Unit 8 Flashcards
Acute exposure
Short-term contact with a substance, and leads to significant harm
Bioaccumulation
An increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time
Biomagnification
The increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain
Persistence
The length of time a chemical remains in the environment
Biological hazards
Biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living organisms
BPA
Bisphenol A, used to make certain plastics and is a known endocrine disruptor.
Breakdown Products
Carcinogens
A chemical that causes cancer
Chemical hazards
Chemicals found in things like medications, gases, and particulate matter that is toxic or irritating to the body system
Chronic exposure
Continues contact with a substance over a long period of time
Coral reef
A underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-buildings and corals lots of bioactivity etc.
Cultural hazards
Harmful choices made by humans which affect health and environment
DDT
A chemical designed to kill mosquitoes which is another endocrine disruptor
Dioxins
Chemicals that are classified as POPs, organic chemicals that take a long time to break down once they are in the environment
Dose response curve
The relationship between chemical exposure and physical changes/behavioral changes in the animal
Effluent
Waste water that flows out of a treatment plant
Endocrine disruptor
A chemical that interferes with the normal functioning of the hormones of the body, mimics normal hormones
Environmental health
The condition of the environment in a particular region, especially as regards ecological diversity or pollution
Eutrophication
A phenomenon in which a body of water becomes rich in nutrients, causes a rapid growth of algae which eventually dies causing BOD
HIV/AIDS
A type of virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Infection disease
A disease caused by a pathogen
ED50
The effective dose of a chemical that causes 50 percent of the individuals in a dose-response study to display harmful but nonlethal effects.
LD50
The lethal dose of a chemical that kills 50% of individuals in a dose-response study
Lead (Pb)
Chemical element which can lead to adverse health effects and pollution in the environment
Mangrove swamp
Productive wetlands that occur in costal intertidal zones, essential to ecosystems because they provide habitat to baby fish
Methylmercury
A powerful neurotoxin that bioaccumulates in tissue and biomagnifies up the food chain
Microplastics
Broken down plastics
Mutagens
Anything that causes a mutation in the DNA of a cell.
Neurotoxins
A chemical that disrupts the nervous system of animals
Oil spills
The accidental release of gas/oils into the environment specifically in marine ecosystems
PCBs
A group of industrial compounds used to manufacture plastics and insulate electrical transformers and responsible for many environmental problems
Physical hazards
Physical agent/factor that causes harm upon contact to a human
Plasmodium
Protists genus linked to malaria
POPs
Persistent organic pollutants, synthetic organic compounds that don’t easily break down in the environment
Salt marsh
Costal marsh, full of salt water brought in by the tides
Sediment pollution
Soil particles that care carried down stream, causes waterways to become brown/cloudy, reduces infiltration of sunlight and lowers productivity of quartile plants and algae, clog gills and prevent aquatic organisms from obtaining oxygen
Sewage
Waste water and excrement conveyed in sewers
Silent spring
A book written by Rachel Carson which covered the tinning of eagle shells as a result of DDT
Synergistic effects
When 2 or more things are combined, their overall effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects
Teratogens
Any agent that causes an abnormality following fetal exposure during pregnancy
Thermal pollution
No chemical water pollution that occurs when human activities cause a substantial change in the temperature of water
Threshold dose
The minimum dose of drug that triggers minimal detectable biological effect in an animal
Toxicant
A toxic substance introduced into the environment
Toxicology
Scientific field that explores the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms
Tuberculosis
A highly contagious disease caused by bacteria that primarily infects the lungs
Vector
Things that carry the pathogen into the body
Water treatment
The sanitization/cleaning of water for human consumption
Wetlands
Areas converted by water that functions as its own ecosystem
