Chapter 06: Environmental Health
Stanhope: Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community,
10th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Why is it important for nurses to understand the premises of environmental health?
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a. Nurses should be able to assess risks and advocate for policies that support healthy
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environments. J
b. Toxicologists often consult nurses about environmental pollutants. J J J J J J
c. Pollutant exposures such as lead are reported by nurses to the Environmental Protection
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Agency (EPA). J
d. ManyAmericans live in areas that do not meet current national air quality standards.
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Potential risks to health are concerns for professional nurses. It is the responsibility of the nurse
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to understand as much as possible about these risks: how to assess them, how to eliminate/reduce
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them, how to communicate and educate about them, and how to advocate for policies that support
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healthy environments. Toxicologists do not often consult nurses about environmental
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pollutants. Pollutant exposures are not routinely reported by nurses. Although there may be
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problems with air quality standards in the United States, this would not be the primary reason why
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nurses should understand environmental health.
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DIF: Cognitive level: Understanding J J TOP:Nursingprocess:Evaluation J J J J
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection
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2. Why is it important for a nurse to have knowledge of environmental health and the effects of
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chemical, biological, and radiological materials? a. They are a major cause of global warming.
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b. They are often found in the air, water, and products we use.
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c. They are frequently linked to the development of chronic illnesses.
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d. They are products that nurses work with daily.
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Chemical, biological, and radiological pollutants are often found in the air we breathe, the water
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we drink, and the products we use. These are not a major cause of global warming. They are not
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frequently linked to the development of chronic illnesses. These are not products that nurses
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work with daily. J J
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DIF: Cognitive level: Understanding
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NCLEX: Health Promotion and Maintenance J J J J
3. Anurse fulfills the environmental health competency of “assessment and referral.” Which of the
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following actions has the nurse most likely completed? a. Advocating for public policy changes
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b. Understanding policy framework and major pieces of legislation J J J J J J J
c. Completing an environmental health history J J J J J
d. Describing the scientific principles about environmental health J J J J J J
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Assessment and referral states that all nurses should be able to successfully complete an
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environmental health history, recognize the potential environmental hazards and sentinel J J J J J J J J J J
illnesses, and make appropriate referrals for conditions with probable environmental causes.
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Advocating for public policy changes is part of advocacy. Understanding policy framework and
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legislation is part of legislation and regulation. Describing the scientific principles of
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environmental health is part of basic knowledge and concepts. J J J J J J J J
DIF: Cognitive level: Analyzing TOP:Nursingprocess: Implementation MSC:NCLEX:
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Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
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4. How have nurses historically learned to identify a possible relationship between environmental
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chemical exposures and their potential harm? a. Extrapolation by toxicologists
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b. Biomonitoring
c. Completing chemistry courses J J
d. Observing signs and symptoms in clients J J J J J J
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Nurses have historically made discoveries related to chemical exposure when people presented
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with signs and symptoms related to known chemical toxicity. Extrapolation by toxicologists and
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biomonitoring are modern methods. Completing a chemistry course does not show how to J J J J J J J J J J J J J
identify these possible relationships.
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DIF: Cognitive level: Understanding
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NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
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5. What term is used to refer to the basic science applied to understanding the health effects
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associated with chemical exposures? a. Toxicology
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b. Pharmacology
c. Chemistry
d. Environmental epidemiology J
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Toxicology is the study of the health effects associated with chemical exposures. PharmacologyJ J J J J J J J J J J J J
is the branch of medicine concerned with the multiple aspects of drugs. Chemistry is the branch of
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science with deals with the way that matter is composed.
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Environmental epidemiology is concerned with the discovery of environmental exposures J J J J J J J J J
that cause or protect against illness or disease.
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DIF: Cognitive level: Remembering TOP: Nursing process: Assessment J J J J J J
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
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6. What statement accurately describes the characteristics of epidemiology?
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a. It is a science that studies the poisonous effects of chemicals.
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b. It explains the association between learning disabilities and exposure to lead-based paint at
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the cellular level. J J
c. It helps nurses understand the strength of the association between exposure and
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health effects. J
d. It is a method for tracking the prevalence of health outcomes.
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Epidemiology studies the incidence and prevalence of disease, helping nurses understand the J J J J J J J J J J J J
strength of the association between exposure and health effects. Toxicology is the science that
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studies the poisonous effects of chemicals. Environmental surveillance provides data with which
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to track and analyze the incidence and prevalence of health outcomes.
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Epidemiology does not examine causes at the cellular level. J J J J J J J J
DIF: Cognitive level: Remembering
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NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care J J J J J J J J
7. When researching pesticides, the nurse looks at the “family” of the chemical. What similarities are
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found among chemicals that have been placed in the same family? a. Route of entry into the body
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b. Actions and associated risks J J J J
c. Effects that they have on the body J J J J J J
d. Potency and toxicity J J
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Chemicals are grouped so it’s possible to understand the actions and risks associated with each
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group. Although some common health risks exist within these families of chemicals, the possible
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health risks for each chemical should be evaluated individually when a potential human exposure
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exists.
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DIF:MSC: Cognitive level:ApplyingNCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection
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ControlNURSINGTB.TOP:COMNursing process: Assessment
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8. Which example contains the components necessary to form an epidemiologic triangle? a.
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Pesticides, water, food J J
b. Lead,mercury, soil J J
c. Trichloroethylene, water, infants J J J
d. Children under 12, elderly, temperature J J J J
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The epidemiologic triangle consists of an agent (chemical), host (community consisting of
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several variants), and environment (air, water, soil, etc.).The other examples do not contain an
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agent, host, and environment. J J J
DIF: Cognitive level: Analyzing TOP: Nursing process: Evaluation J J J J J J
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
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9. When would it be appropriate for a nurse to use a Geographic Information System (GIS)?
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a. Recording client data collected at a foot clinic J J J J J J J
b. Identifying areas with an increased incidence of lead poisoning J J J J J J J J J
c. Evaluating effectiveness of a farm safety program J J J J J J
d. Scheduling health promotion programs in the community J J J J J J
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The use of a GIS allows the PHN to apply the principles of epidemiology into practice. GIS allows
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nurses to code data so that it is related spatially to a place on earth and is helpful in determining
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concentrated areas for incidence of disease and illness. An electronic health record (EHR)J J J J J J J J J J J J J
would be the most appropriate place to record client data from a foot clinic. Evaluation of
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effectiveness of a farm safety program would need to be done through some type of assessment J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J
or evaluation method—GIS would not be useful to collect this data. GIS is not a scheduling
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system and would not be helpful when scheduling health promotion programs in the community.
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DIF: Cognitive level: Analyzing TOP:Nursingprocess: Implementation MSC:NCLEX:
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Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
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