NRE 1000E - module 5 human health & climate change

physical health risks

natural disasters, accidents, excessive radiation exposure

biological health risks

disease

chemical health risks

associated with excessive exposure to naturally occurring chemicals and chemicals from anthropogenic sources

infectious diseases

those caused by infectious agents, known as pathogens

chronic diseases

slowly impair the normal functioning of a person’s body

acute diseases

rapidly impair the normal functioning of a person’s body

the bubonic plague

infectious disease caused by bacterium yersinia pestis associated with rats/flees

malaria

infectious disease that causes millions of deaths per year and is spread by mosquitoes - no vaccine exists against it

tuberculosis

spread through coughing or contact with infected sputum - can be cured by antibiotics but drug-resistant strains have evolved in recent years

HIV/AIDS

emergent viral disease communicated by blood/other bodily fluids

ebola

a rare virus found in central africa spread through consuming animals

toxicology

study of chemical risks

pathogens

biological agents commonly known as germs that cause disease/illness

neurotoxins

chemicals that disrupt the nervous system

carcinogens

chemicals that cause cancer through inflicting damage to cells

teratogens

chemicals that interfere with the normal development of embryos or fetuses

allergens

chemicals that cause allergic reactions, some of which are serious and potentially fatal

endocrine disruptors

chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of hormones in an animal’s body

LD50

lethal dose that kills 50% of individuals in a species/population and determines relative toxicity of a chemical

ED50

effective dose that causes 50% of the animals to display the harmful but nonlethal effects

acute studies

short term studies that last a few days

chronic studies

studies that attempt to observe effects of longer-term exposure to a chemical

epidemiology

a field of science that seeks to study causes and patterns of disease in animal and human populations

retrospective studies

monitor populations who have been exposed to a chemical at some time in the past and looks for possible effects

prospective studies

monitor populations that might become exposed to chemicals sometime in the future

synergistic interactions

when two risks together cause more harm that one would alone

bioaccumulation

an increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time

biomagnification

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

persistence

how long a chemical stays in the environment

qualitative risk assessment

making a judgement concerning the perceived relative risks of various decisions or behaviors

probability risk assessment

the statistical likelihood of an event actually occurring and the likelihood of that event causing harm

stockholm convention

a group of 127 nations meeting to reach an agreement to restrict global use of certain chemicals - twelve chemicals were to be banned, phased out, or reduced