RSA 125-H:2 · Definitions

125-H:2 Definitions. – In this chapter:

Copy link

I.

"Acute health effect" means an adverse health outcome or disease which manifests itself upon or shortly after exposure to an environmental hazard.

Copy link

II.

"Adverse health outcome" means any condition which results in human morbidity, mortality, impaired reproductive function, toxicity, teratogenic, carcinogenic, or mutagenic effects.

Copy link

III.

"Chronic health effect" means an adverse health outcome or disease which manifests itself over a long incubation or latency period. Chronic health effects can result from either a limited high-level or long-term, low-level exposure to an environmental hazard.

Copy link

IV.

"Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of health and human services.

Copy link

V.

"Department" means the department of health and human services.

Copy link

VI.

"Dose-response assessment" means the determination of the relation between the magnitude of exposure to environmental hazards and the probability of occurrence of adverse health effects.

Copy link

VII.

"Environmental hazard" means any biological, chemical, or physical agent present in the environment which has the potential of causing disease or adverse health outcome.

Copy link

VIII.

"Environmental health risk assessment" means the use of scientific and medical data to define potential health effects of exposure of individuals or populations to environmental hazards.

Copy link

IX.

"Exposure assessment" means the determination of the extent of human exposure to an environmental hazard.

Copy link

X.

"Hazard identification" means the scientific process of collecting and validating data to determine if biological, chemical or physical agents, man-made or naturally occurring, can be causally linked to particular chronic or acute health effects.

Copy link

XI.

"Imminent health hazard" means the immediate threat to the population of an adverse health outcome posed by an environmental hazard.

Copy link

XII.

"Risk characterization" means the description of the nature and, when possible, the magnitude of human risk from an environmental hazard, including its attendant uncertainty.

Copy link

XIII.

"Risk management" means the use of the results of environmental health risk assessments or other information in order to develop and evaluate regulatory options, within a statutory framework, to reduce the risk of harm to human health and ecosystems to the greatest possible degree. Source. 1986, 202:13. 1995, 310:75, eff. Nov. 1, 1995.

Copy link