Glossary

GLOSSARY

Acupressure - This technique stimulates specific acupuncture points through applying pressure with the fingers or hands.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

Acupuncture - In 1997, the National Institutes of Health officially recognized acupuncture as an effective treatment for pain and nausea. Acupuncturists insert specially made needles into specific points to stimulate the body's natural energy.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

Arsenic - People are exposed to the highly toxic element arsenic in contaminated drinking water and from wood preservatives used in decks and playgrounds. Arsenic exposure causes bladder and skin cancer. Most of the arsenic may be naturally occurring, but some reflects past use of arsenic-based pesticides in orchards and on wood.

Source: Environmental Health Strategy Center

Biofeedback - Using a biofeedback machine, practitioners teach patients how to control and change such autonomic body functions as blood pressure, heart rate, circulations, digestion and perspiration. Through monitoring "feedback" using auditory or visual cues, users extend their understanding of physiological functioning far past the normal five senses.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

Bisphenol-A (BPA) - is a white, solid chemical produced by recombining phenol and acetone catalyzed by hydrochloric acid. BPA is made in prilled form for ease of handling and processing.

Source: Sunoco Chemicals

Carbon monoxide (CO) - Odorless, colorless gas. The product of incomplete combustion. CO reacts with blood in the lungs and reduces overall capacity of blood to carry oxygen. At moderate concentrations, can affect the central nervous system, diminishing perception and performance of fine movements. CO also paralyzes the cilia (tiny hairs) of the respiratory tract, which predisposes people to respiratory infection.
Main sources are vehicular traffic and tobacco smoke. Major indoor sources are heating, lighting, and cooking fuels.

Source: The World Bank

Carbon-Neutral - Adding no net carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide is a contributor to global warming. Carbon-neutral means contributing zero total emission of the gas into the atmosphere. The earliest citation of the term is found in a 1992
article in The Independent (London, UK).
Being carbon-neutral doesn't necessarily mean producing zero carbon dioxide. What it means is that the net addition is zero, offset by other actions, such as planting trees, buying clean energy, etc. And it doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you cannot be completely carbon-neutral, you can definitely reduce your carbon footprint.

-Anu Garg (words at Wordsmith.Org)

Carcinogen - Substances that produce cancer. Related terms include metastasis, cancer spreading to other organs, “mutagen,” a change in DNA, which is passed on to other generations, and “teratogen,” a change in utero or birth defect.

Source: World Bank

Chelation Therapy - First developed as a treatment for lead poisoning, chelation therapy removes toxins and heavy metal from the bloodstream through intravenous drips of EDTA, a synthetic amino acid. Today, specially trained physicians use chelation as a method to improve blood circulation for sufferers of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and other degenerative diseases.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

Chemical - Refers to human-made or synthetic compounds—or not of natural origin.

Source: Eco Health

Chinese (Oriental) Medicine - Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses a vast range of therapies including acupuncuture, herbs, bodywork, exercise and diet. From ancient art of Tai Chi to the modern practice of Zero Balancing, the Chinese view of the body as an interrelated system of energy and physical matter permeates many different forms of alternative medicine.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

CranioSacral Therapy - By gently manipulating the bones of the skull, practitioners seek to enhance the functioning of the CranioSacral system, a fluid circulatory system that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. Practitioners of the Upledger method follow the teachings of Dr. John Upledger, based on his practice and research at Michigan State University.

Source: Natural Choice Directory

Dioxin - Dioxin includes a large class of the most toxic chemicals known to science. Average Americans contain dioxin in their fatty tissues at or near levels known to cause harm, without an adequate margin of safety. Average daily exposures to dioxin in fatty foods, including meat and dairy products, match current action levels and far exceed health-based thresholds. Dioxin interrupts fundamental biological systems in the body that may in turn trigger cancers, immune system suppression, diabetes, endometriosis, hormonal disruptions, developmental and reproductive harm and more.
The implications of widespread dioxin contamination of the food supply are so profound that industry and the U.S. EPA have kept the dioxin hazard reassessment bottled up in the bureaucracy for a dozen years. No one manufactures dioxin. It's formed as a byproduct whenever chlorine reacts with organic matter under high temperature. Since organic matter is ubiquitous and elevated temperatures common, phasing out chlorine sources is key to dioxin prevention.
The incineration of municipal waste is a major source of dioxin. The major precursor of that dioxin is the widely used plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl). Dioxin is produced during the production of PVC, whenever it is burned incidentally (in building and car fires, for example) and during disposal (waste incineration, open burning, landfill fires). Some PVC contains other persistent toxic chemical additives that may be released to the environment during use and disposal.

Source: Environmental Health Strategy Center

Dioxins and Furans - Dioxins and furans are chemicals created by heating or burning chlorine-containing compounds in the presence of organic (carbon-containing) materials. Dioxins and furans are among the most toxic chemicals currently known to science. They are known human carcinogens and known endocrine disruptors and result in subtle disruption to infant development at ultra-low (parts per trillion) doses. They also accumulate in fat and breast milk. Major sources are incinerators, power plants, pulp and paper mills, diesel engines, refineries, etc.

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Endocrine - System of the human body that releases hormones into the blood stream or lymph system. These hormones control growth, metabolism, mood, and reproduction and influence almost every cell and organ in our body.

Source: Eco Health

Endocrine disruptors - Substances that stop the production or block the transmission of hormones in the body.

Source: Eco Health

Endocrine Disruptors - Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with hormones in the body. Currently known or suspected endocrine disruptors are in pesticides, plastics and other common chemicals. Some endocrine disruptors are also POPs/PBTs; some are not. But even brief exposure during a vulnerable period -- fetal life or early development, for example -- can have serious long-term effects. The endocrine system is one of the three fundamental communication systems in the body (endocrine, nervous, immune). Hormones regulate numerous daily functions (appetite, metabolic rate, menstrual cycling, sperm production etc). In the womb, hormones regulate development.

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Endometriosis-is a common medical condition characterized by growth beyond or outside the uterus of tissue resembling endometrium, the tissue that normally lines the uterus.

Source: Wikipedia

Environmental hormones - The female sex hormone, estrogen, controls the growth of cells. It does this by attaching itself to proteins called estrogen receptors throughout the body. There are also estrogens in the environment that can attach themselves to these same proteins. Environmental estrogens block the body's estrogens and may cause health problems. Environmental estrogens are all around us―in what we eat, drink, the air we breathe, in things we use at home, and at work. They include things such as:

• DDT and kepone—chemicals once found in pesticides. They break down slowly in the environment and may stay for years in soil and water.

• Polychlorinated biphenyls—a mixture of chemicals once used as coolants in electrical devices. They are still in the air.

• DES or diethylstilbestrol—until banned in the 1970s, used to prevent miscarriage in women. Some daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy have had reproductive problems and rarely, vaginal or cervical cancer, when they reached childbearing age.

These chemicals may play a role in causing cancers of the breast, uterus, and ovaries; endometriosis; and uterine fibroids.

Source: womenshealth.gov

Greenwashing - It has almost the same meaning as whitewashing except it’s applied to an environmental context. It’s when a company purports to be green but in reality, is anything but that. Or to phrase it differently, all assumptions of “greenness” are greatly exaggerated.

Source: http://license.icopyright.net

Lead (Pb) - Lead poisoning can cause a wide array of problems even in low doses. Most common problems are irreversible neurological damage and stunted mental growth (to which aggressive behavior has also been linked), stomach pain, colic, high blood pressure, kidney problems, and bone loss. It can adversely affect normal functions of other vital organs. Lead can accumulate in the body, causing paralysis, blindness, and death. Major sources are lead smelting and lead in gasoline. Important sources not related to commerce and industry are cosmetics, household remedies for diarrhea and stomach ailments, and poultices for sealing infant umbilical cords. Other sources that could be important hotspots include battery manufacturing, brass foundries, lead-glazed pottery and cloisonné, radiator repair, and art restoration.
Exposure standards vary, for example, the U.S. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standard of from 50 micrograms/8 hours permissible exposure for workers to the USEPA standards of 1.5 microns/cubic meter for ambient air, 30 micrograms or more/30 days per year maximum atmospheric exposure, and 0.15 milligrams/cubic meter threshold limit value for fumes and dust. Generally, about 40 percent of the lead deposited in the lungs is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Despite the general importance of lead, the role of vehicular emissions is sometimes overstated relative to other issues, because lead in ambient air is commonly measured and, thus, data are available for analysis and discussion, whereas other sources are only irregularly measured.

Source: The World Bank

Mercury - An emerging policy consensus demands the virtual elimination of mercury from human-caused sources. (The qualifier "virtual" recognizes that as an element and a contaminant of fossil fuels and many minerals, mercury can never be eliminated). Mercury in small amounts harms the growing brains of babies, impairing learning, memory and attention span later in childhood. Health warnings advise people to avoid or restrict eating most freshwater fish and some ocean fish (e.g. tuna, swordfish and shark) throughout much of the country.

Source: Environmental Health Strategy Center

Nitrates - Class of chemicals that are commonly discussed as water pollutants in groundwater and rural surface water, mainly from fertilizers and human and livestock waste. Nitrites and N-nitroso compounds (nitrosamines) are frequently cited derivatives of nitrates transformed in the digestive tract. Nitrates and nitrites contain antimicrobial agents and are, thus, used in food processing; an excess, however, can be toxic to humans. From a health perspective, nitrosamines are important as a group, because they can cause blue baby syndrome (methemoglobinemia) in humans and animals and possibly gastric cancer (drinking water standards are based on the risk of methemoglobinemia).
Methemoglobinemia is normally a temporary condition, occurring in the first six months of life, until the infant’s digestive system develops. Can also come from nitrites used in meat and fish curing and food preservation and storage of certain green vegetables, for example, spinach, which form nitrite and N-nitroso compounds. The latter occur also in tanneries, cosmetics, and rubber and iron foundries. Wells more than 30 meters deep are likely to be safe. USEPA standards for drinking water are 10 ppm.

Source: The World Bank

Nitrosamines - see nitrates, please.

PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) - Toxic human-made compounds developed in 1929 and manufactured until 1977. They were used in a variety of products, such as transformers and fluorescent light ballasts. They are chemically inert and not biodegradable, and therefore banned in 1979. However, since products already in use didn't have to be replaced, they are still being introduced into our environment. Found in surface and groundwater, they are drawn to sediment, where they can remain indefinitely. They continue to be found in the flesh of fish and other animals and have been found to cause birth defects and other health problems in humans.

Source: Eco Health

Penicillin - A medicine made from molds and used to kill many kinds of bacteria. Discovered in 1928, it became the first antibiotic in 1941.

Source: Eco Health

Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics (PBTs) - PBT pollutants are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in food chains. They threaten human health, as well as the health of ecosystems. PBTs transfer easily among air, water and land, and span boundaries of geography and generations. The term PBT is used primarily by the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency, as part of its preparation of a list of such chemicals that will receive special regulatory emphasis.

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate through the food web. They threaten human health, as well as the health of ecosystems. The term POPs is commonly used in the context of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). POPs are subject to international negotiations aiming toward global elimination.

For all practical purposes, POPs and PBTs are the same; the difference has more to do with whether one is speaking of the work of the UNEP or the EPA. The two agencies have developed similar, but not identical, lists of substances that meet their respective definitions:

EPA's Current List of PBTs	UNEP's Current List of POPs
Aldrin	Aldrin
Dieldrin	Dieldrin
Chlordane	Chlordane
DDT	DDT
Mirex	Mirex
Toxaphene	Toxaphene
Hexachlorobenzene	Hexachlorobenzene
Dioxins and Furans	Dioxins and Furans
PCBs	PCBs
Octachlorostyrene	Heptachlor
Benzo(a)pyrene	Endrin
Alkyl-Lead
Mercury

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate) - PEVA is a non chlorinated vinyl. Absence of chlorine alone does not make this vinyl the final answer in the search for green polymers. There are still plenty of toxic challenges and untested chemicals in the life cycle of any petrochemical product. As is the case with most other polymers competing with PVC, however, the weight of available evidence indicates that the absence of chlorine in the formula will generally render the lifecycle environmental health impact of PEVA and other non chlorinated vinyls less harmful than PVC and initial study is bearing this out. Like the polyolefin plastics, the use of PEVA and the other non chlorinated vinyls represents a step forward in the search for alternatives to PVC.

Source: Healthy Building Network

Phthalates (tha-lates) - Phthalates are plasticizers used as softening agents used to make PVC flexible so it can be used in toys, flooring and other products. Some phthalates have been linked to cancer, kidney and liver damage, and interference with hormonal activity.
Because phthalates are not tightly bound to the plastic matrix of PVC plastic, they can migrate easily from the surface to other surfaces and the air. David Santillo, Ph. D., a Greenpeace scientist from Exeter University who analyzed toys, says that the smell from a new PVC toy comes from "the phthalates volatilizing from it."

Source: Green guide 45

Plasticizers - are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added, these include plastics, cement, concrete, wallboard and clay bodies. Although the same compounds are often used for both plastics and concretes, the desired effect is slightly different.

Source: Wikipedia

Teflon Chemicals - A growing body of evidence demonstrates that perfluorinated compounds used in the manufacture of non-stick pans, Gore-Tex, and stain-resistant fabrics harm workers that manufacture products using them and consumers who buy these products. DuPont, which makes Teflon, has been accused of suppressing studies that suggest that PFOA causes health problems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board recently named one of these "Teflon chemicals" as a likely human carcinogen.

Source: Environmental Health Strategy Center

Vinyl - Vinyl is commonly used as a shorthand name for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic as used in a range of products from flooring to siding to wall covering. Most commonly, when a product is referred to as “vinyl,” it is comprised primarily of PVC. Occasionally it also may refer to polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) a closely related compound, used in food wraps (‘Saran’) and other films, that shares most of the same environmental health problems.
In chemistry, however, the term “vinyl’ actually has a broader meaning, encompassing a range of different thermoplastic chemical compounds derived from ethylene. In addition to PVC, “vinyls” in building materials also include:

• ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), used in films, wire coating and adhesives
• polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) a copolymer of polyethylene and EVA used in shower curtains, body bags
• polyvinyl acetate (PVA), used in paints and adhesives, such as white glue, and
• polyvinyl butyral (PVB), used in safety glass films.

What differentiates PVC from the other vinyls is the addition of a chlorine molecule (the chloride “C” in PVC and PVDC). Chlorine is the source of many of the environmental health concerns with PVC, such as the generation of dioxin, a highly carcinogenic chemical produced in both the manufacture and disposal of PVC. Due to its persistent and bioaccumulative nature (it travels long distances without breaking down and concentrates as it moves up the food chain to humans) dioxin has become a global problem and an international treaty – the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) - now prioritizes the elimination of processes that produce dioxin.

Source: Healthy Building Network

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - Organic compounds that evaporate readily into the air. VOCs include substances such as benzene, toluene, methylene chloride, and methyl chloroform.

Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Xenoestrogens - A group of novel, man-made compounds, that differ from archiestrogens (ancient, naturally occurring) produced by living organisms. They mimic the effect of other estrogens, their potential ecological and human health impact is under study.
Xenoestrogens are part of a heterogeneous group of chemicals that are hormonally active agents. They differ from phytoestrogens (estrogenic substances from plants), mycoestrogens (estrogenic substances from fungi, which can be considered as one type of mycotoxin), and pharmacological estrogens (estrogenic action is intended) in that they are man-made.
Estrogens from a variety of sources may have a cumulative effect upon living organisms, and xenoestrogens may be part of a larger picture of a process of estrogenization of the environment. Xenoestrogens have only been recently (less than 70 years) int roduced into the environment, as produced by industrial, agricultural, and chemical companies, but similar compounds have existed in the environment since the beginnings of life itself.

Source: Wikipedia