Synergism 1
Synergism 1 : [also, Synergy] (a) When the adverse effect or risk from two or more chemicals interacting with each other is greater than what it would be if each chemical was acting separately. [ED, 2000: Environmental Scorecard Glossary]; (b) The definition of synergism in epidemiology is somewhat controversial. We offer two definitions, the first a common dictionary definition, the second a more specific definition encountered in bioassay. (1) A situation in which the combined effect of two or more factors is greater than the sum of their solitary effects. (2) Two factors act synergistically if there are persons who will get the disease when exposed to both factors but not when exposed to either alone. Antagonism, the opposite of synergism, exists if there are persons who will get the disease when exposed to one of the factors alone, but not when exposed to both. Note that under these definitions, two factors may act synergistically in some persons and antagonistically in others. [Last, 1983: A Dictionary of Epidemiology]; (c) An interaction between two substances that results in a greater effect than both of the substances could have had acting independently. [SRA, 1999: Glossary of Risk Analysis Terms] [USDOE, 2000: RAIS Glossary] [USEPA, 1997a: EPA Terms of Environment]
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