Lecture 9/10

• air pollution • climate change • built environment (e.g roads, inadequate housing) • radiation • infectious agents • noise • hazardous chemicals • water issues (e.g supply, pollution)

• physical • cultural • chemical • biological

• occur naturally in our environment • cannot prevent them, but can prepare for them

• earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, floods, droughts

• result from the place we live, our socioeconomic status, our occupation, our behavioral choices

smoking, drug use, diet and nutrition, crime, mode of transportation

• natural • synthetic

heavy metals, asbestos, radon gas, etc.

biocides, cleansers, cosmetics, disinfectants, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, pesticides

• result from ecological interactions • cannot avoid risk but can reduce likelihood of infection

viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens

diseases passing from animals to humans

Chemicals or matter that contaminate an environment (e.g. air, soil, water, plants and animals) and have potential to cause harm to human health or the environment

Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter that occurs in an environment at above normal levels and that may affect organisms either negatively (are harmful) or positively (are beneficial)

A toxic substance (protein) produced by organisms other than humans (e.g. venom)

An chemical agent or substance that produces harmful biological effects (often death)

A poison or poisonous agent that produces harmful biological effects

• the degree of harm a toxicant can cause • toxicity depends on combined effect of chemical and its quantity

the study of nature, effects, detection and treatment of poisonous substances on humans and other organisms

causes cancer

causes DNA mutations

causes birth defects

over activate immune system

assault nervous system