the exposure to the chemical in the environment
B. whether the chemical causes cancer
C. whether the chemical is produced by industy
D. whether the chemical is naturally occuring
Correct Answer - A
Human Health – High School
35. What is it when persistent toxins in the environment are stored in the tissues of plants and animals instead of being
excreted?
A. bioaccumulation
B. biomagnification
C. a synergistic effect
D. dilution
36. What is it when persistent toxins are carried up the food chain so that animals at the top of the chain have a higher
percentage than plants and animals at the bottom?
A. biomagnification
B. bioaccumulation
C. a synergistic effect
D. dilution
37. In a public health context, what is an effect caused by the interaction of two or more toxic substances?
A. a synergistic effect
B. bioaccumulation
C. biomagnification
D. cooperation
Correct Answer - A