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| The study of the effects of pollutants on individual organisms or species—both humans and non-humans |
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| “The Father of Toxicology”, deemed that “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy.” (The dose makes the poison) |
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| Wrote Silent Spring, exposing the effects of DDT on eggshell thinning. DDT breaks down producing DDE which inhibits Calcium dependent ATPases in the shell gland of birds |
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| Works for the Conservation Foundation assessing the environmental health of the Great Lakes region. Discovered Dioxin contamination in the Great Lakes. |
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| A foreign chemical or material not produced in nature and not normally considered a constitutive component of a specified biological system (Usually applies to manufactured chemicals) |
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| Any substance in the environment released by man’s activities present in higher than normal concentrations with no consideration of biological effect |
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| Any increase in concentration of a substance to above normal levels |
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| Any increase in concentration of a substance to above normal levels |
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| Any increase in the concentration of matter or energy generated by human activity which degrades a living community or its abiotic environment. |
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| A toxic substance that is produced by living organisms other than man (e.g. snake venom, mycotoxins produced by fungi) |
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| A chemical that is toxic (causing death or adverse health effects) |
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| The solution to pollution is dilution |
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| What you throw away can come back and hurt you |
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| The quantity of toxicant available to the organism through several exposure pathways (Concentration may exceed dose) |
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| The quantity of toxicant introduced directly into the body by injection, ingestion, inhalation, etc. |
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| Any substance that causes a cell to lose its sensitivity to factors that normally regulate cell growth and replication. Such cells replicate without restriction to form a growing mass called a tumor. |
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| Any substance that cuases defects in the reproduction process by either reducing productivity or leading to the birth of offspring with defects |
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| Females develop part of the male reproductive system, including a penis and a vas deferens, which becomes superimposed on the female reproductive system |
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| A neurotransmitter responsible for chemical transmission of nerve impulses from presynaptic ganglia to postsynaptic ganglia |
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| Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) |
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| An enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine into acetic acid and choline; Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides bind with acetylcholinesterase, cannot degrade acetylcholine, resulting in nervous system damage |
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| A pathological condition caused by the action of a poison or toxicant; A toxic response or a toxic effect |
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| Continuous exposure to a substance for less than 24 hours. |
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| Repeated exposure to a chemical for one month or less |
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| Repeated exposure to a chemical for one to three months or repeated exposures that in total last for no more than 10 % of the lifetime of an individual |
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| Repeated exposure to a chemical for more than three months or repetitive exposures that last in total longer than 10 percent of the lifetime of the individual. |
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| The ability of a chemical to be taken up by an organism and to have an effect at the site of action or on a higher level tropic organism |
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| The amount of chemical in an organism |
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| Effective Concentration (EC) |
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| The concentration corresponding to the percent affected |
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| No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) |
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| The maximum concentration of a toxicant used in a toxicity test. The dose or exposure level at which no adverse effect is detected in the organism. |
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| Lowest Observable Effect Level (LOEL) |
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| The lowest concentration of toxicant used in a toxicity test that has a statistically significant effect on the biological response when compared to the control. The lowest dose or exposure level at which adverse effects are detected in the organism. |
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| Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) |
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| Used for non-carcinogenic chemicals. The amount of food additive or contaminants such as pesticides and residues of veterinary drugs that can be ingested by humans over a lifetime which will result in no pharmacological or toxicological effects |
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An estimate of a daily exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. RfD = (NOAEL/(UF◦MF))
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| The net accumulation of a contaminant in and on an organism from all sources including water, air and solid phases in the environment |
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| The net accumulation in and on an organism of a contaminant from water only. Definitions arise from a debate in aquatic toxicology about the relative importance of water and food sources of contaminants to aquatic organisms. |
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| The net accumulation in an organism from food, implies an increase as trophic levels increase. A process by which persistent chemicals concentrate in the tissue and accumulate exponentially as they move from animal to animal up the food chain (Colborn, Ch2) |
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| Experiments usually conducted in the lab where toxic effects to specific toxicants are measured under controlled conditions. Can modify the duration the exposure to the toxicant, and the constancy of toxicant concentration. |
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| Test organisms are exposed initially to the toxicant at the required concentration |
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| Toxicant is introduced at regular intervals throughout the bioassay |
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| Toxicant is continuously introduced to the specimen |
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Hazard◦Chance(of Exposure) = Risk
Measures the magnitude of the hazard by the probability it will occur |
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| Dioxins (PCDDs – Polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins) |
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| Hormone disrupting synthetic chemical. An unwanted byproduct of Agent Orange. Extremely toxic, having noticable single molecule effects on organisms in utero. Have chemical structures similar to PCBs. |
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| PBDEs – Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Types: Penta, Octa, Deca) |
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| Used as flame retardants mostly in furniture |
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| Any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects |
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| Waste liquids were spread on soils and unpaved roads. This mitigated blowing dust and helped dispose of waste. Problems with this were that PAHs were in the oils as were contaminants such as waste solvents and pesticides |
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| Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, or mitigating any pest or intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. |
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| World Health Organization (WHO) |
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| Developed a hazard classification system which is used to label all pesticide containers to warn users of the acute hazard associated with each product |
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| Commercially available mixture of chemicals that includes active ingredient(s) (AI) and inert ingredient(s) or "other" |
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| Pesticide is slightly toxic if eaten, inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or causes slight eye or skin irritation |
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| Pesticide is moderately toxic if eaten, inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or causes moderate eye or skin irritation |
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| Pesticide is highly toxic by at least one route of exposure |
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| All are organic compounds with Cl atoms attached to the ring structure. The Cl atoms prevent the organic compounds from being rapidly degraded in the environment. EX: DDT |
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| Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) |
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| Calculated based on the highest dose of a substance for which no adverse effects are observed based on human or animal studies. |
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| A synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938. It is also classified as a persistent endocrine disruptor. Despite initial claims, this drug actually increased miscarriages and premature births (multigenerational effect) |
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| Damages an organ which can repair itself (e.g. Liver). |
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| Damages an organ which cannot repair itself (Central Nervous System) |
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| Lethal dose for 50% of test group |
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| Effective dose for 50% of test group |
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| Toxicity affects the site of first contact |
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| Toxicity requiring absorption & distribution from point of entry |
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| Algaecide additive for antifouling paints, Inhibits the algae’s ability to photosynthesize. Presence of Irgarol has been detected in Hamilton Harbour. |
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| A number (equal or greater than 1) used to divide NOAEL or LOAEL values derived from measurements in animals or small groups of humans, in order to estimate a NOAEL or LOAEL value for the whole human population; also called margin-of-safety. |
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| Effectiveness of the compound |
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| The capacity to produce an effect |
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| A series of mixtures each with a 4 digit code with the last two numbers were the approximate chlorine content on a mass basis |
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| A species of predatory sea snail, a carnivorous marine gastropod mollusc. Eggs are fertilized externally. |
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| Used as a repository for its organic mercury waste, creating the worst case of industrial pollution the country has ever known |
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| Man made, used to hold hazardous waste. Later, it was sealed and covered, then sold to the city and a school, along with many houses, was built over it.Area was later evacuated and deemed a hazardous contamination site. |
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| An anti-nausea and sedative drug that was introduced in the late 1950s to be used as a sleeping pill, and was quickly discovered to help pregnant women with the effects of morning sickness |
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| The potential to produce harm |
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| A pathological condition caused by the action of a poison or toxicant. A toxic response or a toxic effect. |
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| Subcategories of PCB congeners having equal numbers of chlorine substituents |
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| Related chemicals, e.g., elements in the same group of the periodic table, or derivatives thereof. |
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| Bio-luminescent marine bacterium, byproduct of cell respiration. When exposed to contaminants, disruption in illumination observed. |
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| a branch of environmental science that focuses on the processes that take place at the interface between the environment containing the contaminant(s) of interest and the organism(s) being considered. |
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| An assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects. |
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| An adverse reaction to ultraviolet light or sunlight caused by chemicals, such as the furanocoumarins. |
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| Any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects |
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| Waste liquids were spread on soils and unpaved roads. This mitigated blowing dust and helped dispose of waste. Problems with this were that PAHs were in the oils as were contaminants such as waste solvents and pesticides |
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| Naturally found in flowers of certain plants belonging to the genus. Act as an electrical inhibitor, inhibiting ion movements across the nerve cell membrane. Very rapidly degraded. |
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| Chemical that inhibits the endocrine system of bugs, disrupting the periodic shedding of an insect's exoskeleton |
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| Tetraethylpyrophosphate (TEPP) |
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| An extremely toxic organophosphate insecticide. |
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| Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) |
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| A federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances. |
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| A mixture of many chemicals derived from the resin from leaves of the creosote bush and beechwood or from coal tar. Made up of about 75-90% PAHs, Coal tar is the most widely used wood preservative. |
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| Specifically designed oil spill products composed of detergent-like surfactants in low toxicity solvents |
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| Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) |
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| A persistent Estrogen-activating pollutant known to cause immunosuppression and hormone disruption. Produced for transformer fluid because of its nonflammable qualities. |
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| Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) |
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| Female hormone disruptor, disrupting the sexual development of male birds and the overdevelopment of egg-laying canals females. Permanently suppresses sexual behavior in males, a sign of hormone disruption in the endocrine system. Very lipophilic and persistent. |
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| Allegicide considered toxic. Has been banned by the International Maritime Organisation. |
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| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) |
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| Used as flame retardants mostly in furniture, also found in older plastics. Some forms banned in Europe. |
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| Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocabons (PAHs) |
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Fat soluble (can bioaccumulate), carcinogenic, and widespread in the environment. Found anywhere organic matter is heated to a high temperature with restricted oxygen-incomplete combustion. |
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| Committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. |
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