vocabulary 575
Food chain the way living things are
connected to each other by how
one thing eats another thing (or its
products). Also called the food web.
Food safety when food is nutritious, and
free of poisons and other harmful
substances.
Food security when everyone has enough
safe, nutritious, and appropriate
food all year to lead an active and
healthy life. Food security means food
is produced and distributed in ways
that promote a healthy environment,
community self-reliance, and the
sharing of food among people and
communities.
Food sovereignty the right of a
community, region, or nation to
determine its own local food systems,
including local farming, markets, fair
distribution, affordable food prices, and
food safety.
Food web See food chain.
Forest a large area of land covered with
trees and other plants growing close
together. A forest includes not just trees
and plants, but also animals, insects,
birds, and people who live in and rely
on the forest.
Formaldehyde a toxic chemical used
for disinfecting and cleaning, and in
industrial products. Formaldehyde
is dangerous and should be handled
carefully, if used at all.
Fossil fuel a fuel made from the remains
of plants and animals that died
millions of years ago. Fossil fuels
include oil, coal, and natural gas. Fossil
fuels are nonrenewable resources, and
when they are burned, they release
carbon dioxide, leading to global
warming.
Fumes odorless gases or smoke, sometimes
invisible, released from chemicals or
when a fire burns. Fumes are usually
harmful to breathe.
G
Gasoline a fossil fuel used in cars, trucks,
motorbikes, and generators. Also called
petrol.
Genes the parts of every living thing
that determines their traits or
characteristics. Genes make our eyes
brown or blue, give us straight or curly
hair, determine the size and shape of
our hands and feet, and so on.
Generate to make electricity.
Genetic damage, Genetic defect harm to
genes that results in a difference that
creates a problem for that person,
plant, or animal. Some toxics can cause
genetic damage, and some genetic
defects can be passed to offspring.
Genetic engineering when scientists
change the genes of plants or animals,
sometimes by adding genes from a
different plant or animal, to change the
traits or characteristics of the resulting
plant or animal.
Germ a tiny living thing that can spread
disease. Different germs cause different
diseases, and spread in different ways.
For example, dysentery germs are
spread through feces, and tuberculosis
germs spread through the air.
Giardia a parasite that causes yellow,
bad-smelling diarrhea, cramps in the
gut, and burps that smell like rotten
eggs.
Global warming the rising of temperatures
throughout the world, leading to more
floods, storms, rising seawater and the
spread of diseases to new areas.
Glutaraldehyde a toxic chemical
used for sterilizing and cleaning.
Glutaraldehyde is very dangerous and
should be handled carefully, if used at
all.
Goiter a swelling of the lower front of the
neck caused by a lack of iodine in the
diet, or by chronic cyanide poisoning.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012