Download Chapter 16 – Reading Questions - Liberty Union High School District

Waste Management, Human Health and Environmental Risks
A SPEEDY review of Chapters 16 – 17!
Chapter 16 – Reading Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What is municipal solid waste, and why has human society produced increasing amounts of it over time?
What are the main sources of waste generation in developed countries such as the United States?
When broken down by composition, what type of product makes up the largest fraction of MSW?
What are the major challenges that E-Waste poses, and how has it been dealt with so far?
Why is waste reduction generally considered to be the most important & effective of the “3 R’s”?
What types of waste can be composted? What do these products have in common that allows this? Describe
how composting works (you may draw a diagram):
7. Complete the following charts regarding landfills and incinerators:
LANDFILLS
Draw a diagram or explain how a landfill handles
solid waste.
What are the advantages
of using landfills to handle
local waste?
What are the disadvantages
of using landfills to handle
waste?
Why is leachate from landfills of concern?
What types of waste should not be handled by landfills?
INCINERATORS
Draw a diagram or explain how an incinerator works
What are the advantages
of using incinerators to
handle local waste?
What are bottom ash and fly ash, and why are they problematic?
In addition to ash, what other problematic emissions can come from incinerators?
8. What is the Superfund (aka CERCLA)?
9. What are brownfields, and how are they typically addressed?
What are the disadvantages
of using incinerators to
handle waste?
Chapter 17 – Reading Questions
1. What are the 3 leading causes of death in the world?
2. What are the main pathogens which transmit infectious diseases worldwide?
3. Complete the following chart regarding major infectious diseases:
Disease
Description/Symptoms? How Does it Spread? Where How can it be fought? How
Chronic or Acute?
in the world is it a problem? successful have we been?
Malaria
Tuberculosis
HIV/AIDS
Ebola Fever
Mad Cow
Bird Flu
West Nile Virus
4.
5.
6.
7.
What does the LD50 indicate for a given substance?
What are the main routes of exposure to harmful chemicals that humans face?
What is the difference between qualitative risk assessment and quantitative risk assessment?
Why is risk acceptance a necessary step in evaluating the risks posed by environmental hazards?