vocabulary 577
Infection a sickness caused by bacteria,
viruses, or other organisms. Infections
may affect a part of the body or all of
it.
Infectious disease a disease that can
be spread easily from one person to
another.
Infrastructure things that are built, such
as homes, roads, and water systems.
Injection when medicine or other liquid is
put into the body using a syringe and
needle.
Integrated pest management (IPM) a way
to control crop pests and diseases
without chemicals. Also called natural
pest management.
Inputs anything that a farmer uses
to help crops grow, such as seeds,
pesticides, and fertilizers.
Insulation material used to stop heat,
cold, sound, or electricity from getting
into or out of a place.
J
Jaundice yellow color of the skin and
eyes. Jaundice is a sign of liver
problems or hepatitis.
Junk food food or drink that may taste
good but is not healthy because it
contains few if any nutrients, but a lot
of fat, salt, sugar, oil, or chemicals.
K
L
Leachate liquid waste that seeps from a
landfill or waste dump.
Leach field a sewage treatment system
that directs waste into underground
pipes with holes in them that slowly let
sewage soak into the ground.
Leukemia cancer of the blood and bone
marrow.
Lymph system the body’s system for
preventing and healing infections.
Lymphoma a general term for cancers
that develop in the body’s lymph
system.
M
Ma huang See ephedra.
Malaria a serious illness that causes fever,
chills, aches, and can be fatal. Malaria
is spread by mosquitoes.
Malnutrition when the body does not have
enough of the foods it needs to stay
healthy.
Manganese a toxic heavy metal used in
welding and soldering.
Mercury a toxic, liquid, heavy metal
that is used in gold mining, and in
thermometers and other medical
supplies. Mercury is poisonous to the
touch. It is even more poisonous when
it turns to gas and is breathed in, or
gets in water and combines with other
elements.
Microwave an oven that uses waves of
energy to heat and disinfect things.
Mildew a fungus that looks like powder,
dust, or tiny threads. Mildew grows in
damp places.
Mold a fungus that grows on old food,
plants, and things that are warm and
wet.
Monoculture planting only one kind of
crop on an area of land. Also called
monocropping.
Mulch material spread on top of soil to
protect it from sun, rain, and wind,
and to prevent weeds from growing.
Green manures are often used as
mulch.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012