Unit 6: Risk, Exposure, and HealthAwesome APES

Section 3 and 4

Nicholas C

Source: The Habitable Planet

Section 5 and 6

Geoffrey Ashton

Health Cost Analysis and Risk Tradeoffs

By: Jennifer Ellis

Example

Lead was used for decades as a gasoline additive in the U.S

Regulations

Safe Drinking Water Act, was amended in 1996Requires U.S. government agencies to do cost-benefit analyses of regulations that are expected to have economic impacts.

Avoid

Injuriesillnesses avoided through policy actions

Benefits

Hedonic Valuation: People who work in a risky job may get pay more than someone in a safer jobThe Results: 1 million people who are considering a regulation that would result on average in one fewer death from cancer each year.

Section 8

-Victoria

5 Steps pg 361-365 (skip laws)

Maribeth

Air Toxics

“Air toxics are a group of air pollutants that are known or suspected to cause serious health problems.”

Some Examples:

Asbestos

Carbon Monoxide

Lead

Nitrogen Dioxide

Ozone

PM10

Sulfur Dioxide

Smoking and Other Risks....

Categories:★ Corrosive- Strong Acid/Bases★ Discarded Commercial Products- Chemicals in unused forms (pesticides)★ Ignitable- Can create fires★ Mutagens- Chemical that makes DNA mutate★ Nonspecific Source- Manufacturing processes like solvents★ Reactive- Unstable, can explode or release bad chemicals★ Source Specific- Waste from specific industries★ Teratogens- Substance that can cause birth defect★ Toxic- Harmful or fatal when ingested or absorbed

Treatment, Disposal, and Cleanup of Contaminated Sites

Karis

Ways to reduce and cleanup hazardous waste:

•Producing less waste •Converting hazardous materials to less hazardous or nonhazardous substances.•Placing hazardous material into perpetual storage (landfills)

Producing Less Waste:

•Recycle

•Reduce or eliminate toxicity

Converting hazardous materials to less hazardous or nonhazardous substances:

•Chemical, physical, and Biological treatment

•Incineration

•Thermal Treatment

Perpetual Storage:

•Arid Region Unsaturated Zone•Capping•Landfills•Underground Injection•Waste Piles

Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification

•Bioaccumulation is the increase in concentration of a pollutant from the environment in an organism or part of an organism.•Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of a pollutant from one link in a food chain to another.

5 Steps pg 367-370 (skip case study)

Daniel Monsalve

BioaccumulationThe increase of concentration of a contaminant in an organism because of it’s environment.

BiomagnificationSimilar to bioaccumulation but happens higher up in the food chain when a predators foodsource has accumulated contaminants.

Eco Incentives

Green Taxes - Taxes thatare intended to promoteecologically sustainable activities.Cap and Trade - A market approach used to provide economic incentives for reducing emissions of pollutants.

Cost Benefit AnalysisCost benefit analysis is used to determine if the cost of something is worth the economic benefit it provides, it requires:● All information and data about the service or issue.● Quantifying the benefits and costs.● Defining the possible solutions to the issue.● Brainstorming the possible societal and environmental

consequences.

Sustainability

Deals with the continuity of economic, social and environmental aspects of human society. Sustainable activities try and find the best outcomes for both humans and natural ecosystems for many different issues.

Relevant Laws

Michaela

Federal Hazardous Substances Act 1960

Required that certain hazardous household products bear cautionary labels.

Federal Environmental Pesticides Control Act 1972

Required the registration of all pesticides in the United States.

Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HAZMAT) 1975Governs the transportation of hazardous materials and wastes. Covers containers, labeling, and marking standards.

Toxic Substances Control Act 1976

Gives the EPA the ability to track the industrial chemicals currently produced or imported in the United States.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 1980

Established federal authority for emergency response and cleanup of hazardous substances that have been spilled, improperly disposed of, or released into the environment.

Low-Level Radioactive Policy Act 1980

Made states responsible for disposing of their own low-level radioactive wastes.

Nuclear Waste Policy Act 1982

Established a study to find a suitable site for disposal of spent fuel from nuclear reactors.

Vocabulary Terms

be sure to make a sheet for all vocab terms in both Habitable Planet and 5 Steps and share that document with the rest of the class. Must be done by Friday. Eve Tovar