A

Administrative Controls

The creation, by an employer, of policies, procedures safety signs, training or supervision, alone or in a combination to control risk in a work place.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

A U.S. federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which serves the public by working to prevent exposure and to minimize adverse health effects associated with waste management emergencies and pollution by hazardous substances

American Public Health Association (APHA)

A professional organization for public health professionals in the United States which works to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats. They represent a broad array of health officials, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health providers at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions.

Ammonia NH3

Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is found in small quantities in the atmosphere,  naturally produced from the putrefaction of nitrogenous animal and vegetable matter. It is both caustic and hazardous. As a cleaner, it is a general purpose cleaner that can be used on many surfaces. It can be irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes (respiratory and digestive tracts), and to a lesser extent the skin. Caution should be used that the chemical is never mixed into any liquid containing bleach, or a poisonous gas may result.

B

Benzyl alcohol

An organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2OH. It is a clear, colorless liquid with antiseptic properties derived from alcohol with a mild pleasant aromatic odor. In high concentrations can there can be toxic effects including respiratory failure, vasodilation, hypotension, convulsions, and paralysis.

Best management practices (BMPs)

Activities, practices, facilities, and/or procedures that when implemented to their maximum efficiency will prevent or reduce a negative outcome.The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications.

Biohazardous Infectious Materials

Any organism or toxin produced by an organism that can cause disease in either humans or animals. Examples include: Anthrax, Hepatitis and HIV.

Bisphenol A (BPA)

An organic compound with a difunctional building block of several important plastics and plastic additives. Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers removed products made from it off their shelves.

Boil-Water Advisory

A public health advisory given by government or health authorities to communities when a community’s drinking water is, or could be, contaminated by pathogens.

C

Caesium-137 (Cesium-137)

A radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed mainly as a fission product by nuclear fission. Once released into the environment, it remains present for many years as its radiological half-life is 30.07 years. It can cause cancer 10, 20 or 30 years from the time of ingestion, inhalation or absorption provided sufficient material enters the body. Together with caesium-134, iodine-131, and strontium-90, it was among the isotopes with the greatest health impact distributed by the reactor explosion at Chernobyl.

Campylobacteriosis

An infection caused by the campylobacter bacterium, most commonly C. jejuni. It produces an inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain. The common routes of transmission are: fecal-oral, person-to-person sexual contact, ingestion of contaminated food (generally unpasteurized (raw) milk and undercooked or poorly handled poultry), and waterborne (ie, through contaminated drinking water). Contact with contaminated poultry, livestock, or household pets, especially puppies, can also cause disease. Symptoms usually occur 2-5 days after exposure and persist for one week.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

Created in April 1997, it integrates inspection and related services previously provided through the activities of four federal government departments: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Health Canada and Industry Canada. The establishment of the CFIA consolidated the delivery of all federal food safety, animal health, and plant health regulatory programs.

Carcinogenic

Adjective which describe the carcinogenic action of certain chemicals.  Pertaining to a carcinogen which causes cancer or contributes to the causation of cancer.

Critical Control Point (CCP)

A point, step or procedure at which controls can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable (critical) levels.

D

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)

One of the most well-known synthetic pesticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique and controversial history. In the second half of World War II, it was used with great effect among both military and civilian populations to control mosquitoes spreading malaria and lice transmitting typhus, resulting in dramatic reductions in the incidence of both diseases. After the war, DDT was made available for use as an agricultural insecticide, and soon its production and use skyrocketed. DDT was subsequently banned for agricultural use worldwide under the Stockholm Convention, but its limited use in disease vector control continues to this day in certain parts of the world and remains controversial.

Diacetyl

A natural byproduct of fermentation. Diacetyl occurs naturally in alcoholic beverages and is added to some foods to impart a buttery flavor. At low levels, diacetyl contributes a slipperiness to the feel of the alcoholic beverage in the mouth. As levels increase, it imparts a buttery or butterscotch flavor. Workers in several factories that manufacture artificial butter flavoring have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare and serious disease of the lungs. There are no known cures for bronchiolitis obliterans except for lung transplantation. Popcorn producers have now reduce or eliminated diacetyl from popcorn.

E

E.coli

A Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some, such as serotype O157:H7, can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for costly product recalls.

Engineering Controls

Physical changes to jobs that control exposure to risk. Engineering controls act on the source of the hazard and control employee exposure to the hazard without relying on the employee to take self-protective action or intervention. Examples include: changing the handle angle of a tool, using a lighter weight part, and providing adjustable chairs.

Environmental Health:

Environmental Health is the branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural and of the built environment that may affect human health. Other terms that refer to the discipline of environmental health include: Environmental Public Health and Environmental Health and Protection.

Practitioners may be known as sanitarians, public health inspectors, environmental health specialists or environmental health officers. Many states in the United States require that individuals have professional licenses in order to practice environmental health.

California state law defines the scope of practice of environmental health as follows:

“Scope of practice in environmental health” means the practice of environmental health by registered environmental health specialists in the public and private sector….. and includes, but is not limited to, organization, management, education, enforcement, consultation, and emergency response for the purpose of prevention of environmental health hazards and the promotion and protection of the public health and the environment in the following areas: food protection; housing; institutional environmental health; land use; community noise control; recreational swimming areas and waters; electromagnetic radiation control; solid, liquid, and hazardous materials management; underground storage tank control; on-site septic systems; vector control; drinking water quality; water sanitation; emergency preparedness; and milk and dairy sanitation.

Environmental Health (2010) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (On-line) Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_health. Cited 2010 Jan 18.

Environmental health officers (EHOs)

Health Officers are usually employed by local government or state health authorities to advise on and enforce public health standards. Many are also employed in the private sector and in the military.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An American Federal agency whose purpose is to enforce Federal laws protecting human health and the environment, and to conduct environmental research that reduces risk to human health and adverse impacts on the environment.

Enteric fever

Also known as Typhoid fever, it is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Common worldwide, it is transmitted by ingesting of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person.

F

Fly (insect, order Diptera)

Any of several thousand species of insects characterized by the use of only one pair of wings for flight and the reduction of the second pair of wings to knobs (called halteres) used for balance. The term fly is commonly used for almost any small flying insect, however, in entomology the name refers specifically to the approximately 120,000 species of dipterans, or “true” flies, which are distributed throughout the world, including the subarctic and high mountains…Many species of dipterans are of great importance economically, and some, such as the common housefly and certain mosquitoes, are of importance as disease carriers (source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/211574/fly).

Flies are common in the warmer months, and love dead, stinky, and rotting material. They lay eggs, and the eggs develop into larvae that need to eat. They larvae eat dead and rotting tissue, and look like small, white grub worms. Maggots are also used medicinally to clean up (debride) wounds, but only under very controlled conditions.

Fly ash

One of the residues generated in the combustion of coal. Fly ash particles are generally spherical in shape and range in size from 0.5 µm to 100 µm. Two classes of fly ash are defined by ASTM C618: Class F fly ash and Class C fly ash. The chief difference between these classes is the amount of calcium, silica, alumina, and iron content in the ash.

G

Glycol ethers

A group of solvents based on alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol commonly used in paints. Recent study suggests that occupational exposure to glycol ethers is related to low motile sperm count in men.

H

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

A systematic preventive approach to food and pharmaceutical safety that addresses physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection. HACCP is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions, known as Critical Control Points (CCP’s) can be taken to reduce or to eliminate the risk of the hazards being realized.

HAVC systems

An acronym that stands for “heating, ventilating, and air conditioning” and is sometimes referred to ‘climate control’.  HAVC is particularly important in the design of medium to large industrial and office buildings such as skyscrapers and in marine environments such as aquariums, where humidity and temperature must all be closely regulated while maintaining safe and healthy conditions within.

Heavy Metals

A subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties, which would mainly include the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. These metals are a cause of environmental pollution (heavy-metal pollution) from a number of sources, including lead in petrol, industrial effluents, and leaching of metal ions from the soil into lakes and rivers due to acid rain.

I

Influenza A (H1N1)

A subtype of influenzavirus A and the most common cause of influenza (flu) in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illnesses and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza.

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

An intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations.
Its main offices are in Lyon, France. Its main roles are to conduct and coordinate research into the causes of cancer and conduct epidemiological studies into the occurrence of cancer worldwide. It maintains a series of monographs on the carcinogenic risks to humans posed by a variety of agents, mixtures and exposures.

International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)

An international scientific research institute, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya which works towards improving lives and livelihoods of people in Africa.The center’s main objective is to research and develop alternative and environmentally friendly pest and vector management strategies, that are effective, selective, non-polluting, non-resistance inducing, and which are affordable to resource-limited rural and urban communities. ICIPE’s mandate further extends to the conservation and utilization of the rich insect biodiversity found in Africa.

J

Jacques-Cartier River

The Jacques-Cartier River is a river in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is 161 km long and its source is Jacques-Cartier Lake in Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. The river flows in a predominantly southern direction before ending in the Saint Lawrence River at Donnacona, about 30 km upstream from Quebec City. It is currently under nomination for Canadian Heritage River status.

L

Listeria monocytogenes

The causative agent of Listeriosis. It is one of the most virulent foodborne pathogens with 20 to 30 percent of clinical infections resulting in death. Due to its frequent pathogenicity causing meningitis in newborns (acquired transvaginally), pregnant mothers are often advised not to eat soft cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, feta and queso blanco fresco, which may be contaminated with and permit growth of L. monocytogenes. It is the third most common cause of meningitis in newborns.

M

Malaria

An infective disease caused by sporozoan parasites that are transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

A form containing data regarding the properties of a particular substance. An important component of product stewardship and workplace safety, it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner. The form includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill handling procedures

Measles

An infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a generalized, maculopapular, erythematous rash. It is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person’s nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious – 90% of people without immunity sharing a house with an infected person will catch it.

Melatonin

Melatonin is an hormone that helps regulate sleep. It is made from an amino acid called tryptophan. When stimulated by light, the eye will relay a message to a cluster of nerves located in the brain just above the optic nerve. These nerves, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), set our internal body clock and control our circadian rhythms. The SCN determines human sleep patterns by regulating the amount of melatonin secreted.

N

Nephelometric turbidity units (NTUs)

A measure of clarity (turbidity) of water. Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Turbidity in excess of 5NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO’s)

An enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. “Noncom” is the lesser-used term in many armed forces since it may also refer to non-combatants. In the USA, the NCO corps includes all the grades of sergeant and, in some armies, corporals and warrant officers. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer, although not all navies class their petty officers as NCOs.

O

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety is cross-disciplinary, concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

The goal of occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.

Occupational Health and Safety may involve interactions among many subject areas, including occupational medicine, occupational (or industrial) hygiene, public health, safety engineering, chemistry, health physics, ergonomics, toxicology, epidemiology, environmental health, industrial relations, public policy, sociology, and occupational health psychology.

Occupational safety and health (2010) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (On-line) Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_health_and_safety. Cited 2010 Jan 18.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

An agency of the United States Department of Labor created by Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by issuing and enforcing rules (called standards) for workplace safety and health.

P

Perchloroethylene (Perc)

A chlorocarbon and a colourless liquid widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics, hence it is sometimes called “dry-cleaning fluid”. It is considered a chlorinated solvent that accumulates in body fat and has been listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Phenols

A class of chemical compounds with unique properties, which are not classified as alcohols. Some of the substances are related to endocrine-disruptive chemicals.

PMQs

Living quarters for personnel on a military post.

PPM (Parts per million)

A way of expressing very dilute concentrations of substances. Just as per cent means out of a hundred, so parts per million or ppm means out of a million. Usually describes the concentration of something in water or soil. One ppm is equivalent to 1 milligram of something per liter of water (mg/l) or 1 milligram of something per kilogram soil (mg/kg).

Public Health

Public health is concerned with the health of a community as a whole. The mission of public health is to “fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy.”

Public health is comprised of many professional disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, optometry, nutrition, social work, environmental sciences, health education, health services administration, and the behavioral sciences. Its activities focus on entire populations rather than on individual patients.

The three core public health functions are:

• The assessment and monitoring of the health of communities and populations at risk to identify health problems and priorities
• The formulation of public policies designed to solve identified local and national health problems and priorities
• To assure that all populations have access to appropriate and cost-effective care, including health promotion and disease prevention services, and evaluation of the effectiveness of that care.

Definition of Public Health (2010) MedicineNet.com. (On-line) Available: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5120. Cited 2010 Jan 18.

Q

Quaternary ammonium chlorides (“quats”)

A liquid disinfectant used to sanitize dishes, glasses or other utensils.

R

Rabies

A viral neuroinvasive disease that causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic (i.e. transmitted by animals), most commonly by a bite from an infected animal, but occasionally by other forms of contact. It is fatal if left untreated. In some countries it is a significant killer of people and livestock.

Reye’s Syndrome

A potentially fatal disease that causes numerous detrimental effects to many organs, especially the brain and liver. It is associated with aspirin consumption by children with viral diseases such as chickenpox. The liver may become slightly enlarged and firm, and there is a change in the appearance of the kidneys. Jaundice is not usually present. Early diagnosis is vital; otherwise death or severe brain damage may follow.

S

Salmonellosis

Food poisoning caused by eating foods contaminated with Salmonella typhimurium. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts 3 to 7 days. Most affected persons recover without treatment.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

A respiratory disease of unknown etiology that apparently originated in mainland China in 2003. It is caused by a virus thought to be a combination of the Coronavirus family (a virus that is often a cause of the common cold) and the paramyxovirus family (causes measles and mumps). Initial symptoms are flu-like and may include: fever above 38° C (100.4° F), myalgia, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, cough, sore throat and other non-specific symptoms.

Shigellosis

A foodborne illness caused by an acute infection of the intestine by shigella bacteria. It is characterized by with high fever and acute diarrhea, sometimes mixed with blood (dysentery). Enteric infections with Shigella can trigger reactive arthritis. It is known as bacillary dysentery in its most severe manifestation.

T

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulation

A regulation that defines standards for documentation, handling and training in the transportation of dangerous goods. It also actively promotes the adoption and use of those standards by the transportation industry in order to increase safety.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)

A chlorocarbon with the formula Cl2C=CCl2. It is a colourless liquid widely used for dry cleaning fabrics, hence it is sometimes called “dry-cleaning fluid.” It has a sweet odor detectable by most people at a concentration of 1 part per million (1 ppm).

1,1,1-tricholoethane (DCA)

A heavy colorless highly stable, low boiling-point, colorless, toxic liquid used as a solvent aerosol propellant, pesticide and for metal degreasing.

Trichloroethylene C2HCl3 (TCE)

A chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. People are exposed to TCE through contaminated drinking water. Another significant source of vapor exposure is in Superfund sites that have contaminated groundwater.

U

United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency (HPA)

An independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. The HPA provides advice and information to the general public, to health professionals such as doctors and nurses, and to national and local government.

US Center for Disease Control (CDC)

An agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in the Metro Atlanta area. It works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. This Department focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

A Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is “Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America”.

V

Vinyl chloride (VC)

A colorless, sickly smelling organic compound used to produce polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
PVC is in turn sold to companies that heat and mold the PVC into end products such as PVC pipe and bottles. It is considered a carcinogen.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Organic compounds found in paint, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, glues and adhesives, building materials and furnishings. Concentrations of many VOCs are higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Fuels such as gasoline (petrol) and diesel also release VOCs.

W

Walky-talky

A hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Canadian Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola. Similar designs were created for other armed forces, and after the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial and jobsite work.

Washington DC

Formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790.

Wild chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

Highly sought after and prized wild mushroom. There are several varieties available. They are found in mixed woodlands, under conifers and oaks through North America and Europe. They are usually harvested from June to September.

Z

Zoonotic

Diseases that can be transmitted from animaisl to humans, for example: Plague, Rabies, Giardiasis Ringworm, Lyme Disease, Hantavirus, etc.

References:

Many sources have been used as references for this glossary, including:

Encyclopedia Britannica, see: http://info.britannica.com/?bbcam=adwds&bbkid=encyclopedia+britannica&x=&source=USJ10758655&promocode=

Wikipedia, see: http://www.wikipedia.org/