Annually: adjective for something that happens every year. (in botany) A plant that lives only one year, so it usually has a showy flower and produces many seeds.
chemical: A substance composed of two or more atoms that combine (bond) in a specific ratio and structure. For example, water is a chemical formed when two hydrogen atoms bond with one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. can also be an adjective to describe properties of chemical substances that are the result of different reactions between different compounds.
food: (n.) food and fluid ingested by an animal to provide the nutrients it needs to grow and maintain health. Sometimes it’s a specific diet plan.
Epidemiologist: Like health detectives, these researchers look for links to a particular illness that may be causing it and/or allowing it to spread.
Leech: (in geology and chemistry) the process by which water (often in the form of rain) removes soluble minerals or other chemicals from solid materials, such as rock, or from sand, soil, bone, trash, or ash.
leadership: A toxic heavy metal (abbreviated as Pb) that goes where calcium wants to go in the body (eg bones and teeth). The metal is particularly toxic to the brain. In a child’s developing brain, this can permanently impair IQ, even at relatively low levels.
metal: A type of material that conducts electricity well, tends to be shiny (reflective), and malleable (ie it can be reshaped with heat and not too much force or pressure).
the range: the entire amount or distribution of something. For example, the range of a plant or animal is the area where it naturally exists. (in mathematics or measurement) the amount by which a value can vary (eg from maximum to minimum temperature). Also, the distance within which something can be reached or perceived.
resident: Some members of a community of organisms that live in a particular place. (Antonym: Inspector)
the risk: the chance or mathematical probability that some bad thing can happen. For example, exposure to radiation creates a risk of cancer. Or the danger – or danger – itself. (In this case: Among the cancer risks humans were exposed to were radiation and drinking water containing arsenic.)
poisonous: Toxic or capable of damaging or killing cells, tissues or whole organisms. A measure of the risk posed by such a poison is its toxicity.
