THIS IS A FINAL EXAM!
The ENV 5302 final exam is intended to simulate a real world scenario (this is actually happening in local health departments of the US and around the world right now), which you may face in the future.
ENV 5302 Final Exam
Risk based decisions routinely guide public health practice. Environmental risk assessment relies on an understanding of exposure and hazards. You have recently been hired by a local health department and are immediately charged with determining whether PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in private wells in the community are a problem. These private wells are located adjacent to a government installation that has reportedly used AFFF (aqueous fire-fighting foam) for over a decade. Local geology in the area is predominantly karst. Unfortunately, you do not have any local data on PFAS levels in groundwater, but citizens keep calling the health department and demanding answers, so you must act now, relying on literature information and what youve learned in ENV 5302 to support your work, before the Board of Health meeting, which is scheduled for 12 September at 5pm. To prepare for the Board of Health meeting, please answer the following three questions.
1. What environmental exposure evidence exists that AFFF contaminates drinking water sources, particularly from groundwater? What specific substances in AFFF have been detected in groundwater? What are the ranges of groundwater concentrations of these substances in AFFF that have been reported? (33 points)
2. What toxicological evidence exists that AFFF substances are problematic for human health? What animal toxicology data exists for specific substances in AFFF? What are the ranges of toxicological thresholds for various endpoints from studies with substances in AFFF? What RfD, WQC, ADI, CSF etc values exist for specific substances in AFFF? (33 points)
3. Based on your answers to questions 1 and 2 and knowledge gained from ENV 5302, develop a 1 page, single spaced (Times New Roman, 1 margins, 12 point font) executive summary for the director of the health department and the local Board of Health advocating to perform point of use surveillance sampling of local residences with private wells for specific substances in AFFF. Because analytical chemistry measures for monitoring of AFFF in water can be costly, and the health department budget is already stressed, how much will your analyses of AFFF constituents in 10 private wells cost, and how quickly can you report back the results of your health assessment to your director and Board of Health regarding risks facing your community? (34 points)
**You must document your work, and provide citations of all resources used to develop your answers. Resources must be peer-reviewed journal articles and/or government reports/websites. No other resources are acceptable.
