chp. 8 vocab
Terms
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- health
- a state of physical and emotional well-being; the absence of disease or ailment
- risk
- probability that something undesirable will happen as a consequence of exposure to a hazard
- tertogens
- chemicals or other factors that specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development
- acute effects
- sudden, severe effects
- morbidity
- illness or disease
- bioaccumulation
- the selective absorption and concentration of molecules by cells
- endocrine disrupters
- chemicals that disrupt normal hormone functions
- antigens
- chemical compounds to which antibodies bind
- environmental health
- the science of external factors that cause disease, including elements of the natural, social, cultural and technological worlds in which we live
- mutagens
- agents, such as chemicals or radiation, that damage or alter genetic material (DNA) in cells
- cancer
- invasive, out-of-control cell growth that results in malignant tumors
- disease
- a deleterious change in the body's condition in response to destabilizing factors, such as nutrition, chemicals, or biological agents
- sick building syndrome
- headaches, allergies, chronic fatigue and other symptoms caused by poorly vented indoor air ontaminated by pathogens or toxins
- neurotoxins
- toxic substances, such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells
- toxins
- poisonous chemicals that react with specific cellular components to kill cells or to alter growth or development in undesirable ways; often harmful, even in dilute concentrations
- biomagnification
- increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals in sucessively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web
- chronic effects
- long-lasting results of exposure to a toxin; can be a permanent change caused by a single, acute exposure or a continuous, low-level exposure
- mortality
- death rate in a population; the probability of dying
- allergens
- substances that activate the immune system
- pathogens
- an organism that produces disease in a host organism, disease being an alteration of one or more metabolic functions n response to the presence of the organism
- disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
- a measure of premature deaths and losses due to illnesses and disabilities in a population
- persistent organic pollutants
- chemical compounds that persist in the environment and retain biological activity for long times
- LD50
- a chemical dose lethal to 50% of a test population
- carcinogens
- substances that cause cancer
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- a tragic set of permanent physical and mental and behavioral birth defects that result when mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy
- synergism
- an interaction in which one substance exacerbates the effects of another. The sum of the interaction is greater than the parts.
- emergent disease
- a new disease or one that has been absent for at least 20 years
- risk assesment
- evaluaton of the short-term and long-term risks associated with a particular activity or hazard; usually compared to benefits in a cost-benefit analysis