APES - Chapter 17 - Human Health and Environmental Risks

disease

any impaired function of the body with a characteristic set of symptoms.

infectious disease

A disease caused by a pathogen.

acute disease

A disease that rapidly impairs the functioning of an organism.

chronic disease

A disease that slowly impairs the functioning of an organism.

epidemic

A situation in which a pathogen causes a rapid increase in disease.

pandemic

An epidemic that occurs over a large geographic region.

emergent infectious diseases

An infectious disease that has not been previously described or has not been common for at least 20 years.

neurotoxins

A chemical that disrupts the nervous systems of animals.

carcinogens

A chemical that causes cancer.

mutagen

A type of carcinogen that causes damage to the genetic material of a cell.

teratogens

A chemical that interferes with the normal development of embryos or fetuses.

allergens

A chemical that causes allergic reactions.

endocrine disruptors

A chemical that interferes with the normal functioning of hormones in an animal's body.

estrogen

female hormone

testosterone

male hormone

dose-response studies

A study that exposes organisms to different amounts of a chemical and then observes a variety of possible responses, including mortality or changes in behavior or reproduction.

acute study

An experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a short duration.

chronic study

An experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a long duration.

LD50

The lethal dose of a chemical that kills 50 percent of the individuals in a dose-response study.

sublethal effect

the effect of an environmental hazard that is not lethal, but which may impair an organism's behavior, physiology, or reproduction.

ED50

The effective dose of a chemical that causes 50 percent of the individuals in a dose-response study to display a harmful, but nonlethal, effect

retrospective study

A study that monitors people who have been exposed to an environmental hazard, such as a harmful chemical, at some time in the past.

prospective study

A study that monitors people who might become exposed to an environmental hazard, such as a harmful chemical, at sometime in the future.

synergistic study

A situation in which two risks together cause more harm than expected based on the separate effects of each risk alone.

solubility

How well a chemical dissolves in a liquid

bioaccumulation

An increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time.

biomagnification

The increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain.

persistence

The length of time a chemical remains in the environment.

environmental hazard

Anything in the environment that can potentially cause harm.

precautionary principle

A principle based on the belief that action should be taken against a plausible environmental hazard.