nocives

Nocives is a term used in environmental health and toxicology to refer to substances, agents, or processes that cause harm to living organisms, ecosystems, or human health.

In casual or regional usage, nocives encompasses toxic chemicals, pollutants, biological agents, and physical agents with adverse effects. The word derives from Latin nocere to harm, and the English form nocive or nocuous is more common; nocives is a plural form used in some scholarly and policy contexts.

Nocives can act through multiple mechanisms, including acute and chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, or ecotoxicity. Risk assessment uses dose–response relationships, exposure assessment, and hazard identification rather than applying a blanket nocive label.

Regulatory practice typically classifies substances as hazardous, toxic, or dangerous. The term nocive may appear in regional guidelines or environmental literature but it is less common in formal regulatory lists. Its use reflects a broader attempt to discuss harm without specifying a particular mechanism.

See also Toxicology; Hazardous substance; Environmental health.