Toxins and Other third exam cards

• A scientific discipline that overlaps with biology, chemistry,

  pharmacology, and medicine involves studying the adverse effects of

  chemical substances on living organisms and diagnosing and treating

  exposures to toxins.

  Toxicology
• Neurotoxins - it is referring to toxins that are destructive to nerve tissues.
• Exogenous Chemical - Neurological insults that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature nervous tissue.
• Mutagens - are physical or chemical agent that causes an increase in D.N.A. modifications by altering the organism's D.N.A.
• Teratogens - any agent that can disrupt embryonic or fetal development.
• Carcinogens - any substance or agents that promote cancer development (carcinogenesis), causing genome damage or disruption of cell's metabolic processes.
• Persistent Organic Pollutants (P.O.P.s) - Organic compounds are resistant to biochemical, photolytic, and other environmental degradation processes.
• P.O.P.s are sometimes called "forever chemicals," which can bioaccumulate with potentially detrimental effects on ecological and human

  health.
• World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as - A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
• Disease - the impairment of an individual's well-being and capacity to function and is mostly attributed to inadequate behavioral and environmental change.
• Global Burden of Disease (GBD) - A comprehensive regional and global research program of disease burden that assesses mortality and disability for major diseases, injuries, and risk factor.
• Emergent Diseases - Not previously known or that have been absent for at least 20 years.
• Ecological Epidemiology - the study of the ecology of infectious diseases.
• Ecotoxicology - The study of toxins (poisons) and their effects, particularly on living systems, because many substances are known to be poisonous to life.
• Allergens are immune- activating agents.
• Immune System Depressants - Suppress the immune system.
• Endocrine Disruptors are chemicals that disrupt the natural activity of hormones.
• Hormones - Chemicals released by cells into the bloodstreams in one part of the body to regulate the function and development of tissues and organs in the body.
• Hormone Mimics - They have similar shapes to natural hormones and amply their effects.
• Hormone blockers - prevent natural hormones from attaching to their target organ.
• Neurotoxins are a particular class of metabolic poisons that individually attack nerve cells (neurons).
• Most neurotoxins are both fast- acting and highly toxic.
• Mutagens - agents that damage or modify the genetic material (DNA) in cells such as chemicals and radiation.
• Teratogens - chemical substance or other factors which causes different abnormalities during embryonic growth and development.
• Most popular teratogen: Alcohol
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - a cluster of complications that persist throughout a child's life.
• Carcinogens - substances that cause cancer, invasive, out-of-control cell growth resulting in malignant tumors.
• Bioaccumulation - It is where the cells perform a selective absorption and storage of variation of molecules.
• They increase the concentration of toxins: Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification.
• Biomagnification - When organisms ingest other organisms making toxins accumulated from the base and concentrated in the highest tropic level.
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) - Flame retardants usually used in textiles and plastics found in computers and appliances. (Relatively low exposures in the womb or shortly after birth can irreparably harm children’s reproductive and nervous systems.)
• Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA/C8) - are widely used as a nonstick, waterproof stain-resistant product such as Teflon, Gortex, Scotchguard, and Stainmaster
• Phthalates - act as endocrine hormone disruptors, and have been link to reproductive abnormalities and decreased fertility.
• Perchlorate - a waterborne contaminant leftover of fuel utilized by rockets and propellants.
• Bisphenol A (BPA) - an environmental estrogen and may alter sexual development in both males and females. (Used in various products such as bottles water and tooth - protecting sealants).
• Aneuploidy - abnormal chromosome numbers (Caused by BPA)
• Atrazine - substance applied to crops. Cause of damage and disruption to the hormonal functions in mammals of their endocrine system, resulting in low birth weights, disorders in the neurological services, and abortions.
• Solubility - one of the essential characteristics in determining how, where, and when toxic material will move through the environment.
• LD50 - the most used and widely accepted toxicity test to expose a population of laboratory animals to measured doses of specific

  substances.
• Risk - the possibility or results of suffering harm or loss by hazard and an indication of severe damage.