Tracking Glossary A to Z

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Age-adjusted rate	A rate that accounts for age differences between populations. Adjusting for age allows overall rates to be compared between populations. See also Rate.
Age Category	Age groupings permit displaying age-related trends in the data. Agencies or researchers can use their own or standard age categories.
Age-Specific rate	A rate calculated for a specific age category
Air Quality	A general description of how much pollution is in the air. See also Toxic Pollutants, Particulate Matter.
Ambient Air	Outside Air
Ambient air monitoring network in Maryland	A network of stations in Maryland that monitor air pollutants. See also Ambient air, Contaminant, Criteria Pollutant, and Toxic Pollutants
Anencephaly	A major birth defect where part of the brain, skull or scalp is missing.
Arsenic	A naturally-occurring element that can be poisonous in some forms. It can sometimes occur in wells used for drinking water
Asthma	A disease where the airways of the lungs tighten up and cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and/or shortness of breath.
Asthma Hospital Discharge	A measure indicating that somebody required an overnight hospital stay because of asthma

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Birth Defect	Abnormal development of a part of a baby's body, or the result of delivery
Birth Defects Events	The number of birth defects that occur in a population over a specified period of time. When children are born with more than one birth defect, each defect is counted separately
Birth Events	The total number of births within a certain period of time. Birth events include live births and stillborn deliveries Bath Salts

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Carbon Monoxide	An odorless, poisonous gas produced by automobiles, engines, engines, and some heating systems. See also Criteria Pollutant, Toxic Pollutants.
Cell Size	The number of cases or events in a unit analysis
Chi-Square Test	A statistical test sometimes used to determine if observed findings are statistically significant.
City	An urban cluster of people, buildings, roads, and other elements. Cities may be defined in different ways, so comparisons between cities should consider how they were defined.
Cleft Lip	A birth defect where an opening is found in the upper lip. If often occurs with cleft palate, which is an opening in the roof of the mouth.
Column	A vertical (up-and-down) display of information or data in a table. See also Row, Table.
Compliant Period	A period of time when no environmental hazard violations are noted.
Contaminant	A potentially harmful substance in the air, water, soil or food.
Cotinine	A substance formed in the body from nicotine. Cotinine can be measured in urine and is used to measure exposure to tobacco smoke.
Criteria Pollutant	One of six air pollutants that are regulated by the U.S EPA. The criteria pollutants include carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. because of asthma

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Data	Information composed of multiple individual measurement or outcomes. An individual measurement is referred to as 'datum'.
Data Suppression Rule	Withholding the display of data so that personal information is not released.
Deciliter	A metric measurement of volume, consisting of one-tenth of a liter. Abbreviated as 'dL'. Equivalent metric terms are 10 centiliters (cL) or 100 milliliters (mL). One deciliter is approximately 3 ounces.
Deaths	The total number of deaths from any cause, usually defined within a specified period of time. Also called mortality.
Degrees of freedom	The number of variables that are free to vary in calculation. If you are calculating one value from a combination of variable, the number of degrees of freedom is one less than the total number of variables (n-1).
Denominator	The bottom number of a fraction, used to calculate values such as rates. See also Numerator.
Drinking Water	Water that is used for drinking, and other household uses such as cooking, bathing, and laundry.

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Environment	Air, water, soil, and food and the contaminants found within them.
Environmental Factor	A specific component of the environment.
Environmental Health	The field of study examining the effects of the environment on human health with an emphasis on the environmental hazards and adverse health outcomes.
Ethnicity	Self-defined cultural group.
Exposure	Contact with an environmental contaminant through breathing, drinking, eating or the skin.

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Figure	A shape, drawing, or representation or number. See also Graph..
Fine Particulate Matter	Another term for PM2.5

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Gender	Maleness or femaleness. Health can be influenced by gender. See also sex.
GIS	Geographic Information Systems, A system that allows geographic information to be stored, analyzed and displayed.
Graph	A visual display showing relationships of numeric information.
Ground Level Ozone	A component of smog, regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ozone can worsen asthma and other lung diseases. See also Ozone.
Group Data	A summary of data from a specific population group. The population group can be defined in several ways, such as geography, race/ethnicity, or age. Also termed population-based data or aggregated data.

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HAA5	A class of disinfection by-products (halo acetic acids) that are formed when water is disinfected using chlorine or chloramine. Halo acetic acids have been linked with adverse reproductive effects such as low birth weight (gv).
Health	According to the World Health Organization, 'Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Reference: Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no.2 p.100) and entered into force on 7 April 1946.
Health Outcome	Also called health effect. A disease or health condition measured or observed in a population or an individual.
Hispanic	A person of Spanish-speaking heritage. Other words for Hispanic include Chicanos or Latinos for males and Latinas for females.

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Land Use	The human use of land for a specific application such as agriculture, forestry, industry, cities etc.
Lead Poisoning	Elevated blood lead level, usually as a result of long-term exposure. Infants and children are especially sensitive to lead, which can cause problems with intelligence, memory, coordination, and behavior
Low Birth Weight	Birth weight less than 2500grams (less than approximately 4 pounds).

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Map	A visual representation of a geographical area or other spatial information such as population density, health outcomes, and environmental contaminants. Data Suppression rules apply to human health information in maps as well as tables. See also Geographic Information System and image.
MCL	Abbreviation for Maximum Contaminant level. The highest level of a substance allowed in drinking water by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, intended to protect people from adverse health effects of contaminants.
MCL Violation	An observation where the level of a drinking water contaminant is greater than the MCL
Microgram	Abbreviated as ug. One-millionth of a gram. Equivalent to 0.00000003527 ounce.
Myocardial Infarction	The medical term for a heart attack, which occurs when part of the heart cannot get enough oxygen because of blocked blood vessels.

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Nitrates and Nitrites	Drinking water contaminants composed of nitrogen and oxygen. Infants are especially sensitive to nitrates and nitrites. Nitrates are the predominant form in water and can come from fertilizers, animal waste and failed septic systems.
Non-attainment areas	Geographic areas that have not met the air quality standards for one or more of the Criteria Pollutants.
Not Significant	A description for a result or finding that is not statistically important.
Numerator	The top number of a fraction, used to calculate values such as rates. See also Denominator.

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Ozone

A highly reactive air pollutant made of three atoms of oxygen. In nature, ozone occurs near the ground (the 'bad' ozone in smog) or high in the atmosphere (the 'good' ozone that blocks harmful UV radiation from the sun). See also Ground Level Ozone..

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Particulate Matter	Tiny airborne particles or droplets characterized as air pollutants. See also Fine Particulate Matter and PM2.5.
Pesticides	Substances used to kill or slow the growth of insects, weeds, rodents, fungi or some type of worms.
PM2.5	Airborne particles or droplets that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter. PM2.5 can be breathed in the lungs and can contribute to various health problems. PM2.5 is one of the Criteria Pollutant and is also known as Fine Particulate Matter. It can come from vehicle exhaust, power plants, fires and manufacturing processes.
Primary Source Type	The main source for a community (public) drinking water system. Primary source types can be surface water, ground water, a mixture of surface and ground waters, or purchased water.
Probability	A measure of the likelihood that an event will happen.
Probability Value (P)	The statistical likelihood that a finding is due to chance alone. A low probability value suggests that a finding is real and is not simply due to chance. A probability value of less than 0.05(5%) is a commonly used benchmark for significance. See also Probability and Significance.

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Race	A group of people who share a common genetic background, geographical location, history, or other characteristics.
Rate	A measure of how often an event occurs during a specified period of time or in a population. Se also Numerator, Denominator, Age-Adjusted Rate.
Risk	The probability that a given factor will cause harm.
Risk Factor	Something that contributes to a particular adverse health outcome, such as age, gender, genetic background, or environmental exposure.
River	Surface water that flows from an origin to a destination. Rivers may branch into lesser tributaries such as streams or branches.
Row	A horizontal (cross-wise) display of information or data in a table. See also Column and Table.
Row Percentage	The percent contribution of a value to the total of all values in the same row.
RSE	Abbreviation for Relative Standard Error. A measure of the accuracy or reliability of data, expressed as a percent of a given value.

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Sex	Another term for Gender, but with a greater emphasis on biological differences between males and females.
Significance	A statistical term for the probability that an even was not random. Significance is actually a continuous spectrum, but a common benchmark for significance is P
Spina bifida	A birth defect where the spinal cord is not fully enclosed.
Street Map	A map showing major highways at a large scale and minor streets and roads at a small scale.
Suppression Rules	See Data Suppression Rule.

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Table	Presentation of data in rows and columns. See also Rows and Columns.
Total(s)	The sum of all observations.
Toxic Pollutants	Substance present in the air, water, food, or soil that can be harmful to human health and the environment.
Trisomy 21	Also called Down Syndrome. A genetic condition in which there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. Children with Trisomy 21 typically have developmental and medical problems and a characteristic appearance. See also Birth Defect.
TTHM	Abbreviation for Total Trihalomethanes. A group of chemicals, also called disinfection by-products that are formed when water is disinfected with chlorine or chloramine. Total trihalomethanes have been linked with certain health effects, including cancer. See also HAA5

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Water Contaminant	A potentially harmful substance that is present in water.
Water Plant City	The city in which a community (public) drinking water treatment plant is located. The water plant city may not correspond to the area that it serves.

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X2 (Chi-Square)

See chi-square test.

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​Tracking Glossary A to Z

Tracking Glossary A to Z