Chapter 19 Flashcards
Risk
the possibility of suffering harm from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, death, economic loss, or environmental damage
Risk assessment
the scientific process of estimating how much harm a particular hazard can cause to human health
risk management
involves deciding whether or how to reduce a particular risk to a certain level and at what cost
probability
a mathematical statement about how likely one is to suffer from a hazard
-Scientists often state probability in terms such as “the lifetime probability of developing lung cancer from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is 1 in 250”
toxicity
measures how harmful a substance is in causing injury, illness, or death to a living organism
dose
- a factor that depends the toxicity
- the amount of a substance a person has ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through skin
bioaccumulation
- a factor that depends the toxicity
- some molecules are absorbed and stored in specific organs or tissues at higher than normal levels
biomagnification
levels of some potential toxins in the environment are magnified as they pass through food chains and webs
response
the type and amount of health damage resulting from exposure to a chemical or other agent
poison/toxin
a chemical that adversely affects the health of a living human or animal by causing injury, illness, or death
median lethal dose (LD50)
the amount received in one dose that kills 50% of the animals in a test population within a 14-day period
dose response curve
shows the effects of various dosages of a touched agent on a group of test organisms
non threshold dose-response model
proves that any dosage of a toxic chemical or ionizing radiation causes harm that increases with the dosage
threshold dose-response model
proves that a threshold dosage must be reached before any detectable harmful effects occur, presumably because the body can repair the damage caused by low dosages of some substances
toxic chemical
a chemical, which through its chemical action on life processes, can cause temporary or permanent harm or death to humans or animals
-its toxicity is often measured in terms of its medium lethal dose
hazardous chemical
can harm humans or other animals because it is flammable or explosive or because it can irritate or damage the skin or lungs, interfere with oxygen uptake, or induce allergic reactions
mutagens
chemicals or ionizing radiation that cause or increase the frequency of random mutations, or changes, in the DNA molecules found in cells
teratogens
chemicals that cause harm or birth defects to a fetus or embryo
carcinogens
chemicals or ionizing radiation that cause or promote cancer
cancer
the growth of a malignant (cancerous) tumor, in which certain cells multiply uncontrollably
metastasis
when malignant cells break off from tumors and travel in body fluids to other parts of the body
hormone mimics
chemicals similar to estrogens
- they can disrupt the endocrine systems by attaching to estrogen receptors molecules
hormone blockers
disrupt the endocrine system by preventing natural hormones such as androgens (male sex hormones) from attaching to their receptors
precautionary principle
When there is a plausible but incomplete scientific evidence of a significant harm to humans or the environment from a proposed or existing chemical or technology, we should take action to prevent or reduce the risk instead of waiting for more conclusive evidence
non transmissible disease
caused by something other than a living organism and does not spread from one person to another
transmissible disease
caused by a living organism and can spread from one person to another
dengue fever
- mosquito borne
- related to west nile and yellow fever
- AEdes mosquito
- cannot be spread from person to person
malaria
transmitted by the bites of certain mosquito species.. most cases of the disease are transmitted when an uninfected mosquito female from an one of about 60 Anopheles mosquitos species bites an infected person, ingests blood that contains the parasite, and later bites an uninfected person
yellow fever
- viral infection transmitted by a bite from infected mosquitos
- damages the liver and other internal organs and be potentially fatal
- cannot be spread humans to humans
HIV
- Human immunodeficiency virus
- transmitted by unsafe sex, sharing of needles by drug users, mother to child during birth, episode to infected blood
- infects at least 5 mil. a year
influenza
- flu
- second biggest killer that is transmitted by the body fluids or airborne emissions of an infected person and kills about 1 million people per year
hepatitis B
- third largest kiler that damages the liver and kills about 1 mil. a year
- transmited by unsafe sex, sharing of needles by drug users, infected mother to child during birth, exposure to infected blood
risk analysis
- identifying hazards and evaluating their associated risks
- ranking risks
- determining options and making decisions about reducing or eliminating risks
- informing decision makers and public about risk
