Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the Certified Healthcare Safety Professional Exam. Access flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each offering detailed hints and explanations. Excel in your certification test!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


What are biological toxins?

  1. Poisons produced by machines

  2. Poisons produced by pathogens, plants, or animals

  3. Artificial chemicals used in medicine

  4. Harmful substances created by industrial processes

The correct answer is: Poisons produced by pathogens, plants, or animals

Biological toxins are substances that are harmful and produced naturally by living organisms. These can originate from various sources, including pathogens (such as bacteria and fungi), certain plants, and animals. The reason option B is the correct choice is that it encapsulates the essence of biological toxins being created by biological entities, which distinguishes them from synthetic or industrially produced chemicals. For instance, some bacteria produce toxins that can cause illness in humans, while certain plants contain compounds that can be toxic if ingested. Similarly, some animal venoms are composed of proteins that can be harmful. This definition aligns well with the characteristics of biological toxins as substances inherently linked to living organisms rather than being the result of mechanical or artificial processes.