The basics

Question 1

Environmental toxin

Answer 1

chemical substance
that is in the environment & harmful to
living organisms

Question 2

sources where environmental toxins are found:

Answer 2

Industrial (i.e., factories),
Agricultural (i.e., pesticides), Urban (i.e.,
vehicle emissions, construction materials),
Household products (i.e., cleaning,
personal care) Natural (mold, fungi,
plants), Electronic waste, etc

Question 3

environmental toxins
can be classified into two general categories:

Answer 3

chemical and biological

Question 4

Chemical Toxins:

Answer 4

These include synthetic
chemicals (e.g., pesticides, industrial pollutants,
& other man-made substances) or naturally
occurring (e.g., heavy metals)

Question 5

Biological Toxins:

Answer 5

Naturally occurring
substances produced by living organisms, like
bacteria (e.g. botulinum), fungi (e.g., ,mycotoxins),
animals (e.g., snake venom) & plants (e.g.,
cyanide)

Question 6

Exposure to mercury has been
shown to impair:

Answer 6

neurogenesis

Question 7

neurogenesis

Answer 7

the growth and development of nervous tissue.

Question 8

toxicology

Answer 8

the scientific
study of the effects of chemicals on
living organisms
Focuses on the harmful/adverse effects
chemicals may have

Question 9

There are different ‘specialized’
areas of toxicology:

Answer 9

These include: (i) descriptive
toxicology, (ii) mechanistic
toxicology, (iii) regulatory
toxicology, (iv) forensic toxicology,
(v) clinical toxicology, (vi)
environmental toxicology, (vii)
ecotoxicology

Question 10

Toxicological endpoint =

Answer 10

a specific biological
effect observed in a living organism following
exposure to a toxic substance
Used to assess the substance’s potential harm

Question 11

Dioxins =

Answer 11

group of chemically-related
compounds

Question 12

Neurotoxicity -

Answer 12

Adverse effects of
substances on the nervous system, leading
to damage or impairment of neurons, glial
cells, or neural networks

Question 13

DNT -

Answer 13

Neurotoxic effects during prenatal
development or early childhood,
potentially causing lasting changes in brain
structure & function

Question 14

Mechanistic toxicology -

Answer 14

focuses on the
specific biological mechanisms of chemicals’
toxic effects

Question 15

Regulatory toxicology-

Answer 15

Assessing whether a drug or chemical poses a
risk to human health
Uses information gathered from toxicity testing
(e.g., mechanistic & descriptive studies)
Establishes standards &/or guidelines for safe
exposure