Lexikon

the results of environmental toxicology are mainly used for the prediction of hazard and risk of single chemical substances or contaminated environment at local, regional and global scale. Their important role is supporting decision making in environmental management and policy by setting risk based priorities, establishing environmental quality criteria, to design monitoring systems, to select risk reduction measures, to establish land use specific target values and so on. Environmnetal toxicity results are suitable for direct decision making, when building decision only on the effects.

technology, method, service or activity, which has minimal load on the environment due to energy-consumption and discharge of contaminating substances or agents, and is socio-economically efficient at the same time.

the website of EFIC says as a subtitle „guide for food safety&quality, and health&nutrition for a balanced diet and helathy lifestyle.

The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) is a non-profit organisation which provides science-based information on food safety & quality and health & nutrition to the media, health and nutrition professionals, educators and opinion leaders, in a way that consumers can understand.

In response to the public's increasing need for credible, science-based information on the nutritional quality and safety of foods, EUFIC's mission is to enhance the public's understanding of such issues and to raise consumers' awareness of the active role they play in safe food handling and choosing a well-balanced and healthy diet.

All information that EUFIC publishes has been subject to a review process by members of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB comprises a group of renowned experts from across Europe who advise EUFIC on its information and communication programmes, ensuring that all information is based on scientific evidence, relevance and is factually correct. Given the broad range of subjects addressed in EUFIC’s popular newsletter, Food Today, a dedicated Editorial Board for this publication provides additional insights and feedback.

With its main offices located in Brussels (Belgium), EUFIC counts on and liaises with a European network to enhance the impact and outreach of its communication instruments and programmes in other countries.

EUFIC actively participates in European initiatives together with the European Commission Directorate Generals for Research and for Health and Consumer Protection, where it contributes to a number of projects as dissemination partner.

EUFIC is supported by companies of the European food and drinks industries, and receives project funding from the European Commission. It is governed by a Board of Directors which is elected from member companies. Current EUFIC members are: Barilla, Cargill, Cereal Partners, Coca-Cola HBC, Coca-Cola, Danone, DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd., Ferrero, Kraft Foods, Louis Bonduelle Foundation, McCormick Foods, Mars, McDonald's, Nestlé, Novozymes, PepsiCo, Pfizer Animal Health, Südzucker, and Unilever.

Source: http://www.eufic.org/

the mission of the European Medicines Agency is to foster scientific excellence in the evaluation and supervision of medicines, for the benefit of public and animal health.

The European Medicines Agency is the European Union body responsible for coordinating the existing scientific resources put at its disposal by Member States for the evaluation, supervision and pharmacovigilance of medicinal products.

The Agency provides the Member States and the institutions of the EU the best-possible scientific advice on any question relating to the evaluation of the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal products for human or veterinary use referred to it in accordance with the provisions of EU legislation relating to medicinal products.

Principal activities of EMA

• Working with the Member States and the European Commission as partners in a European medicines network, the European Medicines Agency:
• provides independent, science-based recommendations on the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines, and on more general issues relevant to public and animal health that involve medicines;
• applies efficient and transparent evaluation procedures to help bring new medicines to the market by means of a single, EU-wide marketing authorisation granted by the European Commission;
• implements measures for continuously supervising the quality, safety and efficacy of authorised medicines to ensure that their benefits outweigh their risks;
• provides scientific advice and incentives to stimulate the development and improve the availability of innovative new medicines;
• recommends safe limits for residues of veterinary medicines used in food-producing animals, for the establishment of maximum residue limits by the European Commission;
• involves representatives of patients, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders in its work, to facilitate dialogue on issues of common interest;
• publishes impartial and comprehensible information about medicines and their use;
• develops best practice for medicines evaluation and supervision in Europe, and contributes alongside the Member States and the European Commission to the harmonisation of regulatory standards at the international level.

Source: http://www.ema.europa.eu

evident toxicity is a general term in toxicity tests describing clear signs of toxicity following the administration of test.

tools to estimate (and where possible control) the financial risks related to the management of land contamination problems (Source: EUGRIS)

the HACCP seven principles

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis. – Plans determine the food safety hazards and identify the preventive measures the plan can apply to control these hazards. A food safety hazard is any biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause a food to be unsafe for human consumption.

Principle 2: Identify critical control points. – A critical control point (CCP) is a point, step, or procedure in a food manufacturing process at which control can be applied and, as a result, a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level.

Principle 3: Establish critical limits for each critical control point. – A critical limit is the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical hazard must be controlled at a critical control point to prevent, eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level.

Principle 4: Establish critical control point monitoring requirements. – Monitoring activities are necessary to ensure that the process is under control at each critical control point. In the United States, the FSIS is requiring that each monitoring procedure and its frequency be listed in the HACCP plan.

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions. – These are actions to be taken when monitoring indicates a deviation from an established critical limit. The final rule requires a plant's HACCP plan to identify the corrective actions to be taken if a critical limit is not met. Corrective actions are intended to ensure that no product injurious to health or otherwise adulterated as a result of the deviation enters commerce.

Principle 6: Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended. – Validation ensures that the plants do what they were designed to do; that is, they are successful in ensuring the production of a safe product. Plants will be required to validate their own HACCP plans. FSIS will not approve HACCP plans in advance, but will review them for conformance with the final rule.

Verification ensures the HACCP plan is adequate, that is, working as intended. Verification procedures may include such activities as review of HACCP plans, CCP records, critical limits and microbial sampling and analysis. FSIS is requiring that the HACCP plan include verification tasks to be performed by plant personnel. Verification tasks would also be performed by FSIS inspectors. Both FSIS and industry will undertake microbial testing as one of several verification activities.

Verification also includes "validation" – the process of finding evidence for the accuracy of the HACCP system (e.g. scientific evidence for critical limitations).

Principle 7: Establish record keeping procedures. – The HACCP regulation requires that all plants maintain certain documents, including its hazard analysis and written HACCP plan, and records documenting the monitoring of critical control points, critical limits, verification activities, and the handling of processing deviations.

water generates electricity when it drops gravitationally, driving a turbine and generator. While most hydroelectricity is produced by water falling from dams, some is produced by water flowing down rivers (run-of-the-river electricity).

Conventionally, hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator. The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. The amount of potential energy in water is proportional to the head. A large pipe (the "penstock") delivers water to the turbine.

Pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low electrical demand, excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. When there is higher demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine. Pumped-storage schemes currently provide the most commercially important means of large-scale grid energy storage and improve the daily capacity factor of the generation system.

Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir capacity, so that the water coming from upstream must be used for generation at that moment, or must be allowed to bypass the dam.

A tidal power plant makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean water due to tides; such sources are highly predictable, and if conditions permit construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable to generate power during high demand periods. Less common types of hydro schemes use water's kinetic energy or undammed sources such as undershot waterwheels.

An underground power station makes use of a large natural height difference between two waterways, such as a waterfall or mountain lake. An underground tunnel is constructed to take water from the high reservoir to the generating hall built in an underground cavern near the lowest point of the water tunnel and a horizontal tailrace taking water away to the lower outlet waterway.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity

indicator species maybe bacteria or other microorganisms, fungi, plant or animal species whose prescence, abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.

an inducible gene is a gene that is expressed in the presence of an inducer substance. This substance can control the expression of one or more genes (structural genes) involved in the metabolism of that substance. For example, lactose induces the expression of the lac genes that are involved in lactose metabolism. An certain antibiotic may induce the expression of a gene that leads to resistance to that antibiotic.

Induction is common in metabolic pathways that result in the catabolism of a substance and the inducer is normally the substrate for the pathway.

it is an external, sudden, unexpected, unintended event during the execution of industrial, mining, agricultural, transport, etc. activities which may lead to an industrial injury and damages in material , environment or man. The accident is a preceding "event" while the resulting damage, be it injury, fatality, material or environmental damages are all consequences of this event. Where the accidents involve multiple fatalities they are often referred to as industrial disasters

in the interests of clarity and rationality, the relevant EU Directives should be codified by assembling them in a single text.

The essential aim of any rules governing the production, distribution and use of medicinal products must be to safeguard public health. However, this objective must be attained by means which will not hinder the development of the pharmaceutical industry or trade in medicinal products within the Community.

microbicides are chemical substances whose purpose is to kill microbes (such as bacteria, fungi or protozoa) or reduce their activity.

Microbocides can be antibiotics, bactericides, fungicides.

Antibiotics are antimicrobial compounds, used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and protozoa. It kills, or inhibits the growth of the microbes.

In the natural environment antibiotics are produced by microorganisms which are antagonistic to the growth of other microorganisms. This natural inhibitory effect of antibiotics is copied by the synthetic antibiotics.

A bactericide is a substance that kills bacteria and, ideally, nothing else. Bactericides are either disinfectants, antiseptics or antibiotics.

Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals and human.

mutagenic substances or agents are, those, which induce mutation in living cells. Mutagenicity refers to the induction of permanent transmissible changes in the amount or structure of the genetic material of cells or organisms. These changes may involve a single gene or gene segment, a block of genes or chromosomes.

Alterations to the genetic material of cells may occur spontaneously or be induced as a result of exposure to ionising or ultraviolet radiation, or genotoxic substances. In principle, human exposure to substances that are mutagens may result in increased frequencies of mutations above baseline. Heritable damage to the offspring, and possibly to subsequent generations, of parents exposed to substances that are mutagens may follow if mutations are induced in parental germ cells (reproduction cells). Mutations in somatic cells (cells others than reproduction cells) may be lethal or may be transferred to daughter cells with deleterious consequences for the affected organism. There is considerable evidence of a positive correlation between the mutagenicity of substances in vivo and their carcinogenicity in long-term studies with animals. The aims of testing for mutagenicity are to assess the potential of substances to induce effects which may cause heritable damage in humans or lead to cancer.

Mutagens are usually chemical compounds or ionizing radiation. Mutagens can be divided into different categories according to their effect on DNA replication:

• Some mutagens act as base analogs and get inserted into the DNA strand during replication in place of the substrates.
• Some react with DNA and cause structural changes that lead to miscopying of the template strand when the DNA is replicated.
• Some work indirectly by causing the cells to synthesize chemicals that have the direct mutagenic effect.

mutagenicity refers to the induction of permanent transmissible changes in the amount or structure of the genetic material of cells or organisms. These changes may involve a single gene or gene segment, a block of genes or chromosomes.
Alterations to the genetic material of cells may occur spontaneously or be induced as a result of exposure to ionising or ultraviolet radiation, or genotoxic substances. In principle, human exposure to substances that are mutagens may result in increased frequencies of mutations above baseline. Heritable damage to the offspring, and possibly to subsequent generations, of parents exposed to substances that are mutagens may follow if mutations are induced in parental germ cells (reproduction cells). Mutations in somatic cells (cells others than reproduction cells) may be lethal or may be transferred to daughter cells with deleterious consequences for the affected organism. There is considerable evidence of a positive correlation between the mutagenicity of substances in vivo and their carcinogenicity in long-term studies with animals. The aims of testing for mutagenicity are to assess the potential of substances to induce effects which may cause heritable damage in humans or lead to cancer.

Chemicals are defined as carcinogenic if they induce tumours, increase tumour incidence and/or malignancy or shorten the time to tumour occurrence. Carcinogenic chemicals have conventionally been divided into two categories according to the presumed mode of action. Non-genotoxic modes of action include epigenetic changes, i.e., effects that do not involve alterations in DNA but that may influence gene expression, altered cell-cell communication, or other factors involved in the carcinogenic process. The objective of investigating the carcinogenicity of chemicals is to identify potential human carcinogens, their mode(s) of action, and their potency.
Once a chemical has been identified as a carcinogen, there is a need to elucidate the underlying mode of action, i.e. whether the chemical is directly genotoxic or not. For genotoxic carcinogens it is assumed that, unless exception, there is no discernible threshold and that any level of exposure carries a risk. For non-genotoxic carcinogens, no-effect-thresholds are assumed to exist and to be discernable. Human studies are generally not available for making a distinction between the above mentioned modes of action; and a conclusion on this, in fact, depends on the outcome of mutagenicity testing and other mechanistic studies. In addition to this, animal studies may also inform on the underlying mode of carcinogenic action.
The cancer hazard and mode of action may also be highly dependent on exposure conditions such as the route of exposure. Therefore, all relevant effect data and information on human exposure conditions are evaluated.

Source: REACH

neurotoxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemical, biological, and certain physical agents on the nervous system and/or behavior during development and in maturity. Many common substances are neurotoxic, including lead, mercury, some pesticides, and ethanol.

Neurotoxicity testing is used to identify potential neurotoxic substances. Neurotoxicity is a major toxicity endpoint that must be evaluated for many regulatory applications. Sometimes neurotoxicity testing is considered as a component of target organ toxicity; the central nervous system (CNS) being one of the major target organ systems. In utero exposure to chemicals and drugs can also exert an adverse effect on the development of the nervous system, which is called developmental neurotoxicity (DNT).

Like other target organ toxicities, neurotoxicity can result from different types of exposure to a substance; the major routes of exposure are oral, dermal, or inhalation. Neurotoxicity may be observed after a single (acute) dose or after repeated (chronic) dosing.

Source: http://alttox.org/ttrc/toxicity-tests/neurotoxicity/

work-related accident. Occupational accidents that injure employees are the responsibility of the employer and are covered by Workers Compensation Insurance. In recent years, the term occupational accident has been expanded to include job-related long-term exposure to hazardous substances that result in occupational diseases, and such emotional injuries as nervous breakdowns and even heart attacks.

n-3 fatty acids ω-3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have a double bond in the n-3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.

They are nutritionally important fatty acids including α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are polyunsaturated fatty acids. The synthesis of omega-3 fatty acids is very slow, or does not exist at all in human body, so that it is more effective to take it up directly from food.

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association

precautionary principle orientate us in the decision wheather and action should be done or should not be done if the information on the risk is not vaialable or not satisfactory. Precautionary principle should be applied when there is no certain information on risk.

The principle implies that there is a social responsibility to protect the public from exposure to harm, when scientific investigation has found a plausible risk.

Precaution may be defined as "caution in advance," "caution practised in the context of uncertainty," or informed prudence. All definitions have two key elements.

1. an expression of a need by decision-makers to anticipate harm before it occurs. Within this element lies an implicit reversal of the onus of proof: under the precautionary principle it is the responsibility of an activity proponent to establish that the proposed activity will not (or is very unlikely to) result in significant harm.
2. the establishment of an obligation, if the level of harm may be high, for action to prevent or minimise such harm even when the absence of scientific certainty makes it difficult to predict the likelihood of harm occurring, or the level of harm should it occur. The need for control measures increases with both the level of possible harm and the degree of uncertainty.

The European Commission issued a Communication on the precautionary principle in 2000, in which it adopted a procedure for the application of this concept,accepting the Lisbon Treaty advise:

"Union policy on the environment shall aim at a high level of protection taking into account the diversity of situations in the various regions of the Union. It shall be based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should as a priority be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay."

Fields typically concerned by the precautionary principle are the possibility of:

• Global warming or abrupt climate change in general
• Extinction of species
• Introduction of new and potentially harmful products into the environment, threatening biodiversity (e.g., genetically modified organisms)
• Threats to public health, due to new diseases and techniques (e.g., AIDS transmitted through blood transfusion)
• Long term effects of new technologies (e.g. health concerns regarding radiation from cell phones and other electronics communications devices Mobile phone radiation and health)
• Persistent or acute pollution (asbestos, endocrine disruptors...)
• Food safety (e.g., Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)
• Other new biosafety issues (e.g., artificial life, new molecules)

The precautionary principle is often applied to biological fields because changes cannot be easily contained and have the potential of being global. The principle has less relevance to contained fields such as aeronautics, where the few people undergoing risk have given informed consent (e.g., a test pilot). In the case of technological innovation, containment of impact tends to be more difficult if that technology can self-replicate. Bill Joy emphasized the dangers of replicating genetic technology, nanotechnology, and robotic technology in his article in Wired Magazine, "Why the future doesn't need us", though he does not specifically cite the precautionary principle. The application of the principle can be seen in the public policy of requiring pharmaceutical companies to carry out clinical trials to showhttp://enfo.hu/mokka/secure/.tmp/glossary/glossary_edit.php that new medications are safe.

The costs and social consequences (increased fear in humans) of the application of the precautionary principle are not clearly beneficial.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle

Communication from the Commission on the precautionary principle, COM(2000) 1

precision of a measurement system, also called reproducibility or repeatability, is the degree to which repeated measurements under unchanged conditions show the same results.

The precision of a measurement system, also called reproducibility or repeatability, is the degree to which repeated measurements under unchanged conditions show the same results.Although the two words reproducibility and repeatability can be synonymous in colloquial use, they are deliberately contrasted in the context of the scientific method.

A measurement system can be accurate but not precise, precise but not accurate, neither, or both. For example, if an experiment contains a systematic error, then increasing the sample size generally increases precision but does not improve accuracy. The result would be a consistent yet inaccurate string of results from the flawed experiment. Eliminating the systematic error improves accuracy but does not change precision.

A measurement system is designated valid if it is both accurate and precise. Related terms include bias (non-random or directed effects caused by a factor or factors unrelated to the independent variable) and error (random variability).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision

The precision of a measurement system, also called reproducibility or repeatability, is the degree to which repeated measurements under unchanged conditions show the same results.

Precision shoul be distingueshed from accuracy.

A measurement system can be accurate but not precise, precise but not accurate, neither, or both.

For example, if an experiment contains a systematic error, then increasing the sample size generally increases precision but does not improve accuracy. The result would be a consistent yet inaccurate string of results from the flawed experiment. Eliminating the systematic error improves accuracy but does not change precision.

a protected species is any plant or animal a government declares by law to warrant protection. Most protected species are considered either threatened or endangered. In these cases, a government establishes certain rules regarding the species, that if violated, can result in fines or criminal prosecution.

The impetus behind protected species laws is risk of species extinction. Ecologists have demonstrated that losing even the smallest of species can have a direct effect on the rest of the plant and animal population. For example, a grass eaten by a specific animal becomes extinct due to habitat destruction. The animal may die off as a result of not finding its food source available, causing further disruptions in the food chain.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-protected-species.htm