Chapter 3: information literacy

Question 1

What defines a toxic substance?

Answer 1

A substance that causes damage to living organisms through immediate or long-term exposure.

Question 2

What are the two broad categories of toxic substances?

Answer 2

1. Synthetic toxins

2. Natural toxins

Question 3

Precautionary principle

Answer 3

‘better safe than sorry’ strategy, in the face of limited information you take pre-emptive decisions to prevent possible future harm.

Question 4

Information Literacy

Answer 4

the ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources

Question 5

Primary source

Answer 5

sources that present new and original data- usually published in scientific journals

Question 6

Secondary source

Answer 6

article reviews, sources that present and interpret information from primary sources

Question 7

Tertiary source

Answer 7

a source that presents and interprets information from secondary sources (CNN)

Question 8

Persistence

Answer 8

the ability of a substance to remain in its original form–how long it takes to break down in the environment

Question 9

Solubility

Answer 9

the ability of a substance to dissolve in liquid or gas

Question 10

Bioaccumulation

Answer 10

the buildup of a substance in the tissues of an organism over the course of its lifetime

Question 11

Biomagnification

Answer 11

a consequence of bioaccumulation; what happens when animals that are higher up on the food chain eat other animals that have bioaccumulated toxic compounds.

Question 12

Epidemiologist

Answer 12

A scientist who studies the causes and patterns of disease in humans populations

Question 13

Toxicologist

Answer 13

Scientists who study the specific properties of any given potentially toxic substances

Question 14

In vivo studies

Answer 14

“in the body” studies; research that studies the effects of an experimental treatment in intact organisms

Question 15

In vitro studies

Answer 15

“in glass” studies; research that studies the effects of experimental treatment cells in culture dishes rather than in intact organisms

Question 16

Additive effects

Answer 16

when exposure to two or more chemicals has an effect equivalent to the sum of their individual effects

Question 17

Antagonistic effects

Answer 17

when exposure to two or more chemicals has a smaller effect than the sum of their individual effects normally would (cancelling out)

Question 18

Synergistic effects

Answer 18

when exposure to two or more chemicals has a greater effect than the sum of their individual effects normally would.