Risk
A measure of the likelihood that one will suffer harm from a hazard.
Transmissible (infectious) disease
Caused by living organisms and can spread from one person to another by air, water, food, or body fluids (or sometimes insects or other organisms).
Non-transmissible disease
Is not caused by living organisms and cannot spread from one person to another. Tend to develop slowly and have multiple causes.
Epidemic
Large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease in an area or country
Pandemic
Global epidemic
Antibiotic Resistance
Rapidly producing infectious bacteria are becoming genetically resistant to widely used antibiotics
Causes: High reproduction-->natural selection
Genetic material exchange
Spread through human travel and trade
Antibiotic overuse
Toxicity
Factors: Frequency of exposure
Person who is exposed (children and seniors more susceptible)
Effectiveness of person's detoxification systems (immune system strength)
One's genetic makeup
Carcinogen
Chemicals, ionizing radiation, and viruses that cause and promote the development of cancer
Dose-response curve
Plot of data showing the effects of various doses of a toxic agent on a group of test organisms
Mutagen
Chemical or form of radiation that causes inheritable changes (mutations) in the DNA molecules in genes
Neurotoxins
Chemicals that can harm the human nervous system (brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves)
Pathogen
Organism that produces disease. Ex: bacteria, viruses, parasites
Toxin
Chemical that adversely affects the health of a living human or animal by causing injury, illness, or death
Cultural hazards
Hazards that result from the place we live, socioeconomic status, occupation, and/or behavioral choices. Include hazards such as smoking, unsafe working conditions, poor diet, drugs, drinking, driving, criminal assaults, unsafe sex, and poverty
Acute effect
An immediate or rapid harmful reaction resulting from exposure to a toxin
Acute exposure
Limited exposure to a toxin
Anopheles mosquito
Mosquito responsible for transmission of malaria
Biological hazards
Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi
Chemical hazards
Harmful chemicals in air, water, soil, or food
Chronic effect
An effect that results from long-term exposure to low levels of toxin
Chronic exposure
Low amounts of contact with a toxin over long periods of time
Physical hazards
Natural disasters (fire, earthquake, flood)
Vector
Any agent (person, animal or microorganism) that carries and transmits a disease