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Definition
| A deleterious change in the body’s condition in response to destabilizing factors, such as nutrition, chemicals, or biological agents. |
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Definition
Death rate in a population, such as
number of deaths per thousand people per year.
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| The science of external factors that cause disease, including elements of the natural, social, cultural, and technological worlds in which we live. |
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| disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) |
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Definition
| A health measure that assesses the total burden of disease by combining premature deaths and loss of a healthy life that result from illness or disability. |
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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 organisms. |
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A new disease or one that has
been absent for at least 20 years.
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| Sudden, wide-spread epidemics among livestock and wild species. |
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| Attempts to understand how changes we make in our environment threaten our health as well as that of natural communities on which we depend. |
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| Substances that activate the immune system and cause an allergic response; may not be directly antigenic themselves but may make other materials antigenic. |
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Definition
| Substances that stimulate the production of, and react with, specific antibodies. |
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| A cluster of allergies and other illnesses caused by sensitivity to molds, synthetic chemicals, or other harmful compounds trapped in insufficiently ventilated buildings. |
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Definition
| Toxic substances, such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells. |
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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
| Chemicals or other factors that specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development. |
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A tragic set of permanent physical, mental, and behavioral birth defects that result when mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy.
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Definition
| Substances that cause cancer. |
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Definition
| Invasive, out-of-control cell growth that results in malignant tumors. |
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Term
| endocrine hormone disrupters |
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Definition
Chemicals that interfere with the function of endocrine hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, thyroxine, adrenaline, or cortisone.
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Term
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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 (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web. |
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| 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
| When an injury caused by exposure to two environmental factors together is greater than the sum of exposure to each factor individually. |
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Definition
A chemical dose lethal to 50 percent of a test
population.
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Definition
| A sudden onset of symptoms or effects of exposure to some factor. |
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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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Term
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Definition
| Nonlinear effects of toxic materials. |
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Definition
| DNA and its associated proteins and other small molecules that regulate gene function in ways that can affect multiple generations. |
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