Criteria As used in the Clean Air Act, information on adverse effects of air pollutants on human health or the environment at various concentrations. The information is collected pursuant to section 108 of the Clean Air Act and used to set national ambient air quality standards. Critical toxic effect The most sensitive and specific biological change which is outside of acceptable physiological variation. An epidemiological study design in which measurements of cause and effect are made at the same point in time. D Damage Damage is the severity of injury or the physical, functional, or monetary loss that could result if control of a hazard is lost.
Danger Expresses a relative exposure to a hazard.
A hazard may be present, but there may be little danger because of the precautions taken. A death which occurs within one year of the accident. The spontaneous radioactive transformation of one nuclide into a different nuclide or into a different energy state of the same nuclide. Every decay process has a definite half-life. Degradation Physical, metabolic, or chemical change to a less complex form.