Final answer:
Acute exposure to toxins can cause immediate and severe health effects, while chronic exposure results in health effects that develop over a long period of time and are often harder to identify.
Step-by-step explanation:
An acute exposure comes from exposure to a material that is toxic enough to cause immediate effects or symptoms. A chronic exposure comes from exposure to a material that takes many years to see the effects. Acute effects of a contaminant, such as large doses of radiation or high level pesticide exposure, occur rapidly after exposure and are easily identifiable due to the severity of symptoms which can range from changes in blood chemistry to potentially fatal outcomes. In contrast, chronic effects may not be obvious and can result from prolonged exposure to low levels of contaminants, including pesticides or moderate levels of radiation, which may eventually lead to serious health issues like cancer but are more difficult to directly link to the exposure because they develop over long periods.
Exposure to any substance, whether it leads to acute or chronic effects, is based on the dose-response relationship. This underscores the importance of minimizing unnecessary exposure to hazardous substances in our environment, as both acute and chronic effects can have significant health implications.