Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

For example, the top four killers of Americans(and people in many countries) are heart attacks,strokes, cancer, and accidents (many of them involvingmotor vehicles). You have control over major ways toreduce these risks because you decide whether tosmoke, what to eat, how much exercise you get, howmuch alcohol you consume, your exposure to the sun’sultraviolet rays, how safely you drive, and whether ornot you practice safe sex. Concentrate on evaluatingthese important choices, and you will have a muchgreater chance of living a healthy, longer, happier, andless fearful life.The burden of proof imposed on individuals, companies, andinstitutions should be to show that pollution preventionoptions have been thoroughly examined, evaluated, and usedbefore lesser options are chosen.JOEL HIRSCHORNCRITICAL THINKING1. Explain why you agree or disagree with the proposalsfor reducing the death toll and other harmful effects ofsmoking listed on p. 409. Do you believe that there shouldbe a ban on smoking indoors in all public places? Explain.2. Do you believe the precautionary approach should beused to deal with the potential harm from hormonallyactive agents (HAAs) while more definitive research iscarried out over the next two decades? Explain. Whatharmful effects could using this approach have on theeconomy and on your lifestyle?3. Should we have zero pollution levels for all toxic andhazardous chemicals? Explain. What are the alternatives?4. Evaluate the following statements:a. We should not get worked up about exposure totoxic chemicals because almost any chemical in alarge enough dosage can cause some harm.b. We should not worry so much about exposure totoxic chemicals because through genetic adaptationwe can develop immunity to such chemicals.c. We should not worry so much about exposure totoxic chemicals because we can use genetic engineeringto reduce or eliminate such problems.5. Should pollution levels be set to protect the mostsensitive people in a population (Figure 19-3, left, p. 411)or the average person (Figure 19-3, middle)? Explain.6. Should laboratory-bred animals be used in laboratoryexperiments in toxicology? Explain. What are thealternatives?7. What are the five major risks you face from (a) yourlifestyle, (b) where you live, and (c) what you do for a living?Which of these risks are voluntary and which are involuntary?List the five most important things you cando to reduce these risks. Which of these things do you actuallyplan to do?8. Congratulations! You are in charge of a globalrisk–benefit analysis board to evaluate whether certainchemicals or technologies should be approved for widespreaduse. Explain why you would approve or disapproveeach of the following: (a) drugs to slow the agingprocess, (b) drugs that would cause people to have unconditionallove for everyone and thus have the potentialto do away with hate, violence, and war, (c) geneticengineering advances that would allow parents to havegenes inserted into lab-produced fetuses to produce designerbabies with their desired checklist of enhancedgenetic traits, (d) allowing people to have a geneticclone that they can use for spare parts to help themlive longer, and (e) putting everyone in the worldunder constant electronic surveillance to help preventbioterrorism.9. Congratulations! You are in charge of the world. Listthe three most important features of your program to reducethe risk from exposure to (a) toxic and hazardouschemicals, (b) infectious disease organisms, and(c) viruses.PROJECTS1. Use the library or the Internet to find recent articlesthat support or refute the hormesis hypothesis.2. Use the library or the Internet to find recent articlesdescribing the increasing genetic resistance in diseasecausingbacteria to commonly used antibiotics. Evaluatethe evidence and claims in these articles.3. Pick a specific viral disease and use the library orInternet to find out (a) how it spreads, (b) its effects,(c) strategies for controlling its spread, and (d) possibletreatments.4. Use the library or the Internet to find bibliographicinformation about Paracelsus and Joel Hirschorn,whose quotes appear at the beginning and end of thischapter.5. Make a concept map of this chapter’s major ideas, usingthe section heads, subheads, and key terms (in boldface).Look on the website for this book for informationabout making concept maps.LEARNING ONLINEThe website for this book contains study aids and manyideas for further reading and research. They include achapter summary, review questions for the entire chapter,flash cards for key terms and concepts, a multiple-choicepractice quiz, interesting Internet sites, references, and aguide for accessing thousands of InfoTrac ® College Editionarticles. Log on tohttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller14Then click on the Chapter-by-Chapter area, choose Chapter19, and select a learning resource.432 CHAPTER 19 Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health