haitallinen

Haitallinen is an adjective in Finnish meaning harmful, injurious, or detrimental. It is used to describe substances, actions, or conditions that can cause damage to health, safety, or welfare. In health and safety contexts, the term appears in phrases such as haitallinen aine (harmful substance) or haitalliset vaikutukset (harmful effects). The word is common in medicine, toxicology, environmental science, consumer safety, and public policy discussions.

Etymology and nuance: Haitallinen is formed from the noun haitta, meaning harm or damage, with the suffix -llinen to indicate a characteristic. Thus haitallinen literally conveys “characterized by harm.” It is related to other terms like haitta and haittavaikutus (adverse or harmful effect).

Usage notes: Haitallinen is generally distinct from vaarallinen, which more strongly conveys immediate danger or risk. Haitallinen can describe long-term or indirect harm, or substances and practices that are detrimental to health or the environment. In everyday language, people may refer to haitalliset tavat (harmful habits) or haitallinen ympäristö (harmful environment), while regulatory or scientific contexts may specify haitallinen aineet or haitalliset vaikutukset.

Common phrases and related terms: haitallinen aine, haitallinen vaikutus, haitalliset päästöt, haittavaikutus. Related concepts include haitta (harm/damage) and vahingollinen (injurious), with hyödyllinen (beneficial) and turvallinen (safe) serving as antonyms in many contexts.

See also: haitta, haittavaikutus, haitallinen aine, vahingollinen, vaarallinen.