Definition
Substances that can cause severe illness, poisoning, birth defects, disease, or death when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by living organisms.
See also:
Acute Effect
An adverse effect on any living organism in which severe symptoms develop rapidly and often subside after the exposure stops.
Acute Toxicity
Adverse effects that result from a single dose or single exposure of a chemical; any poisonous effect produced within a short period of time, usually less than 96 hours. This term normally is used to describe effects in experimental animals.
Asbestos Fibers
Asbestos fibers are microscopic, thin, elongated particles less than 3 micrometers in diameter. They can stay airborne for extended periods and, once inhaled, penetrate deep into the lungs where the body cannot remove them. That persistence is what drives asbestos-related diseases. Fiber counting and identification underpin both exposure assessment and post-removal clearance testing.
Chronic Effect
An adverse effect on any living organism in which symptoms develop slowly over a long period of time or recur frequently.