Theme 8 Flashcards

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Toxicology

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The science concerned with study of poisons and their effects on living organisms. The subject also includes the clinical, industrial, economic, and legal problems associated with toxic materials.

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Contamination

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Presence of undesirable material that makes something unfit for a particular use.

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Pollution

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The process by which something becomes impure, defiled, dirty, or otherwise unclean.

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PPM / PPB

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(Parts per million) / (Parts per billion)
These are the common units for measuring pollutants.

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Earthquake

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Generation of earthquake or seismic waves when rocks under stress fracture and break resulting in displacement along a fault.

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Catastrophe

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A situation or event that causes sufficient damage to people, property, or society from which recovery is a long and involved process. Also defined as a very serious disaster.

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Disaster

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A hazardous event that occurs over a limited span of time in a defined geographic area. Loss of human life and property damage is significant.

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Drought

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A period of months (or years) of unusually dry weather.

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Tornado

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A funnel shaped cloud of violently rotating air that extends downwards from large thunder storms to contact the surface of the earth.

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Hurricane

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A tropical storm with circulating winds in excess of 120km (74mi) per hour that moves across warm ocean waters of the tropics.

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noise pollution

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noise pollution is distruptive or unwanted sound in an environment. Transportation vehicles, aircraft, railroad stock, trucks, construction and my personal favorite lawnmowers, cause noise pollution.

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black lung

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Black lung disease is the common name for coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) or anthracosis, a lung disease of older workers in the coal industry, caused by inhalation, over many years, of small amounts of coal dust.

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mutagen

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a mutagen is something that causes a change in the DNA of an organism and distrupting the regular replication and repair. UV light is an example of a mutagen. Mutations produced by mutagens can be harmful, causing cancer in some cases. Not all mutations come from mutagens. Naturally occuring mutations result from DNA replication processes.

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brown lung

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The most common cause of brown lung disease is the inhalation of unprocessed cotton dust, and dusts from hemp, and flax.
Shortness of breath and coughing result. Many textile workers get brown lung, like coal miners getting black lung

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teratogen

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exposure to a teratogen produce abnormalities through birth defects. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a result of teratogen exposure. Thalidomide is a drug that produces such congenital abnormalities.

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Landslide

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A sudden movement of large quantities of earth, soil, and / or rock down a slope or grade.

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Flood

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When normally dry land gets covered with water, often following seismic activity in oceans or heavy downpours of rain.

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Wildfire

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A fire in a rural or wilderness setting which can quickly and easily spiral out of controll if not properly monitered. ie Yellowstone wildfires of 1988.

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Tsunami

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A giant wall of water, capable of reaching great speeds, that results from oceanic seismic activity. Often causes flooding. Also referred to as Tidal waves.

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Heat Wave

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A period of weather consisting of temperatures substantially higher than normal.

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Volcanic eruption

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Volcanic eruptions occur when pressure inside volcanoes grows to be greater than what the volcano can hold. Usually, this pressure is built up through the gradual heating of water, which then vaporizes and creates pressure. When a volcano erupts large amounts of gas, semi-melted rocks, and lava are released, usually.

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Natural hazard

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A natural hazard or geophysical hazards is a threat of an event that will have a negative effect on people or the environment (they often lead to change reaction- tsunamis often lead to diseases, etc).

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Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States. It is most famous for its destruction of New Orleans, due to the fact that the immense amounts of water brought into the area because of the hurricane led to the breaking of the levee and flooding of the majority of the city.

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Hurricane Ike

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Hurricane Ike was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season.

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Levee

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A levee', levée, dike (or dyke), embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to prevent flooding of the land behind it. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river or the coast.

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epidemiology

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branch of medicine that deals with the causes, distribution and control of infectious diseases in populations

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pathogen

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infectious agent, usually a virus or bacterium

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OSHA

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Occupational Safety and Health Administration: mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.

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Occupational Safety & Health Act

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the primary federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970. Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide employees with an environment free from recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions.

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CDC

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Centers for Disease Control: an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.

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FIFRA

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Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act: a United States federal law that set up the basic US system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers and the environment.

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NIOSH

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.

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risk

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the possibility of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, economic loss or environmental damage

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irritants

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types of chemical hazards such as corrosives and caustics that damage biological tissues on contact
ex) acids, bases, chlorine, dioxin

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asphyxiant

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type of chemical hazard that interferes with oxygen uptake; either passive (methane, CO2) or active (CO, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide)

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thalidomide

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Was a prescription sedative in Europe during the 1960's that had no side affects on the mother but led to abnormal fetal development where the child would have incomplete limbs. It is an example of a teratogen because it is a chemical that leads to negative effects during pregnancy.

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epidemiological transition

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when a country industrializes, infectious diseases found in children (and adults) become less important, but chronic diseases found in adults become more important.

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thermal pollution

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when heat is released into the environment and leads to unwanted effects. this is usually caused by nuclear and electric power plants.

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threshold effects/levels

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the level below where effects are not observable and above where effects are apparent

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LD-50

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the amount of a chemical that is required in one dose to kill 50% of the test population in 14 days. the more toxic the chemical is, the smaller the number is.

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synergism

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the effect caused when exposure to two or more chemicals at as time results in health effects that are greater than the sum of the effects of the individual chemicals.

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pathogen

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any disease-producing agent, esp. a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism.

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dioxin

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Dioxin is the name generally given to a class of super-toxic chemicals, the chlorinated dioxins and furans, formed as a by-product of the manufacture, molding, or burning of organic chemicals and plastics that contain chlorine. It is the most toxic man-made organic chemical

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carcinogen

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A carcinogen is a substance that is capable of causing cancer in humans or animals. If a substance is known to promote or aggravate cancer, but not necessarily cause cancer, it may also be called a carcinogen.

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teratogen

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An agent that can cause malformations of an embryo or fetus. This can be a chemical substance, a virus or ionizing radiation.

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Point Source

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A way that pollutants are introduced into the environment (Note that this is not the only way, area sources are also a huge contributor). Examples are smokestacks, pipes discharging into waterways, a small stream entering the ocean, or accidental spills. They are readily identified and stationary. They are often thought to be easier to recognize and control than are area sources, but this is only true in a general sense, as some very large point sources emit tremendous amounts of pollutants into the environment.

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Area (Non-point) Source

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Area Sources, also called non-point sources, are more diffused over the land and include urban runoff and mobile sources such as automobile exhaust. Area sources are difficult to isolate and correct because the problem is often widely dispersed over a region, as in agricultural runoff that contains pesticides.

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Mobile Source

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Mobile sources are sources of air pollutants that move from place to place, for example, automobiles, trucks, buses, and trains.

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Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification

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Also called biological concentration. The accumulation or increase in concentration of a substance in living tissue as it moves through a food web (also known as bioaccumulation). The tendency for some substances to concentrate with each trophic level. Water-soluble compounds/chemicals move rapidly in environments and throughout the body while
fat-soluble compounds/chemicals have trouble getting into body, but once in readily penetrate cells. This means the chemicals remain in the fat-cells long enough for the organism to be consumed or to pass on the material to offspring.
Organisms preferentially store certain chemicals and excrete others. When this occurs consistently among organisms, the stored chemicals increase as a percentage of the body weight as the material is transferred along a food chain or trophic level. For example, the concentration of DDT is greater in herbivores than in plants and greater in plants than in the nonliving environment.

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Cultural/ Voluntary Hazards

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Examples of Cultural/Voluntary Hazards are : unsafe working conditions, drinking, drugs, driving, unsafe sex, poverty, poor diet, and criminal assault. Most Cultural hazards have cumulative effects on the average life span. The largest hazards are poverty, smoking & diet.

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Radon

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A ground-generated radioactive gas that seeps into some homes through sump pumps, cracks in the foundation and other inlets. A leading cause of lung cancer , radon is found in mostly the northern half of the country.

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Dose

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is a quantity of something (chemical, physical, or biological) that may impact an organism biologically; the greater the quantity, the larger the dose. In nutrition, the term is usually applied to how much of a specific nutrient is in a person's diet or in a particular food, meal, or dietary supplement.

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Persistence

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is an important negative criterion in the ecological assessment of chemicals

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Neurotoxin

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Toxic substances, such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells.

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Immune System

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The collection of cells and organs whose role is to protect the body from foreign invaders. Includes the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, B and T cells, and antigen-presenting cells.

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mrgo

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the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet.

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Chernobyl, Ukraine

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In 1986, an accident happened at a nuclear powerplant in Chernobyl which caused 56 deaths via ionizing radiation emitted by radioactive substances.

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Three Mile Island, PA

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In 1979, an accident happened at a nuclear powerplant in Three Mile Island. It is the most serious nuclear reactor accident in the U.S. While nobody was killed in the accident, more safety procedures were adopted for all nuclear powerplants acros the U.S

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Atrazine

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An herbicide used on corn that is illegal in most of Europe. This herbicide activates the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. It has effects on limb formation and the gender of frogs. Tyrone Hayes speaks out against Atrazine. Atrazine is a chemical hazard, more specifically a hormone disrupter.

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Bhopal, India

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on December 3rd, 1984 a poisonous gas cloud seeped into the community of Bhopal. Water got into a tank of Temik (a pesticide) and reacted to create an explosive reaction. People awoke coughing and rubbing their eyes and caused death, blindness, reproductive failures and birth defects. The accident killed 1754-15,000 people and injured 200,000-300,000 more. The pollutant was an irritant.

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chemical hazard

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arises from contamination with harmful or potentially harmful chemicals

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physical hazard

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Hazard arising from the material, operational, or occupational characteristics of an insured property.

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dose-response assessment

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also known as risk assessment, which is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat

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biological hazard

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an organism, or substance derived from an organism, that poses a threat to (primarily) human health

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dose-response curve

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A dose-response curve is a simple X-Y graph relating the magnitude of a stressor to the response of the receptor.

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Indonesian Tsunami

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The sudden vertical rise of the seabed by several metres during the earthquake displaced massive volumes of water, resulting in a tsunami that struck the coasts of the Indian Ocean.

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DES

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Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug, an orally active synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938. DES was approved by the FDA on September 19, 1941 for four indications: gonorrheal vaginitis, atrophic vaginitis, menopausal symptoms, and postpartum lactation suppression to prevent breast engorgement.[

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Lake Nyos, Cameroon

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Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located about 200 miles (322 km) northwest of Yaoundé.[1] Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity. A natural dam of volcanic rock hems in the lake waters.

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epidemiology

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Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine.

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radon

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Radon is the chemical element that has the symbol Rn and the atomic number 86. Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. It is one of the heaviest substances that remains a gas under normal conditions and is considered to be a health hazard.

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Indonesian tsunami:

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a massive earthquake the second largest ever recorded rating in at 9.4 on the rickter scale. The actual earthquake lasted 10 minutes which is a very long time. Caused many other earthquakes as far as Alaska.

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MRGO:

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Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal is the canal along the side of Louisiana that works as a shortcut to the long alternative of the Mississippi. This Canal caused a 20-40% increase in the amount of size of the storm waters in hurricane Katrina which was devastating to the city. It has since been called to be filled in.

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Risk:

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a concept that denotes a potential negative impact to some characteristic of value that may arise from a future event, or we can say that "Risks are events or conditions that may occur, and whose occurrence

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Fat soluble compounds

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soluble in lipids, and in organic solvents; that tends to accumulate in the adipose tissue of the body harder to get rid of from the environment.

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Water soluble compounds:

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something that is soluble in water these are the easier chemicals to be rid of.

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ED-50

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The Effictive Dose 50. The amount of a dose that is pharmalogically effective for 50% of the recipients.

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Endocrine System

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The system of small organs in the body that regulates the release of hormones.

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acute effect/ exposure

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an acute effect is one which involves severe symptoms which develop rapidly and may quickly reach a crisis; Contact with a substance that occurs once or for only a short time (up to 14 days)

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sick building disorder

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this occurs when people becom ill due to a building they live or work in. Believed to be caused by poor ventilation.

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chronic effect/exposure

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the effect after the acute exposure; long term exposure

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toxicology

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The different effects that chemicals have on living organisms.

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Black lung

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A common disease that is initiated by subsurface mining usually for coal. Also known as CWP.

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Brown lung

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A disease in which the airways to the lung and in the lung are narrowed. this is caused by smoking or subsurface mining.

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Heat wave

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A certain period of time when the weather is irregular. This is commonly followed by intense humidity.

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Drought

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A long period where rainfall is scarce and there is dry weather.

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Carcinogen

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A cancer-causing substance or agent.

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Epidemiology

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The branch of medicine dealing with the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations and with detection of the source and cause of epidemics of infectious disease.

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Landslide

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The downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.

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Earthquake

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A series of vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating.

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Pathogen

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Any disease-producing agent, esp. a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism.

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Minamata, Japan

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A place in Japan in which there was a release of methyl mercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which when eaten by the local populace resulted in mercury poisoning.

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Ionizing Radiation

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Ionizing radiation consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that are energetic enough to detach electrons from atoms or molecules, ionizing them. Ionizing radiation comes from radioactive materials, x-ray tubes, particle accelerators, and is present in the environment.

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Hormone disruptor

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Hormone disruptors are exogenous substances that act like hormones in the endocrine system and disrupt the physiologic function of endogenous hormones. Studies have linked hormone disruptors to adverse biological effects in animals, giving rise to concerns that low-level exposure might cause similar effects in human beings.

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Risk assessment

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Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat (also called hazard). Quantitative risk assessment requires calculations of two components of risk: R, the magnitude of the potential loss L, and the probability p that the loss will occur.