Epidemiology
This London surgeon was the first individual to describe an environmental cause of cancer by observing that chimney sweeps had a high incidence of scrotal cancer.
Sir Percival Pott
Commonly used in clinical medicine and in toxicology, this term refers to the amount of a substance that is administered at one time.
Dose
People who adhere to this principle of environmental policy believe that the person or entity who creates the pollution in the environment should bear the expenses associated with cleaning it up.
The polluter-pays principle
An insect or any living carrier that transports an infectious agent from an infected individual or its wastes to a susceptible individual or its food or immediate surroundings.
Vector
Arsenic is one example of this term that means a chemical or substance that is capable or suspected of causing cancer.
Carcinogen
In her book, “Silent Spring,” this author educated the public about the potential hazards of commonly used pesticides, such as DDT, and led to increased awareness of the issue among the American public.
Rachel Carson
This broad term is used to describe radiation that has enough energy to remove electrons from the atoms.
Ionizing radiation
Often reported in case-control and cross-sectional studies, this measurement tells you the number of existing cases in a population at a given time, but cannot tell you the risk of developing disease over time.
Prevalence
In a dose-response curve, this term refers to the lowest dose at which a particular response may occur.
Threshold
The process of making decisions by 1) defining the problem, 2) setting the agenda, 3) establishing policy, 4) implementing policy, then 5) reassessing the policy is part of a process known as…
The policy cycle
Endemic to warmer areas of the world and responsible for nearly a quarter billion cases each year globally, this parasitic infection is dependent on a complex life cycle of mosquitos and human hosts.
Malaria
This heavy metal was outlawed as an additive to paints in the US in 1978 after it became apparent that its exposure can lead to serious health problems, especially among children.
Lead
This class of pesticide is used to kill rats and rodents.
Rodenticide
This form of ionizing radiation has the highest energy in the electromagnetic spectrum, and also has the shortest wavelength.
Gamma rays
This key measure of disease frequency in cohort studies can tell you the risk of developing a disease in the population in a defined time period by measuring the new events of a certain disease in a specific time period.
Incidence rate
Slightly different from a toxin, this is the name for a toxic substance that is man made or results from human activity.
Toxicant
This principle states that preventative, anticipatory measures should be taken when an activity raises threats of harm to the environment, wildlife, or human health, even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established.
Precautionary principle
An emerging zoonotic disease, this virus, first recognized in Central Africa in 1976, may result in hemorrhagic fever among patients who are infected with it.
Ebola
This process occurs when a substance, such as mercury, is ingested by lower organisms and becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain.
Bioaccumulation
This group of workers is most likely to be exposed to pesticides.
Agricultural workers
Carbon-12 is an example of this term, which occurs when elements or atoms have the same number of protons, but different number of neutrons.
Isotope
This measurement can provide the researcher with the lethality of disease, defined as the number of deaths in a specified time period divided by the number of cases in that time period, multiplied by 100.
Case fatality rate (CFR)
Lasting from a few seconds to several decades, this term refers to the time period between the initial exposure to a hazard and a measurable response.
Latency
This concept strives for the equal treatment of all people in society, irrespective of their race, country of origin, and socioeconomic status.
Environmental justice
Caused by the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, this disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, and its geographic distribution is growing each year in the Midwest United States.
Lyme disease
Copper, zinc, and iron are examples of this classification of metal, which are important for human function at trace amounts, but may be toxic at high levels.
Essential metals
A persistent organic pollutant, this family of chemical compounds is the by product of combustion, and is associated with chloracne, and is a known human carcinogen.
Dioxins
This radioactive gas is a decay product of radium and uranium, is one of the largest sources of human exposure to ionizing radiation, and is thought to be one of the leading causes of lung cancer in the United States.
Radon
This type of study design classifies subjects according to their exposure to a factor of interest and then observes them over time to document the occurrence of new cases in that time period.
Cohort study
This process involves using clinical, epidemiologic, toxicologic, environmental data to provide a qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to a health hazard.
Risk assessment
Established in 1974, this United States environmental protection act authorized the EPA to establish minimum standards to protect public water supplies from more than 90 contaminants.
The Safe Drinking Water Act
Probably most well known to cause “the black death” during the Middle Ages, this disease, caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, can be harbored by rodents and transmitted by the bite of a flea.
Plague
Naturally occurring in soil and groundwater, chronic exposure to this toxic metalloid is associated with melanosis.
Arsenic
Derived from chlorinated hydrocarbons, this group of pesticides includes DDT, and bioaccumulates because it is very fat soluble.
Organochlorines
Exposure to this common form of nonionizing radiation is strongly associated with various forms of skin cancers.
Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR)