Risk Assessment Vocabulary Flashcards
To learn the basic vocabulary needed to talk about Risk Assessment
Additional Risk
Additional proportion of total animals (or humans) that respond given a particular set of conditions (e.g., exposure does and route of exposure)
ADI
“Allowable Daily Intake” The amount of a chemical to which a person can be exposed on a daily basis over an extended period of time (usually a lifetime) without suffering an adverse effect. Sometimes referred to as “Tolerable Daily Intake” (TDI)
Adverse
Contrary to one’s interest or welfare hostile, unfavorable, afflicting
Adverse Effect
Biochemical change, functional impairment, or pathological lesion that may affect the performance of the whole organism or that reduce an organism’s ability to respond to an additional challenge
Benchmark Dose
An exposure level that corresponds to a statistical lower confidence limit (“lower bound”) on the dose producing a predetermined response. That predetermined response is the “Benchmark Response”
Bright Line
Specific numerical value meant to provide a practical distinction between acceptable and unacceptable levels of risk
Central Tendency
The mean (average) or the median (midpoint) of a range of relevant risk estimates for a particular situation, exposure, or chemical hazard
Cancer Potency Factor
Excess risk per unit of dose at a specific dose (a.k.a. risk factor) which for cancer is more than one in a million
Critical Effect
The first adverse effect, or its known precursor, that occurs as the dose rate increase; the adverse effect that occurs at the lowest exposure level (and is therefore the basis for exposure limits). Also known as “Critical Endpoint”
Effect
Response to a stimulus, result or outcome
Excess Risk
The proportion of animals (or humans) that respond when a given a particular set of conditions (e.g., exposure does and route of exposure) that would otherwise not respond. a.k.a. Extra Risk
Extra Risk
The proportion of animals (or humans) that respond when a given a particular set of conditions (e.g., exposure does and route of exposure) that would otherwise not respond. a.k.a. Excess Risk
Extrapolation
Estimation of response outside the range of experimental data OR the estimation of response in a different species or by a different exposure route than that used to generate the experimental data
Hazard Quotient
The ratio of the dose resulting from exposure to an agent and the chemical’s reference dose (RfD) or other screening benchmark
Health
State of an organism with respect to functioning, disease, and abnormality at any given time; optimal functioning with freedom from disease and abnormality
Health Effect
Functional or structural response affecting the organism, but not necessarily leading to impairment or reduced capacity
Interpolation
Estimation of responses within the range of experimental data; determination of intermediate values in a series on the basis of observed values
LOAEL
“Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level” Lowest experimentally determined dose that causes statistically or biologically significant adverse effects beyond those seen in a control group
LOEL
“Lowest Observed Effect Level” Lowest experimentally determined dose that causes a statistically or biologically significant effect beyond those seen in a control group
MOE
“Margin of Exposure” The ratio of the NOAEL to the estimated exposure does; also the ratio of the Point of Departure to the estimated exposure dose.
` MOE indicates how close an estimated exposure comes to the NOAEL or the Point of Departure
MOS
Margin of Safety - older term for MOE
- ratio indicates how close an estimated exposure comes to the NOAEL or the Point of Departure
Mechanism of Action
Specific details of the biological processes (e.g., at the molecular level) by which an agent causes its effects
Mode of Action
Series of key events involving interaction with cells, leading to operation or anatomic changes, resulting in disease; an incomplete aspect of the Mechanism of Action.
NOAEL
“No Observed Adverse Effect Level” An experimentally determined dose at which no statistically or biologically significant indications of toxic effects are observed beyond those seen in a control group.
NOEL
“No Observed Effect Level” Highest experimentally determined dose at which no statistically or biologically significant effects are observed beyond those seen in a control group
Pharmacodynamics
The study through measurement or modeling of the response of a biological system as a function of dose. Referred to as: “The linkage between dose and respond”
Pharmacokinetics
The study through measurement or modeling of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs or chemicals in a biological system as a function of time. Referred to as: “The linkage between exposure and dose:
Point of Departure
The dose-response point that marks the beginning of a low-dose extrapolation. This point can be the lower bound on a dose for an estimated incidence or a change in respond level from a dose-respone model (BMD), or a NOAEL or LOAEL for an observed incidence, or change in level of response.
Potency Factor
Excess risk per unit of dose at a specific dose
-a.k.a. Potency Factor/ Slope Factor
Q1*
The upper bound on the cancer potency factor for low-dose exposures as calculated using the linearized multistage (LMS) model
Residual Risk
That risk which remains after risk reduction actions have been implemented
RfC
"Reference Concentration" An estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of magnitude) of a continuous inhalation exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse effects during a lifetime.
RfD
"Reference Dose" An estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of magnitude) of a daily exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse effects during a lifetime
Risk
Probability of specific, generally adverse outcome (e.g., injury, disease or death) given a particular set of conditions (e.g., exposure dose and route of exposure) and relative to the background probability.
Risk Assessment
Scientific activity of evaluating the toxic properties of a chemical and the conditions of human exposure to it in order to ascertain the likelihood that exposed humasn will be adversely affected and to characterize the nature of the effects they may experince
Risk Factor
Excess risk per unit of dose at a specific dose.
a.k.a. Slope Factor/ Potency Factor
Risk Management
The process of analyzing, selecting implementing and evaluating alternative actions to reduce risk
Screening Benchmark
In ecological risk assessments, the exposure level at or below which the contaminant is not likely to cause adverse effects; generally a NOAEL
Slope Factor
Excess risk per unit of dose at a specific dose.
a.k.a. Risk Factor/ Potency Factor
Susceptibility
Increased likelihood of an adverse effect, often discussed in terms of a relationship to a factor that can be used to describe a human subpopulation (e.g., life stage, demographic feature, or genetic characteristic)
Threshold
Level of exposure above which adverse health effects occur, and below which no such adverse effects occur (or are not expected to occur)
Ultimate Toxicant
Form of a toxicant that actually interacts with cellular constituents and elicits toxicity
Unit Risk
The upper bound on excess risk at a standardized unit of exposure, usually an exposure level of 1µg/L for drinking water or 1µg/m3 for inhalation
Upper Bound
Upper confidence limit of a range of relevant risk estimates for particular situation, exposure, or chemical hazard
