Key Concepts

Acute Hazards: Will there be an immediate effect from a toxic exposure, for example, a skin rash, burning eyes, coughing, etc.? (Government of Canada)

Alternatives Assessment: Alternatives assessment answers the question of which chemical is more sustainable (Alternatives Assessment Frameworks: Research Needs for the Informed Substitution of Hazardous Chemicals by Molly Jacobs et al.)

Bioaccumulation: 

1. The accumulation of pollutants in living organisms by direct absorption or through food chains. 
2. Accumulation by an organism of materials that are not an essential component or nutrient of that organism. Usually, it refers to the accumulation of metals, but it can apply to bioaccumulation of persistent synthetic substances such as organochlorine compounds. The process of bioaccumulation can be employed usefully as a purification process to remove toxic heavy metals from wastewater and contaminated land (United Nations Law and Environment Assistance Program).

Biomimicry: “1. Nature as model. Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature’s models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf. 2. Nature as measure. Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the ‘rightness’ of our innovations. After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has learned: What works. What is appropriate. What lasts. 3. Nature as mentor. Biomimicry is a new way of viewing and valuing nature. It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but on what we can learn from it.” ( Biomimicry, by Janine M. Beynus, HarperCollins). 

ChemForward: NGO that enables companies to share costs of chemicals assessments and access to chemicals databases. (Chemforward)

Chronic Hazards: Will toxic exposure take time to produce long-term effects, such as developing cancer, reproductive, or neurological problems? (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)

Confidential Business Information (CBI): A classification that companies can claim for proprietary (secret) information about their products, enabling them to withhold information from the public. (U.S. EPA)

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): ESG investing is a way of investing in companies based on their commitment to one or more ESG factors. It is often also called sustainable investing, socially responsible investing, and impact investing (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).

Green Chemistry: “Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substance” (Center for Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Yale University).

Green Screen for Safer Chemicals: Chemical hazard assessment tool with Clean Production Action.

Hazard Assessment: Hazard Assessment answers the question of which chemical is less hazardous (American Chemical Society).

Just Transition: As we move away from fossil fuel production, how can we have a just transition for workers and communities where these chemicals are made? How can we make sure regrettable substitutions aren’t chosen that might continue toxic exposures to workers, communities, and the environment (Just Transition Alliance).

Lethal Dose 50 (LD50): LD50 is the amount of a material, given all at once, which causes the death of 50 percent (one half) of a group of test animals. The LD50 is one way to measure the short-term poisoning potential (acute toxicity) of a material (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety).

Regrettable Substitutions: Chemicals used to replace toxic chemicals that also have hazardous impacts. (Avoiding Regrettable Substitutions: Green Toxicology for Sustainable Chemistry, by Maartens et al.)

Right to Know: A concept that the public has a right to know what is in products on the marketplace. (Information Commissioner of Canada)

Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment answers whether something is safe enough to use for the particular application (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents).

Shareholder Activism: A spectrum of activities conducted by shareholders to create change in a corporation (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance). 

Sustainable Business: Refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole (Harvard Business School).