Read the Following Scenario and Answer the Question Below

question 46

Multiple Choice

Read the following scenario and answer the question below.
Mercury is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in minerals and rocks. Release of mercury from natural sources has been relatively constant over time. However, anthropogenic release of mercury has increased significantly in recent years primarily due to increased fossil fuel mining and combustion. Mercury that is released into the air eventually ends up in soils or surface water. Once in water, microbes convert mercury into methyl mercury, which is absorbed quickly and concentrated in the tissues of predatory fish such as shark and swordfish. Large fish typically concentrate more mercury than small fish.
People who eat fish with high methyl mercury concentrations can show tremors, deafness, muscle incoordination, and attention deficits. Pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to methyl mercury's toxic effects. Learning disabilities and developmental delays are common in children who have been exposed to significant levels of methyl mercury.
-Based upon the specific health effects described in the scenario, mercury would be best classified as a _____________.

• A)endocrine disruptor
• B)carcinogen
• C)synergist
• D)neurotoxin
• E)allergen

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Definitions:

Sample Data

Data collected from a subset of a larger population, used to make inferences or predictions about the population as a whole.

SRS

Simple Random Sampling, a statistical method wherein each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.

Sign Test

A non-parametric test used to determine if there is a significant difference between paired observations, relying on the direction of differences rather than their size.

Matched Pairs

A statistical technique that involves comparing two samples that are closely related or paired, often used in before-and-after studies.