APES Chapter 15 Vocab

Persistent Organic Compound

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.

Thermal Pollution

Thermal pollution is the harmful release of heated liquid into a body of water or heat released into the air as a waste product of a business. An example of thermal pollution is water used for cooling in a power plant that runs into a nearby river and harms the river's ecosystem.

Chronic Effect

A chronic health effect is an adverse health effect resulting from long-term exposure to a substance. The effects could be a skin rash, bronchitis, cancer or any other medical condition

Serial Dilution

A serial dilution is the stepwise dilution of a substance in solution. Usually the dilution factor at each step is constant, resulting in a geometric progression of the concentration in a logarithmic fashion.

Hormonally Active Agent

A substance which interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action or elimination of natural hormones in the body

ED-50

"median effective dose" is the dose that produces a quantal effect (all or nothing) in 50% of the population that takes it (median referring to the 50% population base). It is also sometimes abbreviated as the ED50, meaning "effective dose, for 50% of people receiving the drug".

Acute Effect

Acute toxicity describes the adverse effects of a substance that result either from a single exposure or from multiple exposures in a short period of time (usually less than 24 hours). To be described as acute toxicity, the adverse effects should occur within 14 days of the administration of the substance.

Ecological Gradient

An environmental gradient is a gradual change in abiotic factors through space (or time). Environmental gradients can be related to factors such as altitude, temperature, depth, ocean proximity and soil humidity.

Infectious Agents

An infectious agent is something that infiltrates another living thing, like you. When an infectious agent hitches a ride, you have officially become an infected host. There are four main classes of infectious agents: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

Area Source

Area sources are defined as sources that emit less than 10 tons per year of a criteria or hazardous air pollutant or less than 25 tons per year of a combination of pollutants

Bioaccumulation

Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a - possibly toxic - substance at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost by catabolism and excretion.

Mobile Source

Mobile source air pollution includes any air pollution emitted by motor vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, and other engines and equipment that can be moved from one location to another. Many of these pollutants contribute to environmental degradation and have negative effects on human health

Electromagnetic Field

a field of force that consists of both electric and magnetic components, resulting from the motion of an electric charge and containing a definite amount of electromagnetic energy

Asbestos

a heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in fire-resistant and insulating materials such as brake linings.

Heavy Metals

a metal of relatively high density, or of high relative atomic weight

Point Source

a source of energy, such as light or sound, that can be regarded as having negligible dimensions.

Carcinogen

a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue

Risk Assessment

a systematic process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking

Noise Pollution

harmful or annoying levels of noise, as from airplanes, industry, etc

TD-50

median toxic dose (TD50) of a drug or toxin is the dose at which toxicity occurs in 50% of cases. The type of toxicity should be specified for this value to have meaning for practical purposes

Particulate

of, relating to, or in the form of minute separate particles.

Toxic

poisonous.

Tolerance

the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with. "the tolerance of corruption"

LD-50

the amount of a toxic agent (as a poison, virus, or radiation) that is sufficient to kill 50 percent of a population of animals usually within a certain time—called also median lethal dose

Toxicology

the branch of science concerned with the nature, effects, and detection of poisons.

Biomagnification

the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.

Radiation

the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization

Synergism

the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Threshold

the magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result, or condition to occur or be manifested.

Pollution

the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

Precautionary Principle

the principle that the introduction of a new product or process whose ultimate effects are disputed or unknown should be resisted. It has mainly been used to prohibit the importation of genetically modified organisms and food.

Body Burden

the total amount of a particular chemical present in a human's or animal's body, typically a radioactive element or other toxic substance.

Contamination

the unwanted pollution of something by another substance.

Voluntary Exposure

unnecessary danger

Synthetic Organic Compound

ynthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs) are organic (carbon based) chemicals that are less volatile than VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. SOCs are used as pesticides, defoliants, fuel additives and as ingredients for other organic compunds. They are all man made and do not naturally occur in the environment.