HOMEWORK #1: Toxic Pollution – Pesticides - Evidence
Review and Analysis of Readings and Lectures
ESS 215/Environmental Science Name______Section: 9:00 11:50
Due Tuesday, February 7. 1:30 p.m. - in hard copy
Carefully Read and Utilize These Sources: Don’t just fish for the answers but read thoughtfully. (Copies of the two books are on reserve in the library)
· LECTURES!
· LIVING DOWNSTREAM: (LD) Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and “Afterword”
· SILENT SPRING (excerpt on Moodle)
· ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE book: Ch. 8/Toxicology; and Ch. 10/Farming, sec. 10.3 & 10.4; AND p. 542
REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES:
ª Provide concise but complete answers. Don’t continue onto more pages. You do not need full sentences.
ª Use your own words
ª WORK ALONE – NO COLLABORATION –NO COMPARISON OF ANSWERS – Do not work together, share, look at others’ papers, or collaborate. That would be cheating. Say no to your friends.
ª Late homework is far better than illegally copying from others.
ª To type instead of hand-writing your answers, pull the assignment up from Moodle, complete, and print.
ª Grading will be based on accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Standard 2%/day late penalty policy does apply.
1. What are endocrine disrupters? Explain the two specific ways they act in the body.
2. (LD book) Where does DDE come from? How is it connected with cancer?
3. (LD book) What is the largest single known preventable cause of cancer?______
4. Chapter 2 of “Living Downstream” is called “Silence.” Besides the silence of birds poisoned by DDT, what other kinds of silence give this chapter its name?
5. For each pollutant, indicate what the chemical is (or was) used for, and specifically what problems they cause. Use “Living Downstream,” the textbook, and your lecture notes:
Pollutant / Specific Use orWhere Found / Problems (provide a full list). Use info from both books and lecture. BE SPECIFIC (for example what type of cancer, if known)
DDT
PCBs
Atrazine
BPA (Bisphenol A)
Perfluorinated chemicals (e.g., PFA’s and PFOA)
Phthalates
Neonicotinoids
6. (LD, Ch.4) Studies in England showed cancer risk was higher for children who lived close to what kinds of places?
7. (LD, Ch.4) Do U.S. farmers who live in rural areas have lower risks of cancer than the general population? Why or why not?
8. (LD ch. 2 – READ CAREFULLY): According to “Living Downstream,” pp. 30-33: What kinds of evidence show links between cancer and the environment, as laid out in 1962 by Rachel Carson, author of “Silent Spring?”
9. (LD, Ch.4): List six examples of occupations that carry an increased risk of cancer.
______
______
______
10. List the four problems with discovering the cause of cancer clusters, as discussed in chapter 4 of “Living Downstream.”
Problems with cancer cluster studies1
2
3
4
11. (LD, Ch. 4) How does living in a county with a Superfund hazardous waste site correlate with a person’s risk of cancer? How much? (Be specific)
12. (LD, Ch. 5) Why is chapter 5 entitled “War”? What does it explain about connections between war, environment, and cancer?
13. (LD, Ch. 5 and lecture notes) What are the two different meanings for the word “organic”?
14. (LD, Ch. 5) What are plastics manufactured from?
15. (LD, Ch. 5) If PVC pipes are safe to use, in what ways are they considered harmful?
16. (LD, Ch. 5) For the two laws TSCA and FIFRA, (a) what are their full names; (b) what are the purposes of each; and (c) why does Dr. Steingraber conclude that they provide inadequate protections from carcinogenic chemicals?
17. (LD, Ch. 5) What is the Toxic Releases Inventory? And how could you find out about toxic releases in a specific county?
18. (“Silent Spring” excerpt on Moodle) Spraying to control Dutch elm disease causes what problems, according to Rachel Carson in “Silent Spring”?
19. What specifically was happening to eagles because of DDT in the 1950’s?
20. What specifically is the precautionary principle? (See p. 542 in “Environmental Science” and “Afterword” in “Living Downstream.”
21. (Think carefully about this) What would change if the U.S. adopted the precautionary principle, as the European Union has done? What benefits AND WHAT PROBLEMS do you believe might result?
Your name (again)______Grade ______
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