| A | B |
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| PPM | Parts per million. |
| Anthropogenic | of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature |
| Ecocentrism | a philosophy or perspective that places intrinsic value on all living organisms and their natural environment, regardless of their perceived usefulness or importance to human beings. |
| Anthropocentrism | A human-centered view of our relationship with the environment. |
| Endocrine Disruptors | A toxicant that interferes with the endocrine (Hormone) system. |
| Environmental Justice | A movement based on a moral sense of fairness and equality that seeks to expand society's domain of ethical concern from men to women, from humans to nonhumans, from rich to poor, and from majority races and ethnic groups to minority ones. |
| Toxins | A toxic chemical stored or manufactured in the tissues of living organisms. For example, a chemical that plant use to ward off herbivores or that insects use to deter predators. |
| Superfund | A program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency in which experts identify sites polluted with hazardous chemicals, protect groundwater near these sites, and clean up the pollution. |
| Toxicology | The scientific field that examines the effects of poisonous chemicals and other agents on humans and other organisms. |
| Toxicity | The degree of harm a chemical substance can inflict. |
| Heavy Metals | A metal with a specific gravity greater than about 5.0, especially one that is poisonous, such as lead or mercury. |
| Bioaccumulation | The Buildup of toxicants in the tissues of an animal. |
| Biomagnification | The magnification of the concentration of toxicants in an organism caused by its consumption of other organisms in which toxicants have bioaccumulated. |
| Developing Country | Country that has low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate per capita GNP. Most are located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. |
| Developed Country | Country that is highly industrialized and has a high per capita GNP. |
| Underdeveloped Country | a country that is less developed economically than most others, with little industry and little money spent on education, health care, etc.: |
| Mutagens | A toxicant that causes mutations in the DNA of organisms. |
| Teratogens | A toxicant that causes harm to the unborn, resulting in birth defects. |
| Carcinogens | A chemical or type of radiation that causes cancer. |
| Pesticides | An artificial chemical used to kill insects (Insecticide), plants (herbicide), or fungi (Fungicide) |
| Pollinators | an agent (as an insect) that pollinates flowers |
| Deep-well Injection | A hazardous waste disposal method in which a well is drilled deep beneath an area's water table into porous rock below an impervious soil layer. Wastes are then injected into the well, so that they will be absorbed into the porous rock and remain deep underground, isolated from groundwater and human contact. |
| Surface Impoundment | A hazardous waste disposal method in which a shallow depression is dug and lined with impervious material, such as clay. Water containing small amounts of hazardous waste is placed in the pond and allowed to evaporate, leaving a residue of solid hazardous waste on the bottom. |
| Landfill | a place to dispose of refuse and other waste material by burying it and covering it over with soil, especially as a method of filling in or extending usable land. |
| Leachate | Liquids that seep through liners of sanitary landfill and leach into the soil underneath |
| Lead | A heavy metal that may be ingested through water or paint, or that may enter the atmosphere as a particulate pollutant through combustion of leaded gasoline or other processes. Atmospheric lead deposited on land and water can enter the food chain, accumulate within body tissues, and cause lead poisoning in animals in animals and people. An EPA criteria pollutant. |
| Fire Retardants | s a substance that reduces flammability of fuels or delays their combustion |
| Dioxin | a highly toxic compound produced as a byproduct in some manufacturing processes, notably herbicide production and paper bleaching. It is a serious and persistent environmental pollutant. |
| DDT | a synthetic organic compound used as an insecticide. Like other chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons, tends to persist in the environment and become concentrated in animals at the head of the food chain. Its use is now banned in many countries. |
| Rachel Carson | United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964) |
| BPA Bisphenol A | A chemical that is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins to make these high-performance materials more durable, transparent and resistant to shattering. |
| Carbon Footprint | The cumulative amount of carbon, or carbon dioxide, that person or institution emits, and is indirectly responsible for emitting, into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. |
| Food Footprint | The amount of land needed to supply one person's nutritional needs for a year |
| Housing Footprint | It is often dominated by emissions from heating and electricity use, although those arising from water supply and waste disposal can also make up a significant share. |
| Goods footprint | includes the area needed to supply consumer items you purchase and absorb carbon emissions from their manufacturing, transport, and disposal. |
| Ecological Footprint | The cumulative amount of land and water required to provide the raw materials a person or populations consumes and to dispose of or recycle the waste that is produced. |
| Global Hectare | a common unit that quantifies the biocapacity of the earth. One global hectare measures the average productivity of all biologically productive areas on earth in a given year. |
| Atrazine | a synthetic compound used as an agricultural herbicide. |
| Environmental Health | Environmental factors that influence human health and quality of life and the health of ecological environment systems essential to environmental quality and long-term human well-being. |
| Chemical Hazard | Chemicals that pose human health hazards. These include toxins produced naturally, as well as many of the disinfectants, pesticides, and other synthetic chemicals that our society produces. |
| Physical Hazard | Physical processes that occur naturally in our environment and pose human health hazards. These include discrete events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, floods, blizzards, landslides, hurricanes, and droughts, as well as ongoing natural phenomena such as ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. |
| Cultural Hazard | Human health hazards that result from the place we live, our socioeconomic status, our occupation, or our behavioral choices. These include choosing to smoke cigarettes, or living or working with people who do. |
| Natural Hazard | is a naturally occurring event that might have a negative effect on people or the environment |
| Ozone | A molecule consisting of three atoms of oxygen. Absorbs ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere. |
| Ozone-depleting Substance | Synthetic chemical such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), chlorofluoromethane, or halon used in aerosol cans, plastic foams, refrigerants, and certain solvents. |
| Chlorofluorocarbon CFC | Chemical substances used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and solvents that drift to the upper stratosphere and dissociate. Chlorine released by CFCs reacts with ozone, eroding the ozone layer. |
| Antartic Ozone Hole | Refers to the seasonal depletion of stratospheric ozone in a large area over Antarctica. |
| Montreal Protocol | International treaty ratified in 1987 in which 18o signatory nations agreed to restrict production of Chlorofluorocarbon in order to forestall stratospheric ozone depletion. Because of its effectiveness in decreasing global CFC emissions. |
| Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCS) | a family of fluorine-containing chemicals with unique properties to make materials stain- and stick-resistant. Some PFCs are incredibly resistant to breakdown and are turning up in unexpected places around the world. |
| Mercury | the chemical element of atomic number 80, a heavy silvery-white metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures. |
| LD50-Curve | describes the change in effect on an organism caused by differing levels of exposure (or doses) to a stressor (usually a chemical) after a certain exposure time |
| E-waste | Is the term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded appliances using electricity. It includes computers, consumer electronics, fridges etc which have been disposed of by their original users. |
| Decomposition | the state or process of rotting; decay. |
| Chromium-6 | refers to chemical compounds that contain the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state. Virtually all chromium ore is processed via hexavalent chromium, specifically the salt sodium dichromate. |
| Colony-Collapse Disorder | is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. |
