Hazardous Materials and Toxicology Flashcards

What is a 'carcinogen' in environmental health and toxicology?

Answer: A substance or agent that is capable of causing cancer

A carcinogen is any substance, organism, or agent that is capable of causing cancer by damaging DNA or disrupting cellular processes that control normal cell growth and division.

What does 'IDLH' (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) represent in hazardous materials management?

Answer: The maximum airborne concentration from which a worker could escape without irreversible health effects or death within 30 minutes

IDLH represents the maximum atmospheric concentration of a hazardous substance from which a worker could escape within 30 minutes without suffering irreversible health effects or impaired escape capability.

What is the health significance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental health?

Answer: They are persistent organic pollutants formed during incomplete combustion that are carcinogenic and mutagenic

PAHs are a group of persistent organic pollutants formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials that are classified as probable or possible carcinogens and can cause mutagenic and genotoxic effects.

In hazardous materials response, what does the NFPA 704 diamond (fire diamond) communicate?

Answer: Health hazard, flammability, reactivity, and special hazard information for emergency responders using a 0–4 rating scale

The NFPA 704 hazard identification system uses a diamond-shaped sign with four color-coded quadrants rating health (blue), flammability (red), instability/reactivity (yellow), and special hazards (white) on a 0–4 scale.

What is 'environmental justice' as it relates to hazardous materials siting and environmental health?

Answer: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in environmental decisions, and the avoidance of disproportionate environmental burdens on vulnerable communities

Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate siting of hazardous facilities and the concentration of environmental burdens in low-income and minority communities, requiring fair treatment and meaningful participation in environmental decision-making.

What is a 'threshold limit value (TLV)' as published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)?

Answer: A recommended guideline for occupational airborne concentrations of chemical substances to which nearly all workers can be repeatedly exposed without adverse effects

ACGIH TLVs are professionally recommended occupational exposure guidelines — not legal standards — representing concentrations to which nearly all workers can be repeatedly exposed day after day without adverse health effects.