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372 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Absorption |
penetration of a substance into an organism through various processes by expending energy |
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Acceptable risk |
risk that is associated with minimal detrimental effect |
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Acid rain/acid deposition |
release of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide from point or nonpoint sources into the atmosphere |
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Acute exposure |
single exposure to a toxic substance resulting in severe outcomes or death, no longer than a day |
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Additive effect |
biologic response to exposure from multiple substances that equals the sum of responses of all the individual substances added together |
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Adverse health effect |
change in body function or cell structure that might lead to disease or health problems |
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Aerobic |
processes that requires the presence of oxygen |
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Aerosol |
mixture of small droplets or particles and a carrier gas |
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) |
part of US Dept Health and Human Services; using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases from toxic substances |
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Air toxics |
air pollutant with no national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) but may be anticipated to cause cancer (except O3, CO, PM-10, SO2, NO) |
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Alpha particle |
+ charged particle ejected spontaneously from nuclei of some radioactive elements; low penetrating power with a short range (a few cm in air) easily stopped by skin or paper however it is dangerous when an alpha-emitting isotrope is inside the body |
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Ambient air |
any unconfined portion of the atmosphere open air, surrounding air |
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American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) |
member-based organization that advances occupational and environmental health |
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Anaerobic |
proces that occurs in or not destroyed by the absence of oxygen |
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Analyte |
substance that is undergoing analysis (being measured) |
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Antagonism |
combined effect of 2 or more factors that is smaller than the solitary effect of any 1 of those factors |
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Anthropogenic |
caused by or influenced by human activities |
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Apoptosis |
programmed cell death; biological method of disposing of cells |
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Aqueous |
relating to or resembling or made from with or by water |
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Aqueous solubility |
maximum concentration chemical that will dissolve in pure water at a reference temperature |
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Aquifer |
underground geological formation containing water |
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As Low as is Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) |
(10 CFR 20 1003) making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to ionizing radiation as far below the dose limits |
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Assessment endpoint |
explicit expression of the environmental value that is to be protected; operationally defined by an ecological entity and its attributes |
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Asthma |
chronic respiratory disease characterized by bronchoconstriction, excessive mucus secretion and oedema of alveoli resulting in cough, wheezing |
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B cell/B lymphocyte |
white blood cell produced in bone marrow which synthesizes and secretes anitbodies in response to the presence of a foreign substance |
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Background level |
concentration of substance in an environmental media that occurs naturally; exposure assessment where the concentration of a substance in a defined control area during a fixed period of time in the context of a data-gathering operation |
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Bacteria |
microscopic living organism can be pathogenic or nonpathogenic which can be beneficial in pollution control by metabolizing organic matter |
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Basal metabolic rate |
rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest |
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Bedrock |
solid rock underneath surface soils |
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Bench-scale tests |
laboratory testing of potential cleanup technologies |
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Beta particle |
charged particle emitted from a nucleus during radioactive decay with a mass of 1/1837 of a proton; - charged beta particle is identical to an electron; + charged beta particle is positron; beta radiation results in skin burns can be stopped by thin sheets of metal or plastic |
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Bioaccumulants |
substances that increase concentration in tissues due to very slow metabolism of substance |
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Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
measure amount of oxygen consumed in processes that break down organic matter in water; greater BOD the greater the pollution |
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Biocide |
substance intended to kill a living organism |
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Biodegradable |
capable of decomposing under natural conditions |
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Biohazard |
biological agent that has capacity to produce deleterious effects on humans |
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Biological exposure indices (BEI) |
guidance value recommended by ACGIH for assessing biological monitoring results |
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Biologic monitoring |
measuring of hazardous substances in biologic materials to determine whether exposure has occurred |
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Biologic uptake |
transfer of substances from environment to plants, animals, and humans |
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Biomarker |
cellular and molecular indicator of exposure, health effects or susceptibility; can measure internal dose, biologically effective dose, early biological response, altered structure or function, susceptibility |
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Biomedical testing |
testing of persons to find out whether a change in a body function might have occurred because of exposure to a hazardous substances |
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Bioremediation |
use of living organisms to clean up oil spills or remove other pollutants |
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Biota |
animal and plant life of a given region |
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Biotechnology |
industrial use of living organisms to produce foods or drugs |
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Bioterrorism |
terrorism by intentional release of biological agents that may be naturally occurring or in a human-modified form |
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Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) |
amount of dissolved oxygen consumed in 5 days |
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Body burden |
total amount of substance present in an organism at a given time |
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Built environment |
it encompasses spaces, products, buildings created or modified by people; |
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Cancer |
group of diseases that occur when cells in the body become abnormal and grow or multiply out of control |
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Cancer risk |
theoretical risk for getting cancer if exposed to a substance every day for 70 days (lifetime exposure) |
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Carcinogen |
any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer |
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Case study |
uncontrolled (pro- or retrospective) observational study involving an intervention and outcome in a single patient |
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Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registration number |
a number assigned by the CAS to identify a chemical |
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Centers for Disease Control (CDC) |
collaborates to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health |
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Central nervous system |
part of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord |
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Certified output protection protocol (COPP) |
device driver technology used to enable high-bandwidth Digital Content Protection during the transmission of digital video between applications and high-definition displays; a Microsoft product |
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Chemical, Biological, Radioactive Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) Incidents |
delibrate, malicious acts with the intention to kill or sicken and disrupt society |
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Chemical oxygen demand (COD) |
measure of oxygen required to oxidize all compounds both inorganic and organic in water |
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Chronic effect |
adverse effect from long term exposure; persistent adverse health effect resulting from a short term (acute) exposure |
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Chronic exposure |
multiple exposures occurring over an extended period of time or over a significant fraction of an animal's or human's lifetime (usually 7 years to lifetime) |
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) |
lung disease that is a chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and not fully reversible |
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Cluster investigation |
review of unusual number of health events grouped together in time and location |
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Cohort study |
epidemiological method of identifying 2 groups (cohorts) where one has received exposure and the other has not |
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Command and control (C &C) |
standards tailor-made to regulate how an activity must be carried out; overly constraining, not adaptable tends to retard advancements; no incentives to attain higher standards than those imposed by law |
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Community assistance panel (CAP) |
communities and agencies that work with ATSDR to resolve issues related to hazardous substances; CAP helps gather and review community concerns, exposed to hazardous substances, inform ATSDR on ways to involve the community |
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Comparison value (CV) |
calculated concentration of a substance unlikely to cause harmful effects in the exposed; it is a screening level of public health assessment |
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Composite sample |
multiple temporally or spatially discrete tissue samples are homogenized and treated as one sample |
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Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERLA) |
Superfund - removal or cleanup of hazardous substances in the environment, ATSDR assesses health issues and public health activites relating to the hazardous sites; later called Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) |
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Concentration |
relative amount of a substance within another substance |
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Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) |
protect the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury from consumer products; protect from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard |
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Contaminant |
physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance with adverse effect on environment |
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Criteria pollutants |
1970 amendment to Clean Air Act required by EPA to set NAAQS for certain pollutants. Set standards to protect human health and welfare: ozone, CO, total suspended particulates, SO2, lead, NO |
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Cryptosporidium |
protozoan microbe associated with disease; can be transmitted through ingestion of water, person-to-person contact; cause acute diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomitting, fever, and can be fatal |
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Curie (Ci) |
basic unit used to describe the intensity of radioactivity in a sample; = 37 billion disintegrations/second activity of 1 gram of radium |
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Cytokine |
group of soluble proteins that are released by a cell causing a change in function or development of autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine; |
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Delayed health effect |
disease that happens as a result of exposures that might have occurred in the past |
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Dermal absorption/penetration |
process by which a chemical penetrates the skin and enters the body as an internal dose |
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Dermal exposure |
contact between a chemical and the skin |
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Dermal toxicity |
ability of a pesticide or toxic chemical to poison people by contact with skin |
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Descriptive epidemiology |
study of occurrence of disease in populations; major characteristics can be classified under headings: individuals, time, and place |
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Detection limit |
lowest concentration of a chemical that can reliably be distinguished from a zero concentration |
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Disease registry |
system of registration of all cases of a disease in a defined population |
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Disease vector |
describe a special type of intermediate host for parasites; a vector not only required as part of parasite's development but delivers parasite directly to host |
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Disinfectant |
chemical process that kills the growth of bacteria in water, air, or on surfaces |
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Disinfectant by-product |
compound formed by the reaction of a disinfectant |
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DNA repair |
major defense against environmental damage to cells |
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Dosage/Dose |
actual quantity of chemical administered to an organism; amount of substance that reaches specific tissue; amount of substance available for interaction |
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Dose-response relationship |
quantitative relationship between the amount of exposure to a substance and the extent of toxic injury |
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Ecological risk assessment |
application of a formal framework to estimate the effects of human action on a natural resource and to interpret the significance of those effects |
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Economic incentives |
provide signals on public objectives while leaving some room for decision-making |
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ED50 |
dose of a drug that is pharmacologically effective for 50% of people exposed to drug |
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Emergency planning and community right-to-know Act (EPCRA) |
EPCRA establishes requirements for municipalities regarding emergency planning reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals; Community Right-to-know increase public knowledge and access |
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Emission |
pollution discharged into the atmosphere
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Endocrine disruptor |
exogenous chemical that alters function of endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects
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environmental equity/justice |
equal protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status; |
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Environmental media |
soil, water, air, biota that can contain contaminants |
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Environmental media and transport mechanism |
water, air, soil, and biota; transport mechanisms move contaminants from the source to points where human exposure can occur |
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Epidemiology |
study of distribution of disease in human populations |
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Ergonomics |
study of human characteristics for the appropriate design of the living and working environment; levels of knowledge: utilization, tolerable, acceptable, and optimal |
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Estrogen |
natural steroids that are formed from androgen precursors that are secreted chiefly by the ovaries, placenta, adipose tissue, and testes; stimulate the development of female secondary sex characteristics |
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Eutrophication |
slow aging process during which a lake, estuary evolves into a bog or marsh and eventually disapears; later stages of eutrophication the water body is choked by abundant plant life |
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Exposure assessment |
identifying the pathways by which toxicants may reach individuals; estimating the number likely to be exposed |
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Exposure-dose reconstruction |
method of estimating the amount of past exposure to hazardous substances |
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Exposure investigation |
collection and analysis of site-specific information and biologic tests (when appropriate) to determine whether people have been exposed to hazardous substances |
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Exposure pathway |
route a substance takes from source to its endpoint and how people get exposed to it; 5 parts: source of contamination, environmental media and transport mechanism, point of exposure, route of exposure, receptor population |
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Feasibility study |
analysis of practicability of a proposal; small-scale investigation of a problem to ascertain whether a proposed research approach is likely to provide useful data |
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Exposure point |
location of potential contact between an organism and a chemical or physical agent |
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Exposure registry |
system of ongoing follow-up of people who have had documented environmental exposures |
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Exposure-response relationship |
connection between the amount of chemical administered and a specific toxic effect in the organism |
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Gamma radiation |
high-energy, short wavelength, electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nucleus; always accompanies fission; penetrating and best stopped by dense materials |
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Gas phase |
simplest chemical reactions are those that occur in the gas phase in a single step |
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Geographic information system (GIS) |
computer system designed for storing, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying data in a geographic context
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Gene |
basic unit of hereditary material ; an ordered sequence of nucleotide bases that encodes 1 polypeptide chain |
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Global warming |
increase in the near surface temperature of Earth as a result of the increased emissions of greenhouse gases |
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Gradient |
change in the value of a quantity with change ina given variable per unit |
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Gray (Gy) |
international system unit of absorbed dose; 1 Joule/kg |
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Ground water |
supply of fresh water found beneath the Earth's surface |
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Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) |
production control system for the food industry; identifies where potential contamination can occur |
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Half-life |
time required for half the atoms in a sample to decay or lose of half its original concentration; time required for half the atoms of a radioactive element to undergo self-transmutation or decay; time required to eliminate 1/2 dose from body |
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Hazard |
potential for radiation to cause illness; inherent toxicity of a compound |
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Hazardous substances |
poses a threat to human health; any substances designated by EPA to be reported if a designated quantity of a substance is spilled |
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Hazardous substance release and health effects database (HazDat) |
scientific and administrative database system developed ATSDR to manage data collection, retrieval, and analysis of site-specific information on hazardous substances |
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Hazardous waste |
by-products of society that can pose a substancial or potential hazard to human health |
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Health assessment |
PH assessments challenge ATSDR to integrate environmental sampling data, health outcome data, and community concerns successfully in the evaluation of the health implications |
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Health consultation |
review of available information or collection of new data to respond to a specific health question |
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Health effects studies related to contaminants |
combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy program may be judged as its potential effects on the health of population |
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Health registry |
ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive PH actions |
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Health statistics review |
analysis of existing health information to determine if there is excess disease in a specific population |
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Heavy metals |
metallic elements with high atomic weights; can damage living things at low concentrations |
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Helminths |
group of parasites referred to as worms |
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Herbicide |
substance intended to kill plants |
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Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) |
enzyme in purine metabolism; primarily functions to salvage purines from degraded DNA to renewed purine synthesis |
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Hydrophilic |
having a strong affinity for water |
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Hydrophobic |
having a strong aversion for water
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Incidence |
number of new cases of disease in a defined population over a specific time |
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Incineration |
treatment technology involving destruction of waste by controlled burning at high temperatures |
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Indeterminate public health hazard |
ATSDR's public health assessment documents when a professional judgment about the level of health hazard cannot be made because information is lacking |
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Industrial hygiene |
science of anticipating, recognizing,evaluating, and controlling workplace conditions that may cause workers' injury or illness |
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Ingestion
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act of swallowing something through eating, drinking, or mouthing
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Infection control |
infection control refers to all policies which aim to prevent the risk of transmission of infectious diseases |
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Infectious diseases |
caused by pathogenic microorganisms; easily passed from person to person |
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Inhalation |
act of breathing |
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Injury prevention |
combination of research development of data collection systems the introduction of specific prevention measures |
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Inorganic chemicals |
chemical substances of mineral origin |
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Institute of medicine |
1970 chartered under the National Academy of Sciences; provides independent objective evidence-based advice to policy makers |
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Intermediate duration exposure |
contact with a substance that occurs for more than 14 days and less than a year |
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International agency for research on cancer (IARC) |
mission to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, develop scientific strategies for cancer control
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In vitro |
glass, study in the laboratory usually involving isolated organ |
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In vivo |
living body, referring to a study performed on a living organism |
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Ionizing radiation |
any radiation capable of displaying electrons from atoms, thus producing ions. ex. alpha, beta, gamma, x-rays, neutrons, UV light; in high doses can produce skin or tissue damage |
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Inversion |
layer of warm air that prevents the rise of cooling air and traps pollutants beneath it |
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Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) |
EPA's agency an electronic database containing the latest descriptive and quantitative regulatory information on chemical constituents |
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Landfills |
sanitary landfills are disposal sites for non-hazardous solid wastes spread in layers; secure chemical landfills are disposal salts for hazardous waste |
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Latency |
time from the first exposure of a chemical until the appearance of a toxic effect |
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Latrine |
site designed to receive and dispose of excreta; pit latrine is a simple pit covered by a slab of wood or concrete with a drop-hole; pour-flush latrine uses water to flush away the excreta into a pit |
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LD50/Lethal dose |
dose of a toxicant that will kill 50% of test organisms within a designated period |
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Leaching |
process by which soluble constituents are dissolved and filtered through the soil by a percolating fluid |
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Leachate |
water that collects contaminants as it trickles through wastes; leaching in farming areas may result in hazardous substances entering surface water |
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Life cycle management |
every activity that a business performs has an impact; |
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Lipophilic |
affinity for fat and high lipid solubility: a physiochemical property which describes a partitioning equilibrium of solute molecules between water and an immiscible organic solvent |
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Local emergency planning committee (LEPC) |
committee appointed by the state emergency response commission as required by SARA Title III, to formulate a comprehensive emergency plan
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Lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) |
lowest concentration found by experiment which causes an adverse effect on morphology, functional capacity, growth, development or life span of a target orgranism |
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Lumen |
cavity of a tubular organ |
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Lymphocyte |
animal white blood cell that interacts with a foreign substance; initiates an immune response against the substance |
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Macrophage |
large (10-20mm) amoeboid and phagocytic cell; host defense mechanisms |
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Malaria |
mosquito-borne disease by parasite; experience fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms |
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Material safety data sheet (MSDS) |
compliation of information required under OSHA Communication Standard identity of hazardous chemicals; Section 311 of SARA requires facilities to submit MSDS |
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Maximum contaminant level |
maximum permissible level of contaminant in water delivered to any user of a public system |
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Measure of effect |
change in an attribute of an assessment endpoint in response to a stressor |
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Medical monitoring |
automated medical device that senses a patient's vital signs and displays results |
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Medical waste |
solid waste generated in diagnosis of human beings and in research pertaining excluding hazardous waste identified under 40 CFR Part 261 |
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Mesothelioma |
malignant tumor of the medothelium of the pleura caused by exposure to asbestos fibers |
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Metabolism |
conversion of a substance from one form to another by living organism |
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Metabolites
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any substances produced by biological processes from pesticides
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Metabolomics |
use of genomic information to facilitate studies of metabolic processes |
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Migration |
moving from one location to another |
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Minimal risk level (MRL) |
estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse noncancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure |
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Missense mutations |
single base pair substitution that results in the translation of a different amino acid at that position |
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Mold |
include all species of microscope fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae; microscopic fungi that grow as single cell called yeast |
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Molecule |
smallest division of a compound that still remains all properties of substance |
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Morbidity |
rate of disease incidence |
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Mortality |
death rate |
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Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) |
several bacterial strains of the genus that are resistant to beta-lactum antibiotics |
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Mutagen/mutagenicity |
agent that causes a permanent genetic change in a cell other than that which occurs during normal growth |
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Mutation |
change to DNA genes of living organisms |
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Nanoparticle |
microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometers < drugs bound to biodegradable polymeric |
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Nanoscale |
materials range from 1-100 nanometers |
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Nanotechnology |
research and technology development at the atomic, molecular in the length scale of approximately 1-100 nanometer range |
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National academy of sciences |
honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research |
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National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) |
standards established by EPA that apply for outdoor air throughout the country |
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National institute for occupational safety and health (NIOSH) |
federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness |
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National priorities list (NPL) |
EPA's list of serious controlled hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term remedial action under Superfund |
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National research council |
improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health |
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National toxicology program (NTP) |
mission is to evaluate agents of concern by developing tools of toxciology and biology; objective, science-based approach dealing with critical issues in toxicology; committed to using the best science available to prioritize, design, conduct, and interpret studies |
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Natural attenuation |
acheive site specific remediation objectives within a time frame that is reasonable compared to that offered by other more active method |
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No apparent public health hazard |
catergory used in ATSDR PH assessments for sites where human exposure to contaminated media my occur but exposure is not expected to cause harm |
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Noise-induced hearing loss |
irreversible hearing loss caused by exposure to very loud impulse sounds; loud noise levels damage hair cells of the inner ear |
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Non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation |
radiation that does not change the structure of atoms but does heat issue and may cause harmful biological effects; microwaves, radio waves, and low-frequency electromagnetic fields from high voltage transmission lines |
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No observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) |
exposure level at which are no statistically significant increases in the frequency of adverse effects between the exposed population |
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No public health hazard |
category ATSDR PH assessment documents for sites where people have never and will never come into contact with harmful amounts of substances |
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Not in my back yard (NIMBY) |
problems that make enforcement of environmental justice almost nonexistent
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Odor threshold |
minimum odor of a water or air sample that can just be detected after successive dilutions with odorless water |
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Organic |
derived from living organisms; any compound containing carbon |
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Organophosphate |
pesticides that contain phosphorous are short-lived but some can be toxic when first applied |
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Occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) |
mission to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education |
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Particulates |
fine liquid or solid particles found in air emissions; very small solids suspended in water |
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Parts per billion (ppb)/parts per million (ppm) |
units commonly used to express contamination ratios |
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Permeability |
rate at which liquids pass through soil or other materials in a specified direction |
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Permissible exposure limit (PEL) |
federal limits for workplace exposure to contaminants |
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Persistence |
refers to the length of time compound stays in the environment |
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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) |
set of chemicals that are toxic and persist in the environment for long periods of time; linked to adverse effects on human health damage to the nervous system, reproductive disorders, and disruption of immune system |
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Pesticide |
substances preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest; any substance intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant
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Physiologically based pharmacokinetic model (PBPK) |
computer model that describes what happens to a chemical in the body; how chemical gets into the body |
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Plume |
visible discharge of contaminant from a given point of origin; area of radiation leaking from a damaged reactor |
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PM-10/PM2.5 |
PM10 measure of particles in atmosphere that are less than 10 mm in diameter that include both fine and course dust particles (pass through nose throat into the lungs); measure of particles smaller than air |
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Point of exposure |
place where someone can come into contact with a substance present in environment |
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Polarity |
electricity, quality of having two oppositely charged poles, 1 + and 1 - |
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Polluter-pays principle |
national hazardous waste cleanup programs; provide the means for the regions and states to vigorously and effectively enforce statutes |
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Population |
group of interbreeding organisms occupying a particular space |
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Potable water |
water that is safe for drinking and cooking |
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Potentially responsible party (PRP) |
individual potentially responsible for spill at a Superfund site |
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Precautionary principle |
when information about potential risks in incomplete; basing decisions about the best ways to manage or reduce risks on a preference for avoiding unnecessary health risks instead of on unnecessary economic expenditures |
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Preliminary assessment |
assessment of information about a site and its surrounding area; determine whether a sites poses little or no threat to human health and the environment or if it does pose a threat |
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Prevalence |
number of existing disease cases defined a population during a specific time period; when used without qualification the term usually refers to the situation at a specified point in time |
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Prevalence survey |
measure of the current level of disease exposures through a questionnaire that collects self-reported information from a defined population |
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Prevention |
actions that reduce exposure or other risks, keep people from getting sick or keep disease from getting worse |
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Probability |
chance (a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible) |
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Promoter |
chemical believed to promote carcinogenicity or mutagenicity |
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Proteomics |
refer to all the proteins working to determine their function and amino acid sequence |
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Protocol |
series of formal steps for conducting a test |
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Protozoa |
one-celled animals that are larger and more complex than bacteria |
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Public availability session |
informal drop-by meeting at which community members can meet one-on-one with ATSDR staff members to discuss health |
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Public comment period |
time allowed for the public to express its views and concerns regarding an action by EPA |
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Public health action |
list of steps to protect public health |
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Public health advisory |
statement made by ATSDR to EPA release of hazardous substances poses an immediate threat to human health |
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Public health assessment (PHA) |
ATSDR document that examines hazardous substances at a hazardous waste site to determine whether people could be harmed from coming into contact with those substances |
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Public health hazard |
category used in ATSDR PH assessments for sites that pose a PH hazard because of long term exposure |
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Public health hazard categories |
statements about whether people could be harmed by conditions present at the site in the past, present, or future |
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Public health statement |
first chapter of ATSDR toxicological profile; summary written in words that are easy to understand; explains how people might be exposed to a specific substance and describes the known health effects |
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Public health surveillance |
ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data; activity also involves timely dissemination of the data and use for public health programs |
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Public meeting |
public forum with community members for communication about a site; |
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Quality assurance/Quality control |
system procedures to ensure that all EPA research design and performance, environmental monitoring and sampling and reporting activities are of the highest achievable quality |
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Radiation measurement units |
Curie (Ci) = amount of radiation given off, emitted or SI = Becquerel (Bq); Rad = radiation dose absorbed by a person or SI = gray (Gy); Rem = biological risk of exposure to radiation or SI = sievert (Sv) |
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Radioisotope |
unstable isotope of an element that decays spontaneously emitting radiation |
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Radionuclide |
radioactive particle, man-made or natural with a distinct atomic weight number |
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Receptor |
ecological entity exposed to a stressor |
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Recycle/reuse |
minimizing waste generation by recovering and reprocessing usable products that might become waste |
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Reference dose (RfD) |
numerical estimate of a daily oral exposure to the human population, including sensitive subgroups that is not likely to cause harmful effects during a lifetime |
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Registry |
systematic collection of information on persons exposed to a specific substance |
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Relative risk assessment |
estimating the risks associated with different stressors or management actions |
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Remedial investigation |
a remedial investigation/feasibility study performed at the Superfund site to establish site cleanup criteria |
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Remediation |
cleanup used to remove or contain a toxic spill from a Superfund; Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response program abatement methods including evaluation, repair, enclosure, encapsulation, or removal of greater than 3 linear feet or sq ft |
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Renewable energy production incentive (REPI) |
incentive established by EPA available to renewable energy power projects owned by government or nonprofit electric cooperative |
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Resource conservation and recovery act (RCRA) |
regulates management and disposal of hazardous wastes currently generated, treated, stored, disposed of, or distributed |
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Risk |
measure of the probability that damage to life, health, property, will occur as a result of a given hazard |
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Risk assessment |
qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health by the actual presence and use of polllutants |
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Risk communication |
exchange of information to increase understanding of health risks |
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Risk management |
process of evaluating and selecting alternative regulatory and non-regulatory responses to risk |
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Risk reduction |
goal of risk reduction is to reduce the risk to life and property, includes existing structures and future construction |
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Rodenticide |
chemical used to destroy rodents or prevent them from damaging food and crops |
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Route of exposure |
avenue by which a chemical comes into contact with an organism |
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Sample |
portion of a whole; selected subset of a population
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Sample size |
number of units chosen from a population |
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Sampling strategy |
detailed outline of which measurements will be taken at what times |
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Secondary infection |
occurs during or after treatment of a primary infection because the normal bacterial flora is destroyed allowing yeast to flourish |
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Select agent program |
PH security and bioterrorism preparedness and response act 2002 requires that US improve its ability to prevent acts of bioterrorism |
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Sievert (SV) |
international system unit for dose equivalent = 1 Joule/kilogram 1 sievert = 100 rem |
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Signaling pathways |
series of specific actions in a cell in which a signal is passed from one molecule |
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Silicosis |
disabling, nonreversible caused by overexposure to respirable crystalline silica; silica common mineral in Earth's crust |
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Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) |
DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in a genome sequence is altered |
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Site inspection |
collection of information from a Superfund site to determine the extent and severity of hazards posed by the site |
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Slope factor |
value derived from slope of a dose-response curve; limited to carcinogenic effects with the curve assumed to be linear at low concentrations |
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Social capital |
fabric of a community pool of human resources available; refers to the individual and communal time and energy that is available |
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Solubility |
amount of mass of a compound that will dissolve in a unit volume of solution; maximum concentration of chemical that will dissolve in pure water |
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Solvent |
liquid capable of dissolving or dispensing another substance |
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Somatic |
pertaining to the body as opposed to mind; pertaining to nonreproductive cells or tissues; pertaining to the framework of the body as opposed to the viscera |
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Source of contamination |
place where a hazardous substance comes from |
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Special populations |
people who might be more susceptible to exposure to hazardous substances
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Stakeholder |
stake in or may be impacted by a given approach to environmental regulation |
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Statistics |
branch of mathematics that deals with collection, interpretation of data |
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Substance-specific applied research |
program of research designed to fill important data needs for specific hazardous substances |
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Substrate |
material on which an enzyme acts |
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Susceptible populations |
group who may experience more severe adverse effects at comparable levels |
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Sustainable development |
meets the needs of the present without comprpomising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs |
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Sustainable management |
enables communities to provide for their health and safety - sustaining the potential of natural resources; safeguarding the life-supporting capacity; avoiding activities on the environment |
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State emergency response commission (SERC) |
requirements of SARA Title III; designate emergency planning districts, appoint local emergency planning comittees |
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State implementation plans (SIP) |
EPA approved state plans for the establishment of standards |
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Superfund |
program operated under the legislative authority of CERCLA and SARA that funds and carries out EPA solid waste emergency and long-term removal and remedial activities |
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Superfund amendments and reauthorization act (SARA) |
1986 SARA amended CERCLA and expanded the health-related responsibilities of ATSDR |
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Surface water |
all water naturally open to the atmopshere |
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Survey |
systematic collection of information; survey can be conducted to collect information |
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Synergistic effect |
biologic response to muliple substances where one substance worsens the effect of another substance |
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Target organs |
toxic injury manifests itself in terms of dysfunction or overt disease |
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T-lymphocyte |
one type of white blood cell that attacks virus-infected cells; produce a number of substances that regulate the immune response |
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TD50 |
given target site if there are no tumors in control animals then TD50 is that chronic dose-rate in mg/kg body wt/day which would induce tumors in half the test animals at the end of a lifespan |
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Technical safety services (TSS) |
built its foundation by providing superior testing and certification services to the mmost demanding companies |
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Temperature Danger zone |
range of temps at which bacteria grow 40-140F or 4-60C - keep food below or above this range |
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Teratogen |
substance capable of causing birth defects |
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Threshold |
lowest dose of a chemical at which a specified measurable effect is observed and below which it is not observed |
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Total maximum daily load |
regulatory term CWA a value of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards |
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Toxic agent |
chemical agent that can cause harm |
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Toxicant |
harmful substance that may injure an exposed organism |
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Toxicological profile |
summary of hazardous substance to determine levels of exposure and associated health effects |
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Toxicology |
scientific discipline involving the study of actual presented by the harmful effects of substances on living organisms |
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Toxic substances control act (TSCA) |
regulates the introduction of new or existing chemicals |
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Toxin |
poisonous substances produced by a biological organism |
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Trauma |
physical injury caused by external force may cause death or permanent disability |
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Tumor |
abnormal swelling of tissue; abnormal growth that arises in normal tissue |
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Tumor initiation |
process where normal cells are changed to form tumors |
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Tumor progression |
increase in size of a tumor |
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Tumor promotion |
process in which existing tumors are stimulated to grow |
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Uncertainty factor |
calculating the reference dose from experimental data; variation in sensitivity among humans; uncertainty in extrapolating animal data to humans; uncertainty in extrapolating data when less than full life examined; uncertainty using LOAEL data rather than NOAEL data |
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Unit risk |
incremental upper-boundary lifetime risk estimated to result from lifetime exposure to an agent |
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Urgent PH hazard |
catergory used in ATSDR PH assessments for sites where short-term exposures (less than 1 year) to hazardous substances result in harmful health effects that require rapid intervention |
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US Dept of Defense |
manages inventory of installations |
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US Dept of Energy |
overarching mission is to advance national, economic, and energy security; promote scientific innovation |
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US Dept of Health and Human Services |
principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans; providing essential human services |
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US Dept of Homeland Security |
created a vehicle to mobilize and organize the nation to secure the US from terrorist attacks |
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US Environmental Protection Agency |
protect human health and environment |
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US Food and Drug administration |
protecting for public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human |
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Vector |
organism which carries disease; bacteria used to transport genes into a host cell |
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Ventilation/Suction |
act of admitting fresh air into a space in order to replace stale air |
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Virus |
extremely tiny infectious agent that is only able to live inside a cell; reproduce a virus invades a cell within the body of a human |
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Volatile |
any substance that evaporates readily |
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Volatile organic compound (VOC) |
any organic compound that participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions |
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Waste minimization |
measures that reduce that amount of wastes generated during industrial production processes |
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Wastewater treatment plant |
facility containing a series of tanks by which pollutants are removed from water |
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Waterborne disease outbreak |
significant occurrence of acute illness associated with drinking water from public water system that is deficient in treatment
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Watershed |
land area that drains into a stream
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Water quality management |
planning for the protection of a water's quality |
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Weapons of mass destruction |
any explosive: bomb, grenade, rocket, missile; any weapon intended to cause death,involving a disease organism |
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X-rays |
penetrating electromagnetic radiation (photon) having a wavelength that is much shorter than that of visible light |
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Zoonotic disease |
transmissible from vertebrate animals to man |
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Next step when a baby has a positive result in the newborn screening |
Follow-up testing to confirm the diagnosis |
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HAACP is a food safety system employed to |
Before they happen, identify and control problems that may cause foodborne illness |
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Best assay to reveal genetic damage in a group of people who were exposed to ionizing radiation when an accidental release occurs at a nuclear power plant |
Comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis); tests for DNA damage and peripheral blood lymphocytes can be collected and tested; |
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Species sensitive to chemical that is directly detoxified by metabolism via the microsomal enzyme system which correlates with basal metabolic rate |
Mouse, highest metabolic rate |
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Phase 2 metabolism usually involves |
Addition of an endogenous moiety |
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Programmatic mechanism that the US EPA work with the states to implement standards |
By using a State Implementation Plan (SIP) approved by the EPA |
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Objective of National Environmental Policy Act 1969 and its equivalent at the State level |
To subject a proposed major project or action to an environmental review study with a view to understanding the potential environmental effects of such a project or action and considering alternative projects and mitigating measures as appropriate |
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Federal environmental laws usually allow States to make parallel environmental law as long as standards in the latter are |
No less stringent that Federal standards |
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Preferred waste management programs |
Waste minimization through reuse, recycling, and investment in renewable energy |
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Environmental risk assessment |
synthesis of existing scientific information, often aimed at addressing specific regulatory or policy issues |
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Hazard identification accomplishes |
identifying and selecting the environmental agents for assessment |
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Exposure assessment attempts to answer |
Population exposed, route of exposure, frequency and duration of exposure |
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Observation of high levels of lung cancer after years of smoking |
typical for any population of smokers |
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Method that allows for the conduct of most accurate exposure assessment in workers |
Biomonitoring determination of metabolites of the chemicals in blood and urine |
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Most likely contaminant causing symptoms: shortness of breath at night, pain and tightness around the heart, stiffness in shoulders, backache, fatigue, and dizziness after closed room exposure to open charcoal fire
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Carbon monoxide, indoor pollutant produced by combustion |
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Carboxylhemoglobin levels in exposed workers exposed to carbon monoxide
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was elevated |
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Characterize the social condition of unequal distribution of environmental hazards
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Environmental justice
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Policy-making model used in Executive Order 12898 to address Environmental Justice |
Policy action change and monitoring model (PACM) |
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Responsibilities prescribed for federal agencies under Executive Order 12898
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Federal agency responsibilities for federal programs, development of agency strategies, creation of an interagency working group |
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Not an acceptable method from a health standpoint for making drinking water available
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Pumping water directly from a river |
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Not a potential sources of contamination of a water supply that is delivered by a tanker truck to a storage tank located at the home
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Source of potable water |
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Safe, high-quality potable water should not contain
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Biocides |
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Disinfection methods used in US drinking water supply systems
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Chlorination |
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Water borne disease very difficult to kill by chemical disinfection of drinking water supply systems causing a major US disease outbreak
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Cryptosporidium; highly resistant to chlorine infection |
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Treatment in large cities, municipal sewage is processed to remove organic material before disposing of treated water |
Biological treatment in an aerated activated sludge system, followed by settling to remove sludge solids, then chlorination prior to discharge |
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Nutrient rich solids produced as a byproduct of municipal sewage treatment proposed for a use a soil amender in agriculture
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Sludge
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Comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability (CERCLA)
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Established the Superfund for financing cleanup of hazardous waste disposal sites, National Priorities List identifying such sites |
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Disease that can be contracted by food-borne route
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Hep A, Salmonellosis, Giardiasis
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Primary technique for preventing food-borne disease in cafeteria-type service |
Maintaining warm foods at a sufficiently high holding temperature |
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Common occurring mosquito-borne disease in US |
West nile virus neuroinvasive disease |
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Rocky mountain spotted fever and lyme disease are transmitted by |
Ticks |
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Lead contamination of outdoor air in large cities, is greatly reduced over the past 25 years through
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A ban on the sale of gasoline containing lead anti-shock compounds |
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Epi studies have shown an association between concentration of particulate matter in ambient air
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An increased incidence of respiratory-related morbidity and mortality |
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Silent Spring and reduction in Bald Eagle population lead to the ban of
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DDT pesticide |
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River water pollution due to storm water runoff from chemically fertilized farm fields |
Area source pollution |
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Nitrates in ground water are of particular concern in rural communities that rely on well water
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Nitrates can cause Blue-Baby Syndrome in infants
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Stratospheric ozone layer |
degradation of ozone layer increases the amount of UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface |
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Greenhouse Gas of primary concern in global warming |
Carbon dioxide |
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Comprehensive emergency response plans to address releases of extremely hazardous substances
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Identify of regulated facilities, evacuation plan, medical response, and procedure for notifying people named in plan as well as the general public that a release has occurred |
