Discussion Questions on Ecology Risk Management

1a) Impacts of temperature change in environmental system regarding carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur

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The temperature which is the degree of coldness of hotness of a given place has several environmental impacts that are relatively harmful about carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. As a result of high conventional temperatures, there is climatic change globally. It has been brought about by global warming. Global warming results from greenhouse effects which caused by greenhouse gasses such as carbon (IV) oxide and methane a compound of nitrogen.

When the temperature rises to higher levels, it breaks down compounds of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur from their stable states to gaseous forms in alternatively is lead to the formation of the compounds. Sulfur and Nitrogen will subsequently form their component compounds in gaseous form and will combine with water during precipitation leading to acidic rain such as sulphuric (vi) acid and nitric acid which are very harmful to not only living organisms but also the non-living organisms such as buildings which get corroded. On the other hand, carbon forms carbonic acid or carbon (iv) oxide gas when combined with water and the later with oxygen which is a greenhouse gas leading to greenhouse effects evident by drastic climatic changes, global warming melting of icebergs among many other related issues.

b) How temperature influences the by-products of incineration

Exposure of the by-products from burning to high temperatures ensures that they are destroyed chemically thus more environmentally friendly. Most of the product during incineration undergo incomplete combustion, and thus there is need to subject the by-products to higher temperatures to ensure complete combustion to eliminate environmental health problems. Additionally, high temperature ensures that the by-product less infective and they are completely non-toxic to human beings and other animals.

2a) difference between in-situ and ex-situ treatments at abandoned hazardous waste sites

In-situ treatment involves chemical, biological, physical or thermal processes that are aimed at eliminating, degrading, chemical modification, stabilization, and encapsulation done on the abandoned hazardous waste site without removing the matrices from the ground or to another place. Ex-situ treatments is the opposite, and it involves removal of the residues from abandoned hazardous waste site which is their original places and then treatment done on a typically different location.

b) How contaminated soil gets treated ex-situ and in-situ

In in-situ treatment, the soil may get subjected to physical, electrical, biological, chemical and thermal treatments. It is done by carrying out the practices on the ground when the soil got formed in its specified place. In ex-situ treatment, the soil is moved from its original place where it gets polluted and then taken to another different place where treatment is carried out. The same principles applied in the in-situ can is implicated in ex-situ with the difference on where the treatment gets done.

3a) Elements of effective risk communication

Ideally, there are several elements of effective risk communication, and they focus on; situation management such as in audience focused the conversation. Managing outrage and negative feedbacks. The anticipation of concerns and the messenger who is trustworthy to the people. Employed long term trust and the communication techniques which involves empathy, uncertainty, and silence. Evaluation and lastly risk communication guidelines. The essential elements of effective risk communication described in WHO and FAO are; knowing the audience, involvement of the scientific experts, the establishment of expertise communication, becoming a credible information source. Differentiating between value judgment and science, sharing of the responsibilities, assuring transparency and placing the risks in its perspective. It is also equally important apart from the elements of the risk to understand; the nature of the risk, the nature of the benefits, the risk assessment uncertainties and the available option of the risk management

b) Example of a risk over or underestimated by the public

Global warming. This type of risk is highly underrated by the public

c) How the element of risk management in above can be to give a clear picture of the actual risk

Global warming has led to climate change. As a result of this issue, Agriculture gets compromised leading to limited food production and even extinction of some crops. It has perpetuated famine and advanced food insecurity globally.

4a) Meaning of hazard quotient and the stage of risk assessment that is used

Hazard quotient refers to the ratio of probability exposure to certain substances and the level of which there are neither harmful nor adverse effects expected. If the calculations discovered to be one, then it means that there are no health effects that are adverse resulting from the exposure. But when the hazard quotient is greater than one, it translates to the existence of the possibility of the negative effects. It is important to note that the quotient is never turned into possibilities that there might be an occurrence of the adverse effects, from the same perspective it is in most times unlikely to the risk proportionally. A hazard quotient that exceeds one does not mean that it is automatic that the adverse effects will occur. The hazard quotient is used in the second stage of risk assessment

b) Three possible levels of hazard quotient

The possible levels include; there is unreliable information to make a conclusion that the ecological risks are minute and do not exist hence there is an uncompromised need to carry out the cleaning up of the site regarding the environmental risk. Secondly, when the information is inadequate for decision making at this particular point thus, the environmental assessment of the risk will proceed. Thirdly, the information therein indicates the potentiality for adverse ecological effects, therefore, a more advanced study must further be done.

c) Explain how the hazard is evaluated if a mixture of chemical exposures is being assessed

In the occasion of a mixture of a hazard, the evaluation assessment is quite complex. It incorporates both the single hazard evaluation procedure and then additional information. When the test data is available the following procedure is followed; testing the mixture as a whole and then obtain and record the results. If the mixture does not get to be tested, an assumption is made about components that constitute similar hazards. Valid scientific data may be used by the manufacturers and importers to ascertain the elements if the mixture is a physical danger. Finally, the mixture is assumed to be present in the risk if there is evidence to show that the chemical is less than one percent for carcinogens and when released to the environment it releases permissible exposure limits exceeding the ones published by OSHA.

5a) Discuss how the EPA recommends that risk assessors distinguish between uncertainty and variability in risk assessment

The EPA recommends the assessors of risks in understanding in details the difference between uncertainty and variability; Variability refers to the heterogeneity that is inherent or data diversity in assessment. It is regarded as a quantitative description of the spread of values or the range of values. Mostly it is expressed in the form of statistical metrics such as standard deviation, variance and interquartile ranges which reflect the variability of the data. On the other hand, uncertainty refers to an incomplete comprehension of the areas of risk assessment decisions or lack of data, and it can either be quantitative or qualitative. Secondly, variability is never reduced, but it can only be characterized better whereas uncertainty is liable for reduction or consequently eliminated entirely with more or better data. Thirdly in exposure, assessment variability is often present in the environmental parameter such as pH, and temperature. Human exposure factors such as age and gender and lastly, in the measurement of source concentration contaminants. When it comes to uncertainty scenarios results from aggregation, descriptive and professional judgment errors, incomplete analysis, measuring of sampling errors and model uncertainty such as relationship error. Using the above policies enables the assessors to distinguish critically the two from different dimensions.