Vance Alexander Is a Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Medicine

question 36

Multiple Choice

Vance Alexander is a professor of epidemiology and environmental medicine at Washington State University's School of Veterinary Medicine. He and his team reported that they had found an association between the risk of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder in Scotties and the terriers' exposure to lawns treated with commonly used herbicides. The study was based on a survey of owners of 83 Scottish terriers, all of which were about the same age and had bladder cancer. The dog owners documented their terriers' housing, exposure time to the lawn, and information on the lawn treatment used. Those results were then compared to a group of 83 unexposed similarly aged Scotties that were undergoing treatment for unrelated ailments. Dr. Alexander found the occurrence of bladder cancer was between four and seven times higher in the group of dogs exposed to the herbicides. Dr. Alexander stated that Scotties seem to have a genetic susceptibility to this type of cancer. "We choose the Scottish terrier because we had done a previous study to show that this breed had a higher risk of bladder cancer compared to all other breeds-about 18-fold greater risk." As with people, cancer is much more common among dogs that are obese and have low activity levels. Obesity and activity level are thus considered __________ for cancer in dogs.

• A) carcinogens
• B) risk factors
• C) indicators
• D) oncogenes

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Definitions:

Labor Force

The total number of people available to work, including both the employed and those seeking employment.

Unionized

Describes a workforce or an organization where employees are members of a union, which negotiates terms of employment on their behalf.

Unionized Employer

An employer whose workforce is represented by a union or labor organization, which negotiates wages, working conditions, and other employment terms.

Investment Expenditures

Spending on capital goods that will be used for future production, including assets like equipment, buildings, and machinery.