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Definition
| A sudden onset of symptoms or effects of exposure to some factor |
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Definition
| The selective absorption and concentration of molecules by cells |
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Definition
| Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals (e.x: heavy metals, fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or food web |
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Definition
| Substances that cause cancer |
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Definition
| Long-lasting results of exposure to a toxin; can be a permanent change caused by a single, acute exposure or a continuous, low-level exposure |
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Definition
| A new disease or one that has been absent for at least 20 years |
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| Endocrine Hormone Disrupters |
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Definition
| Chemicals that interfere with the function of the endocrine hormones (e.x: testosterone, estrogen, thyroxine, adrenaline, cortisone) |
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Definition
| A chemical dose lethal to 50% of a test population |
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Definition
| Agents, such as chemicals or radiation, that damage or alter genetic material (DNA) in cells |
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Definition
| Periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the earth's orbit (Milutin Milankovich suggest these are responsible for cyclic weather change) |
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Definition
| Toxic substances (lead, mercury) that specifically poison nerve cells |
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Definition
| Organisms that produce disease in host organisms, disease being an alteration of one or more metabolic functions in response to the presence of the organism |
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Term
Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs) |
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Definition
| Chemical compounds that persist in the environment and retain biological activity for a long time |
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Term
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Definition
| THe probability that something undesirable will happen as a consequence of exposure to a hazard |
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Definition
| Chemicals or other factors that specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development |
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Definition
| Poisonous chemicals that react with specific cellular components to kill cells or to alter growth or development in undesirable ways |
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Definition
| A description of a surface's reflective properties |
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Definition
| Sedimentation of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials from the air |
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Definition
| The circulation and reutilization of carbon atoms, especially via the processes of photosynthesis and respiration |
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Term
| Conventional (criteria) Pollutants |
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Definition
The 7 substances identified by the Clean Air Act as the most serious threat of all pollutants to human health and welfare
-Sulfur Dioxide
-Carbon Monoxide
-Hydrocarbons
-Nitrogen Oxides
-Particulates
-Photochemical Oxidants
-Lead |
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Term
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Definition
| Places where Carbon accumulates (e.x: large forests, ocean sediments) |
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Definition
| A description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area |
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Definition
| Rising or sinking air currents that stir the atmosphere and transport heat from one area to another |
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Definition
| Trapping of heat by the earth's atmosphere, which is transparent to incoming visible light waves but absorbs outgoing long-wave infrared radiation |
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Definition
| An international treaty adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, in which 160 nations agreed to roll back on CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions to reduce the treat of global climate change |
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Definition
| The atmospheric layer above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere; the middle layer; temperatures usually very low |
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Definition
| The zone in the atmosphere extending from the troposhere to about 30 miles above the earth's surface; temperatures are stable or rise slightly with altitude; very little water vapor; contains ozone layer |
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Term
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Definition
| Last layer of earth's atmosphere before space |
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Term
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Definition
| THe layer of air nearest the earth's surface; temperature and pressure both decrease with increasing atmosphere |
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Definition
| Chemicals releases directly into the air in a harmful form (e.x: smoke stacks, car emissions) |
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Definition
| Chemicals modified to a hazardous form after entering the air or that are formed by chemical reactions as component of the air mix and interact |
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Definition
| The physical conditions of the atmosphere (temperature, pressure, moisture, wind) |
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Term
| Unconventional Pollutants |
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Definition
| Toxic or hazardous substances (asbestos, benzene, beryllium, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, vinyl chloride) not listed in the original Clean Air Act |
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