United States Communications, EPA 175-B-92-001
Environmental Protection Education, And September 1992
Agency Public Affairs (A-107)
&EPA Terms Of Environment
Glossary, Abbreviations And
Acronyms
Printed on Recycled Paper
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agtncy
Region 5, Library (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, 12th FloOf
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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Introduction
Terms Of Environment defines in non-technical language the more
commonly used environmental terms appearing in EPA publications, news
releases, and other Agency documents available to the general public,
students, the media, and Agency employees. The definitions do not
constitute the Agency's official use of terms and phrases for regulatory
purposes, and nothing in this document should be construed to alter or
supplant any other federal document. Official terminology may be found
in the laws and related regulations as published in such sources as the
Congressional Record, Federal Register, and elsewhere.
The terms and acronyms selected included herein, are derived from
previously published lists, internal glossaries produced by various pro-
grams and specific suggestions made by personnel in many Agency
offices. The chemicals and pesticides selected for inclusion are limited to
those most frequently referred to in Agency publications or which are the
subject of major regulatory or program activities. Acronyms or Abbrevia-
tions for EPA units are automated to office-level designation.
Definitions or information about substances or program activities
not included herein may be found in EPA libraries or scientific/technical
reference documents, or may be obtained from various program offices.
Those with suggestions for future editions should write to the
Editorial Services Division, Office of Communications, Education, and
Public Affairs, A-107, USEPA, Washington DC 20460.
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A—Scale Sound Level: A measurement of
sound approximating the sensitivity of the
human ear, used to note the intensity or
annoyance level of sounds.
Abandoned Well: A well whose use has
been permanently discontinued or which is
in a state of such disrepair that it cannot
be used for its intended purpose.
Abatement: Reducing the degree or inten-
sity of, or eliminating, pollution.
Absorption: The passage of one substance
into or through another; e.g., an operation
in which one or more soluble components
of a gas, liquid, or solid mixture are dis-
solved in a liquid.
Accelerator: In radiation science, a device
that speeds up charged particles such as
electrons or protons.
Accident Site: The location of an unexpect-
ed occurrence, failure or loss, either at a
plant or along a transportation route,
resulting in a release of hazardous materi-
als.
Acclimatization: The physiological and
behavioral adjustments of an organism to
changes in its environment.
Acetylcholine: A substance in the human
body having important neurotransmitter
effects on various internal systems; often
used as a bronchoconstrictor.
Acid Deposition: A complex chemical and
atmospheric phenomenon that occurs
when emissions of sulfur and nitrogen
compounds and other substances are trans-
formed by chemical processes in the atmo-
sphere, often far from the original sources,
and then deposited on earth in either wet
or dry form. The wet forms, popularly
called "acid rain," can fall as rain, snow, or
fog. The dry forms are acidic gases or
particulates.
Acid Rain: (See: acid deposition)
Action Levels: 1. Regulatory levels recom-
mended by EPA for enforcement by FDA
and USDA when pesticide residues occur
in food or feed commodities for reasons
other than the direct application of the
pesticide. As opposed to "tolerances"
which are established for residues occur-
ing as a direct result of proper usage,
action levels are set for inadvertent resi-
dues resulting from previous legal use or
accidental contamination. 2. In the Super-
fund program, the existence of a contami-
nant concentration in the environment high
enough to warrant action or trigger a
response under SARA and the National Oil
and Hazardous Substances Contingency
Plan. The term is also used in other regu-
latory programs. (See: tolerances.)
Activated Carbon: A highly adsorbent
form of carbon used to remove odors and
toxic substances from liquid or gaseous
emissions. In waste treatment it is used to
remove dissolved organic matter from
waste water. It is also used in motor vehi-
cle evaporative control systems.
Activated Sludge: Product that results
when primary effluent is mixed with bac-
teria-laden sludge and then agitated and
aerated to promote biological treatment,
speeding the breakdown of organic matter
in raw sewage undergoing secondary
waste treatment.
Activator: A chemical added to a pesticide
to increase its activity.
Active Ingredient: In any pesticide prod-
uct, the component that kills, or otherwise
controls, target pests. Pesticides are regu-
lated primarily on the basis of active ingre-
dients.
Activity Plans: Written procedures in a
school's asbestos- management plan that
detail the steps a Local Education Agency
(LEA) will follow in performing the initial
and additional cleaning, operation and
maintenance-program tasks; periodic sur-
veillance; and reinspections required by
the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response
Act (AHERA).
Acute Exposure: A single exposure to a
toxic substance which results in severe
biological harm or death. Acute exposures
are usually characterized as lasting no
longer than a day, as compared to longer,
continuing exposure over a period of time.
Acute Toxicity: The ability of a substance
to cause poisonous effects resulting in
severe biological harm or death soon after
a single exposure or dose. Also, any severe
poisonous effect resulting from a single
short-term exposure to a toxic substance.
(See: chronic toxicity, toxicity.)
Adaptation: Changes in an organism's
structure or habits that help it adjust to its
surroundings.
Add-on Control Device: An air pollution
control device such as carbon absorber or
incinerator that reduces the pollution in an
exhaust gas. The control device usually
does not affect the process being controlled
and thus is "add-on" technology, as op-
posed to a scheme to control pollution
through altering the basic process itself.
Adequately Wet: Asbestos containing
material that is sufficiently mixed or pene-
trated with liquid to prevent the release of
particulates.
Adhesion: Molecular attraction that holds
the surfaces of two substances in contact.
Administrative Order On Consent: A
legal agreement signed by EPA and an
individual, business, or other entity
through which the violator agrees to pay
for correction of violations, take the re-
quired corrective or cleanup actions, or
refrain from an activity. It describes the
actions to be taken, may be subject to a
comment period, applies to civil actions,
and can be enforced in court.
Administrative Order A legal document
signed by EPA directing an individual,
business, or other entity to take corrective
action or refrain from an activity. It de-
scribes the violations and actions to be
taken, and can be enforced in court. Such
orders may be issued, for example, as a
result of an administrative complaint
whereby the respondent is ordered to pay
a penalty for violations of a statute.
Administrative Procedures Act: A law that
spells out procedures and requirements
related to the promulgation of regulations.
Administrative Record: All documents
which EPA considered or relied on in
selecting the response action at a Super-
fund site, culminating in the record of
decision for remedial action or, an action
memorandum for removal actions.
Adsorption: 1. Adhesion of molecules of
gas, liquid, or dissolved solids to a surface.
2. An advanced method of treating waste
in which activates carbon and removes
organic matter from wastewater
Adulterants: Chemical impurities or sub-
stances that by law do not belong in a
food, or pesticide.
Adulterated: 1. Any pesticide whose
strength or purity falls below the quality
stated on its label. 2. A food,feed, or prod-
uct that contains illegal pesticide residues.
Advanced Treatment: A level of waste-
water treatment more stringent than sec-
ondary treatment; requires an 85-percent
reduction in conventional pollutant concen-
tration or a significant reduction in non-
conventional pollutants.
Advanced Wastewater Treatment: Any
treatment of sewage that goes beyond the
secondary or biological water treatment
stage and includes the removal of nutrients
such as phosphorus and nitrogen and a
high percentage of suspended solids. (See
primary, secondary treatment.)
Advisory: A non-regulatory document that
communicates risk information to those
who may have to make risk management
decisions.
Aerated Lagoon: A holding and/or treat-
ment pond that speeds up the natural
process of biological decomposition of
organic waste by stimulating the growth
and activity of bacteria that degrade organ-
ic waste.
Aeration: A process which promotes bio-
logical degradation of organic matter in
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water. The process may be passive (as
when waste is exposed to air), or active (as
when a mixing or bubbling device intro-
duces the air).
Aeration Tank: A chamber used to inject
air into water.
Aerobic Treatment: Process by which mi-
crobes decompose complex organic com-
pounds in the presence of oxygen and use
the liberated energy for reproduction and
growth. (Such processes include extended
aeration, trickling filtration, and rotating
biological contactors.)
Aerobic: Life or processes that require, or
are not destroyed by, the presence of
oxygen. (See: anaerobic.)
Aerosol: A suspension of liquid or solid
particles in a gas.
Affected Public: The people who live
and/or work near a hazardous waste site.
Afterburner: In incinerator technology, a
burner located so that the combustion
gases are made to pass through its flame
in order to remove smoke and odors. It
may be attached to or be separated from
the incinerator proper.
Agent Orange: A toxic herbicide and defo-
liant used in the Vietnam conflict, contain-
ing 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid
(2,4,5-T) and 2-4 dichlorophenoxyacetic
acid (2,4-D) with trace amounts of dioxin.
Agglomeration: The process by which
precipitation particles grow larger by
collision or contact with cloud particles or
other precipitation particles.
Agglutination: The process of uniting solid
particles coated with a thin layer of adhe-
sive material or of arresting solid particles
by impact on a surface coated with an
adhesive.
Agricultural Pollution: Farming wastes,
including runoff and leaching of pesticides
and fertilizers; erosion and dust from
plowing; improper disposal of animal
manure and carcasses; crop residues, and
debris.
AHERA Designated Person (ADP): A
person designated by a Local Education
Agency to ensure that the AHERA require-
ments for asbestos management and abate-
ment are properly implemented.
Air Changes Per Hour (ACH): The move-
ment of a volume of air in a given period
of time; if a house has one air change per
hour, it means that all of the air in the
house will be replaced in a one-hour peri-
od.
Air Contaminant: Any particulate matter,
gas, or combination thereof, other than
water vapor. (See: air pollutant.)
Air Curtain: A method of containing oil
spills. Air bubbling through a perforated
pipe causes an upward water flow that
slows the spread of oil. It can also be used
to stop fish from entering polluted water.
Air Mass: A large volume of air with
certain meteorological or polluted charac-
teristics-e,g, a heat inversion or smoggi-
ness-while in one location. The character-
istics can change as the air mass moves
away.
Air Monitoring: (See: monitoring)
Air Plenum: Any space used to convey
air in a building, furnace, or structure. The
space above a suspended ceiling is often
used as an air plenum.
Air Pollutant: Any substance in air that
could, in high enough concentration, harm
man, other animals, vegetation, or material.
Pollutants may include almost any natural
or artificial composition of airborne matter
capable of being airborne. They may be in
the form of solid particles, liquid droplets,
gases, or in combination thereof. Generally,
they fall into two main groups: (1) those
emitted directly from identifiable sources
and (2) those produced in the air by inter-
action between two or more primary pol-
lutants, or by reaction with normal atmo-
spheric constituents, with or without
photoactivation. Exclusive of pollen, fog,
and dust, which are of natural origin,
about 100 contaminants have been identi-
fied and fall into the following categories:
solids, sulfur compounds, volatile organic
chemicals, nitrogen compounds, oxygen
compounds, halogen compounds, radioac-
tive compounds, and odors.
Air Pollution Episode: A period of abnor-
mally high concentration of air pollutants,
often due to low winds and temperature
inversion, that can cause illness and death.
(See: episode, pollution.)
Air Pollution Control Device: Mechanism
or equipment that cleans emissions gener-
ated by an incinerator by removing pollut-
ants that would otherwise be released to
the atmosphere.
Air Pollution: The presence of contami-
nant or pollutant substances in the air that
do not disperse properly and interfere with
human health or welfare, or produce other
harmful environmental effects.
Air Quality Criteria: The levels of pollu-
tion and lengths of exposure above which
adverse health and welfare effects may
occur.
Air Quality Control Region: An area-
designated by the federal government-in
which communities share a common air
pollution problem, sometimes embracing
several states.
Air Quality Standards: The level of pollut-
ants prescribed by regulations that may
not be exceeded during a given time in a
defined area.
Air Stripping: A treatment system that re-
moves volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
from contaminated ground water or sur-
face water by forcing an airstream through
the water and causing the compounds to
evaporate.
Air Toxics: Any air pollutant for which a
national ambient air quality standard
(NAAQS) does not exist (i.e., excluding
ozone, carbon monoxide, PM-10, sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxide) that may reason-
ably be anticipated to cause cancer, devel-
opmental effects, reproductive dysfunc-
tions, neurological disorders, heritable
gene mutations, or other serious or irre-
versible chronic or acute health effects in
humans.
Airborne Particulates: Total suspended
particulate matter found in the atmosphere
as solid particles or liquid droplets. Chemi-
cal composition of particulates varies wide-
ly, depending on location and time of year.
Airborne particulates include: windblown
dust, emissions from industrial processes,
smoke from the burning of wood and coal,
and motor vehicle or non-road engine
exhausts, exhaust of motor vehicles.
Airborne Release: Release of any chemical
into the air.
Alachlor A herbicide, marketed under the
trade name Lasso, used mainly to control
weeds in corn and soybean fields.
Alar Trade name for daminozide, a pesti-
cide that makes apples redder, firmer, and
less likely to drop off trees before growers
are ready to pick them. It is also used to a
lesser extent on peanuts, tart cherries,
concord grapes, and other fruits.
Albedo: Ability of a surface to reflect
incoming electromagnetic radiation, mea-
sured from 0 to 1; surfaces with albedos of
1 reflect all incoming radiation, those with
0 albedo absorb all of it.
Aldicarb: An insecticide sold under the
trade name Temik. It is made from ethyl
isocyanate.
Algae: Simple rootless plants that grow in
sunlit waters in proportion to the amount
of available nutrients. They can affect
water quality adversely by lowering the
dissolved oxygen in the water. They are
food for fish and small aquatic animals.
Algal Blooms: Sudden spurts of algal
growth, which can affect water quality
adversely and indicate potentially hazard-
ous changes in local water chemistry.
Alpha Particle: A positively charged parti-
cle composed of 2 neutrons and 2 protons
released by some atoms undergoing radio-
active decay. The particle is identical to the
nucleus of a helium atom.
Alternate Fuels: Fuels such as ethanol,
methane, LPG, and natural gas that can be
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used instead of gasoline to run automo-
biles and other engines.
Alternate Method: Any method of sam-
pling and analyzing for an air pollutant
that is not a reference or equivalent meth-
od but that has been demonstrated in
specific cases-to EPA's satisfaction-to pro-
duce results adequate for compliance
monitoring.
Alternative Remedial Contract Strategy
Contractors: Government contractors who
provide project management and technical
services to support remedial response
activities at National Priorities List sites.
Ambient Air Quality Standards: (See:
Criteria Pollutants and National Ambient
Air Quality Standards.)
Ambient Air: Any unconfined portion of
the atmosphere: open air, surrounding air.
Anadromous: Fish that spend their adult
life in the sea but swim upriver to fresh-
water spawning grounds to reproduce.
Anaerobic: A life or process that occurs in,
or is not destroyed by, the absence of
oxygen.
Antagonism: The interaction of two chemi-
cals having an opposing, or neutralizing
effect on each other.
Antarctic "Ozone Hole": Refers to the
seasonal depletion of ozone in a large area
over Antarctica.
Anti-Degradation Clause: Part of federal
air quality and water quality requirements
prohibiting deterioration where pollution
levels are above the legal limit.
Antibodies: Proteins produced in the body
by immune system cells in response to
antigens, and capable of combining with
antigens.
Antigen: A substance that causes produc-
tion of antibodies when introduced into
animal or human tissue.
Applicable or Appropriate Requirements
(ARARs): Any state or federal statute that
pertains to protection of human life and
the environment in addressing specific
conditions or use of a particular cleanup
technology at a Superfund site,
Aquifer An underground geological for-
mation, or group of formations, containing
usable amounts of groundwater that can
supply wells and springs.
Arbitration: Resolution of disputes by
means of an impartial arbitrator selected
by the parties; the decisions are usually
binding. (See: mediation.)
Area of Review: In the UIC program, the
area surrounding an injection well that is
reviewed during the permitting process to
determine if flow between aquifers will be
induced by the injection operation.
Area Source: Any small source of non-
natural air pollution that is released over a
relatively small area but which cannot be
classified as a point source. Such sources
may include vehicles and other small
engines, small businesses and household
activities.
Aromatics: A type of hydrocarbon, such as
benzene or toluene, added to gasoline in
order to increase octane. Some aromatics
are toxic.
Arsenicals: Pesticides containing arsenic.
Asbestos: A mineral fiber that can pollute
air or water and cause cancer or asbestosis
when inhaled. EPA has banned or severely
restricted its use in manufacturing and
construction.
Asbestos Abatement: Procedures to con-
trol fiber release from asbestos-containing
materials in a building or to remove them
entirely, including removal, encapsulation,
repair, enclosure, encasement, and opera-
tions and maintenance programs.
Asbestos-Containing Waste Materials
(ACWM): Mill tailings or any waste that
contains commercial asbestos and is gener-
ated by a source covered by the Clean Air
Act Asbestos NESHAPS.
Asbestosis: A disease associated with
inhalation of asbestos fibers. The disease
makes breathing progressively more diffi-
cult and can be fatal.
Asbestos Program Manager: A building
owner or designated representative who
supervises all aspects of the facility asbes-
tos management and control program.
Ash: The mineral content of a product re-
maining after complete combustion.
Assessment: In the asbestos-in-schools pro-
gram, the evaluation of the physical condi-
tion and potential for damage of all friable
asbestos containing materials and thermal
insulation systems.
Assimilation: The ability of a body of
water to purify itself of pollutants.
Assimilative Capacity: The capacity of a
natural body of water to receive waste-
waters or toxic materials without deleteri-
ous effects and without damage to aquatic
life or humans who consume the water.
Atmosphere [an]: A standard unit of pres-
sure representing the pressure exerted by
a 29.92-inch column of mercury at sea level
at 45' latitude and equal to 1000 grams per
square centimeter.
Atmosphere [the]: The whole mass of air
surrounding the earth, comprising oxygen,
nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and trace gases..
Atomize: To divide a liquid into extremely
minute particles, either by impact with a
jet of steam or compressed air, or by pas-
sage through some mechanical device.
Attainment Area: An area considered to
have air quality as good as or better than
the national ambient air quality standards
as defined in the Clean Air Act. An area
may be an attainment area for one pollut-
ant and a non-attainment area for others.
Attenuation: The process by which a com-
pound is reduced in concentration over
time, through absorption, adsorption,
degradation, dilution, and/or transforma-
tion.
Attractant: A chemical or agent that lures
insects or other pests by stimulating their
sense of smell.
Attrition: Wearing or grinding down of a
substance by friction. Dust from such
processes contributes to air pollution.
Autotroph: An organism that produces its
food nutrients from inorganic substances.
Availability Session: Informal meeting at
a public location where interested citizens
can talk with EPA and state officials on a
one-to-one basis.
B
Background Level: In air pollution control,
the concentration of air pollutants in a
definite area during a fixed period of time
prior to the starting up or on the stoppage
of a source of emission under control. In
toxic substances monitoring, the average
presence in the environment, originally
referring to naturally occurring phenome-
na.
BACT-Best Available Control Technolo-
gy: An emission limitation based on the
maximum degree of emission reduction
(considering energy, environmental, and
economic impacts) achievable through
application of production processes and
available methods, systems, and tech-
niques. BACT does not permit emissions in
excess of those allowed under any applica-
ble Clean Air Act provisions. Use of the
BACT concept is allowable on a case by
case basis for major new or modified emis-
sions sources in attainment areas and
applies to each regulated pollutant.
Bacteria: (Singular: bacterium) Microscopic
living organisms that can aid in pollution
control by metabolizing organic matter in
sewage, oil spills or other pollutants. How-
ever, bacteria in soil, water or air can also
cause human, animal and plant health
problems.
Baffle Chamber In incinerator design, a
chamber designed to promote the settling
of fly ash and coarse particulate matter by
changing the direction and/or reducing
the velocity of the gases produced by the
combustion of the refuse or sludge.
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Baghouse Filter Large fabric bag, usually
made of glass fibers, used to eliminate
intermediate and large (greater than 20
microns in diameter) particles. This device
operates like the bag of an electric vacuum
cleaner, passing the air and smaller parti-
cles while entrapping the larger ones.
Baling: Compacting solid waste into blocks
to reduce volume and simplify handling.
Ballistic Separator A machine that sorts
organic from inorganic matter for compost-
ing.
Band Application: The spreading of chem-
icals over, or next to, each row of plants in
a field.
Banking: A system for recording qualified
air emission reductions for later use in
bubble, offset, or netting transactions. (See:
emissions trading.)
Bar Screen: In wastewater treatment, a
device used to remove large solids.
Barrier Coating(s): A layer of a material
that obstructs or prevents passage of some-
thing through a surface that is to be pro-
tected, e.g. grout, caulk, or various sealing
compounds; sometimes used with polyure-
thane membranes to prevent corrosion or
oxidation of metal surfaces, chemical im-
pacts on various materials, or, for example,
to prevent radon infiltration through walls,
cracks, or joints in a house.
Basal Application: In pesticides, the appli-
cation of a chemical on plant stems or tree
trunks just above the soil line.
BEN: EPA's computer model for analyzing
a violator's economic gain from not com-
plying with the law.
Bench-scale Tests: Laboratory testing of
potential cleanup technologies (See: treat-
ability studies.)
Benthic Organism: A form of aquatic plant
or animal life that is found at or near the
bottom of a stream, lake or ocean.
Benthic Region: The bottom layer of a
body of water.
Beryllium: An airborne metal hazardous
to human health when inhaled. It is dis-
charged by machine shops, ceramic and
propellant plants, and foundries.
Best Available Control Measures (BAC-
M): A term used to refer to the most effec-
tive measures (according to EPA guidance)
for controlling small or dispersed particu-
lates from sources such as roadway dust,
soot and ash from woodstoves and open
burning of rush, timber, grasslands, or
trash.
Best Demonstrated Available Technology
(BOAT): As identified by EPA, the most
effective commercially available means of
treating specific types of hazardous waste.
The BDATs may change with advances in
treatment technologies-
Beta Particle: An elementary particle emit-
ted in radioactive decay that may cause
skin burns, but can be halted by a thin
sheet of paper or foil.
Bimetal: Beverage containers with steel
bodies and aluminum tops; handled differ-
ently from pure aluminum in recycling.
Bioaccumulants: Substances that increase
in concentration in living organisms as
they take in contaminated air, water, or
food because the substances are very
slowly metabolized or excreted. (See: bio-
logical magnification.)
Bioassay: Study of living organisms to
measure the effect of a substance, factor, or
condition by comparing before-and-after
exposure or other data.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): A
measure of the amount of oxygen con-
sumed in the biological processes that
break down organic matter in water. The
greater the BOD, the greater the degree of
pollution.
Biodegradable: Capable of decomposing
rapidly under natural conditions.
Biological Control: In pest control, the use
of animals and organisms that eat or other-
wise kill or out-compete pests.
Biological Magnification: Refers to the
process whereby certain substances such as
pesticides or heavy metals move up the
food chain, work their way into rivers or
lakes, and are eaten by aquatic organisms
such as fish, which in turn are eaten by
large birds, animals or humans. The sub-
stances become concentrated in tissues or
internal organs as they move up the chain.
(See: bioaccumulative.)
Biological Oxidation: Decomposition of
complex organic materials by microorgan-
isms. Occurs in self-purification of water
bodies and in activated sludge wastewater
treatment.
Biological Treatment: A treatment technol-
ogy that uses bacteria to consume organic
waste.
Biologicals: Vaccines, cultures and other
preparations made from living organisms
and their products, intended for use in
diagnosing, immunizing, or treating hu-
mans or animals, or in related research.
Biomass: All of the living material in a
given area; often refers to vegetation.
Biome: Entire community of living organ-
isms in a single major ecological area. (See:
biotic community.)
Biomonitoring: 1. The use of living organ-
isms to test the suitability of effluents for
discharge into receiving waters and to test
the quality of such waters downstream
from the discharge. 2. Analysis of blood,
urine, tissues, etc., to measure chemical
exposure in humans.
Bioremediation: Use of living organisms to
clean up oil spills or remove other pollut-
ants from soil, water, or wastewater; use of
organisms such as non-harmful insects to
remove agricultural pests or counteract
diseases of trees, plants, and garden soil.
Biosphere: The portion of Earth and its
atmosphere that can support life.
Biostabilizer A machine that converts
solid waste into compost by grinding and
aeration.
Biota: The animal and plant life of a given
region.
Biotechnology: Techniques that use living
organisms or parts of organisms to pro-
duce a variety of products (from medicines
to industrial enzymes) to improve plants
or animals or to develop microorganisms
to remove toxics from bodies of water, or
act as pesticides.
Biotic Community: A naturally occurring
assemblage of plants and animals that live
in the same environment and are mutually
sustaining and interdependent. (See: biom-
e.)
Black Lung: A disease of the lungs caused
by habitual inhalation of coal dust.
Blackwater Water that contains animal,
human, or food waste.
Blood Products: Any product derived
from human blood, including but not
limited to blood plasma, platelets, red or
white corpuscles, and derived licensed
products such as interferon.
Bloom: A proliferation of algae and/or
higher aquatic plants in a body of water;
often related to pollution, especially when
pollutants accelerate growth.
BODS: The amount of dissolved oxygen
consumed in five days by biological pro-
cesses breaking down organic matter.
Bog: A type of wetland that accumulates
appreciable peat deposits. Bogs depend
primarily on precipitation for their water
source, and are usually acidic and rich in
plant residue with a conspicuous mat of
living green moss.
Boom: 1. A floating device used to contain
oil on a body of water. 2. A piece of equip-
ment used to apply pesticides from a
tractor or truck. (See: sonic boom.)
Botanical Pesticide: A pesticide whose
active ingredient is a plant-produced
chemical such as nicotine or strychnine.
Also called a plant-derived pesticide.
Bottle Bill: Proposed or enacted legislation
which requires a returnable deposit on
beer or soda containers and provides for
retail store or other redemption. Such
legislation is designed to discourage use of
throwaway containers.
Bottom Ash: The non-airborne combustion
residue from burning pulverized coal in a
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boiler; the material which falls to the bot-
tom of the boiler and is removed mechani-
cally; a concentration of the non-combusti-
ble materials, which may include toxics.
Bottom Land Hardwoods: Forested fresh-
water wetlands adjacent to rivers in the
southeastern United States, especially
valuable for wildlife breeding, nesting and
habitat.
Brackish Water: A mixture of fresh and
salt water.
Brine Mud: Waste material, often associat-
ed with well-drilling or mining, composed
of mineral salts or other inorganic com-
pounds.
Building Cooling Load: The hourly
amount of heat that must be removed from
a building to maintain indoor comfort
(measured in British Thermal Units (Btus).
Broadcast Application: The spreading of
pesticides over an entire area.
Bubble Policy: (See: emissions trading.)
Bubble: A system under which existing
emissions sources can propose alternate
means to comply with a set of emissions
limitations; under the bubble concept,
sources can control more than required at
one emission point where control costs are
relatively low in return for a comparable
relaxation of controls at a second emission
point where costs are higher.
Buffer Strips: Strips of grass or other
erosion-resisting vegetation between or
below cultivated strips or fields.
Bulk Sample: A small portion (usually
thumbnail size) of a suspect asbestos-con-
taining building material collected by an
asbestos inspector for laboratory analysis
to determine asbestos content.
Bulky Waste: Large items of waste materi-
als, such as appliances, furniture, large
auto parts, trees, stumps.
Burial Ground (Graveyard): A disposal
site for radioactive waste materials that
uses earth or water as a shield.
By-product: Material, other than the prin-
cipal product, generated as a consequence
of an industrial process.
Cadmium (Cd): A heavy metal element
that accumulates in the environment.
Cancellation: Refers to Section 6 (b) of the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Roden-
ticide Act (FIFRA) which authorizes cancel-
lation of a pesticide registration if unrea-
sonable adverse effects to the environment
and public health develop when a product
is used according to widespread and com-
monly recognized practice, or if its labeling
or other material required to be submitted
does not comply with FIFRA provisions.
Cap: A layer of clay, or other impermeable
material installed over the top of a closed
landfill to prevent entry of rainwater and
minimize leachate.
Capacity Assurance Plan: A statewide
plan which supports a state's ability to
manage the hazardous waste generated
within its boundaries over a twenty year
period.
Capture Efficiency: The fraction of organic
vapors generated by a process that are
directed to an abatement or recovery de-
vice.
Carbon Absorber: An add-on control de-
vice that uses activated carbon to absorb
volatile organic compounds from a gas
stream. (The VOCs are later recovered
from the carbon.)
Carbon Adsorption: A treatment system
that removes contaminants from ground
water or surface water by forcing it
through tanks containing activated carbon
treated to attract the contaminants, con-
taminants.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A colorless, odor-
less, non-poisonous gas, which results from
fossil fuel combustion and is a normal
constituent of the ambient air.
Carbon Monoxide (CO): A colorless, odor-
less, poisonous gas produced by incom-
plete fossil fuel combustion.
Carboxyhemoglobin: Hemoglobin in
which the iron is bound to carbon monox-
ide (CO) instead of oxygen.
Carcinogen: Any substance that can cause
or aggravate cancer.
Carcinogenic: Cancer-producing.
Carrier: The inert liquid or solid material
added to an active ingredient in a pesti-
cide.
Carrying Capacity: 1. In recreation man-
agement, the amount of use a recreation
area can sustain without loss of quality. 2.
In wildlife management, the maximum
number of animals an area can support
during a given period.
Cask: A thick-walled container (usually
lead) used to transport radioactive materi-
al. Also called a coffin.
Catalytic Converter: An air pollution
abatement device that removes pollutants
from motor vehicle exhaust, either by
oxidizing them into carbon dioxide and
water or reducing them to nitrogen and
oxygen.
Catalytic Incinerator A control device that
oxidizes volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) by using a catalyst to promote the
combustion process. Catalytic incinerators
require lower temperatures than conven-
tional thermal incinerators, thus saving
fuel and other costs.
Catanadramous Fish: Those that swim
downstream to spawn.
Categorical Exclusion: A class of actions
which either individually or cumulatively
would not have a significant effect on the
human environment and therefore would
not require preparation of an environmen-
tal assessment or environmental impact
statement under the National Environmen-
tal Policy Act (NEPA).
Categorical Pretreatment Standard: A
technology-based effluent limitation for an
industrial facility discharging into a munic-
ipal sewer system. Analogous in stringency
to Best Availability Technology (BAT) for
direct dischargers.
Cathodic Protection: A technique to pre-
vent corrosion of a metal surface by mak-
ing it the cathode of an electrochemical
cell.
Caustic Soda: Sodium hydroxide, an alka-
line substance; the cleaning agent in some
detergents.
Cells: 1. In solid waste disposal, holes
where waste is dumped, compacted, and
covered with layers of dirt on a daily
basis. 2. The smallest structural part of
living matter capable of functioning as an
independent unit.
Cementitious: Densely packed and nonfib-
rous friable materials.
Central Collection Point: Location were a
generator of regulated medical waste
consolidates wastes originally generated at
various locations in his facility. The wastes
are gathered together for treatment on-site
or for transportation elsewhere for treat-
ment and/or disposal. This term could
also apply to community hazardous waste
collections, industrial and other waste
management systems.
Centrifugal Collector A mechanical sys-
tem using centrifugal force to remove
aerosols from a gas stream or to de-water
sludge.
Cesium (C2): A silver-white, soft ductile
element of the alkali metal group that is
the most electropositive element known.
Used especially in photoelectric cells.
Channelization: Straightening and deepen-
ing streams so water will move faster, a
marsh-drainage tactic that can interfere
with waste assimilation capacity, disturb
fish and wildlife habitats, and aggravate
flooding.
Characteristic: Any one of the four catego-
ries used in defining hazardous waste:
ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and
toxicity.
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Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): A
measure of the oxygen required to oxidize
all compounds, both organic and inorganic,
in water.
Chemical Treatment: Any one of a variety
of technologies that use chemicals or a
variety of chemical processes to treat
waste.
Chemnet: Autual aid network of chemical
shippers and contractors that assigns a
contracted emergency response company
to provide technical support if a represen-
tative of the firm whose chemicals are
involved in an incident is not readily avail-
able.
Chemosterilant: A chemical that controls
pests by preventing reproduction.
Chemterc: The industry-sponsored Chemi-
cal Transportation Emergency Center; pro-
vides information and/or emergency assis-
tance to emergency responders.
Chilling Effect: The lowering of the
Earth's temperature because of increased
particles in the air blocking the sun's rays.
(See: greenhouse effect.)
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons: These include
a class of persistent, broad-spectrum insec-
ticides that linger in the environment and
accumulate in the food chain. Among them
are DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor,
chlordane, lindane, endrin, mirex, hexa-
chloride, and toxaphene. Other examples
include TCE, used as an industrial solvent.
Chlorinated Solvent: An organic solvent
containing chlorine atoms, e.g., methylene
chloride and 1,1,1-trichloromethane, used
in aerosol spray containers and in highway
paint.
Chlorination: The application of chlorine
to drinking water, sewage, or industrial
waste to disinfect or to oxidize undesirable
compounds.
Chlorinator: A device that adds chlorine,
in gas or liquid form, to water or sewage
to kill infectious bacteria.
Chlorine-Contact Chamber That part of a
water treatment plant where effluent is
disinfected by chlorine.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): A family of
inert, nontoxic, and easily liquified chemi-
cals used in refrigeration, air conditioning,
packaging, insulation, or as solvents and
aerosol propellants. Because CFCs are not
destroyed in the lower atmosphere they
drift into the upper atmosphere where
their chlorine components destroy ozone.
Chlorosis: Discoloration of normally green
plant parts caused by disease, lack of
nutrients, or various air pollutants.
Cholinesterase: An enzyme found in ani-
mals that regulates nerve impulses. Cholin-
esterase inhibition is associated with a
variety of acute symptoms such as nausea,
vomiting, blurred vision, stomach cramps,
and rapid heart rate.
Chromium: (See: heavy metals.)
Chronic Effect: An adverse effect on a
human or animal in which symptoms
recur frequently or develop slowly over a
long period of time.
Chronic Toxiciry: The capacity of a sub-
stance to cause long-term poisonous hu-
man health effects. (See: acute toxicity.)
Clarification: Clearing action that occurs
during wastewater treatment when solids
settle out. This is often aided by centrifugal
action and chemically induced coagulation
in wastewater.
Clarifier: A tank in which solids settle to
the bottom and are subsequently removed
as sludge.
Clean Coal Technology: Any technology
not in widespread use prior to the Clean
Air Act amendments of 1990. This Act will
achieve significant reductions in pollutants
associated with the burning of coal.
Clean Fuels: Blends or substitutes for
gasoline fuels, including compressed natu-
ral gas, methanol, ethanol, liquified petro-
leum gas, and others.
Cleanup: Actions taken to deal with a
release or threat of release of a hazardous
substance that could affect humans and/or
the environment. The term "cleanup" is
sometimes used interchangeably with the
terms remedial action, removal action,
response action, or corrective action.
Clear Cut: Harvesting all the trees in one
area at one time, a practice that can
encourage fast rainfall or snowmelt runoff,
erosion, sedimentation of streams and
lakes, flooding, and destroys vital habitat.
Cloning: In biotechnology, obtaining a
group of genetically identical cells from a
single cell; making identical copies of a
gene.
Closed-Loop Recycling: Reclaiming or
reusing wastewater for non-potable pur-
poses in an enclosed process.
Closure: The procedure a landfill operator
must follow when a landfill reaches its
legal capacity for solid waste: ceasing
acceptance of solid waste and placing a
cap on the landfill site.
Coagulation: Clumping of particles in
wastewater to settle out impurities, often
induced by chemicals such as lime, alum,
and iron salts.
Coal-Fired Boilers: Facilities using coal as
their energy source (e.g., public utility and
private industry power plants.)
Coastal Zone: Lands and waters adjacent
to the coast that exert an influence on the
uses of the sea and its ecology, or whose
uses and ecology are affected by the sea.
Coefficient of Haze (COH): A measure-
ment of visibility interference in the atmo-
sphere.
Coke Oven: An industrial process which
converts coal into coke, one of the basic
materials used in blast furnaces for the
conversion of iron ore into iron.
Cold Temperature CO: A standard for
automobile carbon monoxide (CO) emis-
sions to be met at a low temperature (i.e.
20 degrees Fahrenheit). Conventional
automobile catalytic convertors are less
efficient upon start-up at low tempera-
tures.
Coliform Index: A rating of the purity of
water based on a count of fecal bacteria.
Coliform Organism: Microorganisms
found in the intestinal tract of humans and
animals. Their presence in water indicates
fecal pollution and potentially adverse con-
tamination by pathogens.
Collector Sewers: Pipes used to collect and
carry wastewater from individual sources
to an interceptor sewer that will carry it to
a treatment facility.
Combined Sewer Overflows: Discharge of
a mixture of stormwater and domestic
waste when the flow capacity of a sewer
system is exceeded during rainstorms.
Combined Sewers: A sewer system that
carries both sewage and storm-water run-
off. Normally, its entire flow goes to a
waste treatment plant, but during a heavy
storm, the volume of water may be so
great as to cause overflows of untreated
mixtures of storm water and sewage into
receiving waters. Storm-water runoff may
also carry toxic chemicals from industrial
areas or streets into the sewer system.
Combustion: 1. Burning, or rapid oxida-
tion, accompanied by release of energy in
the form of heat and light. A basic cause of
air pollution. 2. Refers to controlled burn-
ing of waste, in which heat chemically
alters organic compounds, converting into
stable inorganics such as carbon dioxide
and water.
Combustion Chamber: The actual com-
partment where waste is burned in an
incinerator.
Combustion Product: Substance produced
during the burning or oxidation of a mate-
rial.
Command Post: Facility located at a safe
distance upwind from an accident site,
where the on-scene coordinator, respond-
ers, and technical representatives make
response decisions, deploy manpower and
equipment, maintain liaison with news
media, and handle communications.
Comment Period: Time provided for the
public to review and comment on a pro-
posed EPA action or rulemaking after
publication in the Federal Register.
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Commercial Waste Management Facility:
A treatment, storage, disposal, or transfer
facility which accepts waste from a variety
of sources, as compared to a private
facility which normally manages a limited
waste stream generated by its own opera-
tions.
Commercial Waste: All solid waste ema-
nating from business establishments such
as stores, markets, office buildings, restau-
rants, shopping centers, and theaters.
Commingled Recyclables: Mixed recyclab-
les that are collected together.
Comminuter: A machine that shreds or
pulverizes solids to make waste reatment
easier.
Comminution: Mechanical shredding or
pulverizing of waste. Used in both solid
waste management and wastewater treat-
ment.
Community Relations: The EPA effort to
establish two-way communication with the
public to create understanding of EPA pro-
grams and related actions, to assure public
input into decision-making processes relat-
ed to affected communities, and to make
certain that the Agency is aware of and
responsive to public concerns. Specific
community relations activities are required
in relation to Superfund remedial actions.
Community Water System: A public water
system which serves at least 15 service
connections used by year-round residents
or regularly serves at least 25 year-round
residents.
Compaction: Reduction of the bulk of solid
waste by rolling and tamping.
Compliance Coating: A coating whose
volatile organic compound content does
not exceed that allowed by regulation.
Compliance Schedule: A negotiated agree-
ment between a pollution source and a
government agency that specifies dates
and procedures by which a source will
reduce emissions and, thereby, comply
with a regulation.
Composite Sample: A series of water
samples taken over a given period of time
and weighted by flow rate.
Compost: The relatively stable humus
material that is produced from a compost-
ing process in which bacteria in soil mixed
with garbage and degradable trash break
down the mixture into organic fertilizer.
Composting: The controlled biological
decomposition of organic material in the
presence of air to form a humus-like mate-
rial. Controlled methods of composting
include mechanical mixing and aerating,
ventilating the materials by dropping them
through a vertical series of aerated cham-
bers, or placing the compost in piles out in
the open air and mixing it or turning it
periodically.
Concentration: The relative amount of a
specific substance mixed into another and
usually larger substance. An example is
five parts per million (ppm) of carbon
monoxide in air.
Conditional Registration: Under special
circumstances, the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
permits registration of pesticide products
that is "conditional" upon the submission
of additional data. These special circum-
stances include a finding by the EPA Ad-
ministrator that a new product or use of an
existing pesticide will not significantly
increase the risk of unreasonable adverse
effects. A product containing a new (pre-
viously unregistered) active ingredient
may be conditionally registered only if the
Administrator finds that such conditional
registration is in the public interest, that a
reasonable time for conducting the addi-
tional studies has not elapsed, and the use
of the pesticide for the period of condi-
tional registration will not present an
unreasonable risk.
Conditionally Exempt Generators (CE):
Persons or enterprises which produce less
than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per
month. Exempt from most regulation, they
are required merely to determine whether
their waste is hazardous, notify appropri-
ate state or local agencies, and ship it by
permitted facility for proper disposal. (See
:an authorized transporter to a small quan-
tity generator.)
Cone of Depression: A depression in the
water table that develops around a
pumped well.
Confined Aquifer An aquifer in which
ground water is confined under pressure
which is significantly greater than atmo-
spheric pressure.
Consent Decree: A legal document, ap-
proved by a judge, that formalizes an
agreement reached between EPA and
potentially responsible parties (PRPs)
through which PRPs will conduct all or
part of a cleanup action at a Superfund
site; cease or correct actions or processes
that are polluting the environment; or
otherwise comply with EPA initiated regu-
latory enforcement actions to resolve the
contamination at the Superfund site in-
volved. The consent decree describes the
actions PRPs will take and may be subject
to a public comment period.
Conservation: Preserving and renewing,
when possible, human and natural resourc-
es. The use, protection, and improvement
of natural resources according to principles
that will assure their highest economic or
social benefits.
Construction and Demolition Waste:
Waste building materials, dredging materi-
als, tree stumps, and rubble resulting from
construction, remodeling, repair, and de-
molition of homes, commercial buildings
and other structures and pavements. May
contain lead, asbestos, or other hazardous
substances.
Contact Pesticide: A chemical that kills
pests when it touches them, instead of by
ingestion. Also, soil that contains the min-
ute skeletons of certain algae that scratch
and dehydrate waxy-coated insects.
Contaminant: Any physical, chemical,
biological, or radiological substance or
matter that has an adverse affect on air,
water, or soil.
Contingency Plan: A document setting out
an organized, planned, and coordinated
course of action to be followed in case of a
fire, explosion, or other accident that re-
leases toxic chemicals, hazardous waste, or
radioactive materials that threaten human
health or the environment. (See: National
Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingen-
cy Plan.)
Continuous Discharge: A routine release
to the environment that occurs without
interruption, except for infrequent shut-
downs for maintenance, process changes,
etc.
Contour Plowing: Soil tilling method that
follows the shape of the land to discourage
erosion.
Contract Labs: Laboratories under contract
to EPA, which analyze samples taken from
waste, soil, air, and water or carry out re-
search projects.
Contrails: Long, narrow vapor trails
caused by high-flying in a jet aircraft.
Control Technique Guidelines (CTG): A
series of EPA documents designed to assist
states in defining reasonable available
control technology (RACT) for major
sources of volatile organic compounds
(VOC).
Controlled Reaction: A chemical reaction
under temperature and pressure conditions
maintained within safe limits to produce a
desired product or process.
Conventional Pollutants: Statutorily listed
pollutants understood well by scientists.
These may be in the form of organic waste,
sediment, acid, bacteria, viruses, nutrients,
oil and grease, or heat.
Conventional Systems: Systems that have
been traditionally used to collect municipal
wastewater in gravity sewers and convey
it to a central primary or secondary treat-
ment plant prior to discharge to surface
waters.
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Coolant: A liquid or gas used to reduce
the heat generated by power production in
nuclear reactors, electric generators, vari-
ous industrial and mechanical processes,
and automobile engines.
Cooling Electricity Use: Amount of elec-
tricity used to meet the building cooling
load. (See: building cooling load.)
Cooling Tower A structure that helps
remove heat from water used as a coolant;
e.g., in electric power generating plants.
Cooperative Agreement: An assistance
agreement whereby EPA transfers money,
property, services or anything of value to
a state for the accomplishment of CERC-
LA-authorized activities or tasks.
Core: The uranium-containing heart of a
nuclear reactor, where energy is released.
Core Program Cooperative Agreement: An
assistance agreement whereby EPA sup-
ports states or tribal governments with
funds to help defray the cost of non-ite-
specific administrative and training activi-
ties.
Corrosion: The dissolution and wearing
away of metal caused by a chemical reac-
tion such as between water and the pipes,
chemicals touching a metal surface, or
contact between two metals.
Corrosive: A chemical agent that reacts
with the surface of a material causing it to
deteriorate or wear away.
Cost-Effective Alternative: An alternative
control or corrective method identified
after analysis as being the best available in
terms of reliability, performance, and cost.
Although costs are one important consider-
ation, regulatory and compliance analysis
does not require EPA to choose the least
expensive alternative. For example, when
selecting a method for cleaning up a site
on the Superfund National Priorities List,
the Agency balances costs with the long-
term effectiveness of the methods pro-
posed.
Cost Recovery: A legal process by which
potentially responsible parties who contrib-
uted to contamination at a Superfund site
can be required to reimburse the Trust
Fund for money spent during any cleanup
actions by the federal government.
Cover Material: Soil used to cover com-
pacted solid waste in a sanitary landfill.
Coven Vegetation or other material pro-
viding protection as ground cover.
Cradle-to-Grave or Manifest System: A
procedure in which hazardous materials
are identified and followed as they are
produced, treated, transported, and dis-
posed of by a series of permanent, link-
able, descriptive documents (e.g., mani-
fests). Commonly referred to as the cradle-
to-grave system.
Crawl Space: In some types of houses,
which are constructed so that the floor is
raised slightly above the ground, an area
beneath the floor which allows access to
utilities and other services. This is in con-
trast to slab-on-grade or basement-type
houses.
Criteria Pollutants: The 1970 amendments
to the Clean Air Act required EPA to set
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
for certain pollutants known to be hazard-
ous to human health. EPA has identified
and set standards to protect human health
and welfare for six pollutants: ozone,
carbon monoxide, total suspended particu-
lates, sulfur dioxide, lead, and nitrogen
oxide. The term, "criteria pollutants" de-
rives from the requirement that EPA must
describe the characteristics and potential
health and welfare effects of these pollut-
ants. It is on the basis of these criteria that
standards are set or revised.
Criteria: Descriptive factors taken into
account by EPA in setting standards for
various pollutants. These factors are used
to determine limits on allowable concentra-
tion levels, and to limit the number of
violations per year. When issued by EPA,
the criteria provide guidance to the states
on how to establish their standards.
Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM): A measure
of the volume of a substance flowing
through air within a fixed period of time.
With regard to indoor air, refers to the
amount of air, in cubic feet, that is ex-
changed with indoor air in a minute's
time, i.e., the air exchange rate.
Gullet: Crushed glass.
Cultural Eutrophication: Increasing rate at
which water bodies "die" by pollution from
human activities.
Cultures and Stocks: Infectious agents and
associated biologicals including: cultures
from medical and pathological laboratories;
cultures and stocks of infectious agents
from research and industrial laboratories;
waste from the production of biologicals;
discarded live and attenuated vaccines;
and culture dishes and devices used to
transfer, inoculate, and mix cultures. (See:
regulated medical waste.)
Cumulative Working Level Months
(CWLM): The sum of lifetime exposure to
radon working levels expressed in total
working level months.
Curbside Collection: Method of collecting
recyclable materials at homes, community
districts or businesses.
Curie: A quantitative measure of radioac-
tivity equal to 3.7 x 10 disintegrations of
radioactive partricles per second.
Cutiey-Pie: An instrument used to mea-
sure radiation levels.
Cyclone Collector. A device that uses
centrifugal force to pull large particles
from polluted air.
Data Call-in: A part of the Office of Pesti-
cide Programs (OPP) process of developing
key required test data, especially on the
long-term, chronic effects of existing pesti-
cides, in advance of scheduled Registra-
tion Standard reviews. Data Call-in from
manufacturers is an adjunct of the Regis-
tration Standards program intended to
expedite reregistration.
DDT: The first chlorinated hydrocarbonin-
secticide chemical name:Dichloro-Diph-
enyl-Trichloroethane). It has a half-life of 15
years and can collect in fatty tissues of
certain animals. EPA banned registration
and interstate sale of DDT for virtually all
but emergency uses in the United States in
1972 because of its persistence in the envi-
ronment and accumulation in the food
chain.
Decay Products: Degraded radioactive
materials, often referred to as "daughters"
or "progeny"; radon decay products of
most concern from a public health stand-
point are polonium-214 and polonium-218.
Dechlorination: Removal of chlorine from
a substance by chemically replacing it with
hydrogen or hydroxide ions in order to
detoxify a substances.
Decibel (dB): A unit for measuring the
relative loudness of sound, approximately
to the smallest degree of difference of
loudness oredinarily detectable by the
human ear, the range of which includes
about 130 decibels on a scale beginning
with 1 for the faintest available sound.
Decomposition: The breakdown of matter
by bacteria and fungi, changing the chemi-
cal makeup and physical appearance of
materials.
Decontamination: Removal of harmful
substances such as noxious chemicals,
harmful bacteria or other organisms, or
radioactive material from exposed individ-
uals, rooms and furnishings in buildings,
or the exterior environment.
Deep-Well Injection: Deposition of raw or
treated, filtered hazardous waste by pump-
ing it into deep wells, where it is contained
in the pores of permeable sudsurface rock.
Def locculating Agent: A material added to
a suspension to prevent settling.
Defoliant: A herbicide that removes leaves
from trees and growing plants.
Degradation: The process by which a
chemical is reduced to a less complex
form.
Delamination: Separation of one layer
from another.
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Delegated State: A state (or other govern-
mental entity such as a tribal government)
that has received authority to administer
an environmental regulatory program in
lieu of a federal counterpart. As used in
connection with NPDES, UIC, and PWS
programs, the term does not connote any
transfer of federal authority to a state.
Delist: Use of the petition process to have
a facility's toxic designation rescinded.
Demand-side Waste Management: Prices
whereby consumers use purchasing deci-
sions to communicate to product manufac-
turers that they prefer environmentally
sound products packaged with the least
amount of waste, made from recycled or
recyclable materials, and containing no
hazardous substances.
Denitrification: The anaerobic biological
reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas.
Depletion Curve: In hydraulics, a graphi-
cal representation of water depletion from
storage-stream channels, surface soil, and
groundwater. A depletion curve can be
drawn for base flow, direct runoff, or total
flow.
Depressurization: A condition that occurs
when the air pressure inside a structure is
lower that the air pressure outside. Depres-
surization can occur when household
appliances such as fireplaces or furnaces,
that consume or exhaust house air, are not
supplied with enough makeup air. Radon
may be drawn into a house more rapidly
under depressurized conditions.
Dermal Toxicity: The ability of a pesticide
or toxic chemical to poison people or ani-
mals by contact with the skin. (See: contact
pesticide.)
DES: A synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbes-
trol is used as a growth stimulant in food
animals. Residues in meat are thought to
be carcinogenic.
Desalinization: Removing salt from ocean
or brackish water.
Desiccant: A chemical agent that absorbs
moisture; some desiccants are capable of
drying out plants or insects, causing death.
Design Capacity: The average daily flow
that a treatment plant or other facility is
designed to accommodate.
Designated Pollutant: An air pollutant
which is neither a criteria nor hazardous
pollutant, as described in the Clean Air
Act, but for which new source perform-
ance standards exist. The Clean Air Act
dpes require states to control these pollut-
ants, which include acid mist, total
reduced sulfur (TRS), and fluorides.
Designated Uses: Those water uses identi-
fied in state water quality standards that
must be achieved and maintained as re-
quired under the Clean Water Act. Uses
can include cold water fisheries, public
water supply, irrigation, etc.
Designer Bugs: Popular term for microbes
developed through biotechnology that can
degrade specific toxic chemicals at their
source in toxic waste dumps or in ground
water.
Destination Facility: The facility to which
regulated medical waste is shipped for
treatment and destruction, incineration,
and/or disposal.
Destroyed Medical Waste: Regulated
medical waste that has been ruined, torn
apart, or mutilated through thermal treat-
ment, melting, shredding, grinding,
tearing, or breaking, so that it is no longer
generally recognized as medical waste, but
has not yet been treated (excludes com-
pacted regulated medical waste.)
Destruction and Removal Efficiency
(DRE): A percentage that represents the
number of molecules of a compound re-
moved or destroyed in an incinerator
relative to the number of molecules en-
tered the system (e.g., a DRE of 99.99
percent means that 9,999 molecules are
destroyed for every 10,000 that enter; 99.99
percent is known as "four nines." For
some pollutants, the RCRA removal re-
quirement may be a stringent as "six
nines.")
Destruction Facility: A facility that de-
stroys regulated medical waste by mashing
or mutilating it.
Desulfurization: Removal of sulfur from
fossil fuels to reduce pollution.
Detectable Leak Rate: The smallest leak
(from a storage tank), expressed in terms
of gallons-or liters-per-hour, that a test can
reliably discern with a certain probability
of detection or false alarm.
Detection Criterion: A predetermined rule
to ascertain whether a tank is leaking or
not. Most volumetric tests use a threshold
value as the detection criterion. (See: volu-
metric tank tests.)
Detergent: Synthetic washing agent that
helps to remove dirt and oil. Some contain
compounds which kill useful bacteria and
encourage algae growth when they are in
wastewater that reaches receiving waters.
Developer A person, government unit, or
company that proposes to build a hazard-
ous waste treatment, storage, or disposal
facility.
Development Effects: Adverse effects such
as altered growth, structural abnormality,
functional deficiency, or death observed in
a developing organism.
Diatomaceous Earth (Diatomite): A chalk-
like material (fossilized diatoms) used to
filter out solid waste in wastewater treat-
ment plants, also used as an active ingredi-
ent in some powdered pesticides.
Diazinon: An insecticide. In 1986, EPA
banned its use on open areas such as sod
farms and golf courses because it posed a
danger to migratory birds. The ban did not
apply to agricultural, home lawn or com-
mercial establishment uses.
Dibenzofurans: A group of highly toxic
organic compounds.
Dicofol: A pesticide used on citrus fruits.
Differentiation: The process by which
single cells grow into particular forms of
specialized tissue, e.g., root, stem, leaf.
Diffused Air A type of aeration that
forces oxygen into sewage by pumping air
through perforated pipes inside a holding
tank.
Digester In wastewater treatment, a closed
tank; in solid waste conversion, a unit in
which bacterial action is induced and
accelerated in order to break down organic
matter and establish the proper carbon to
nitrogen ratio.
Digestion: The biochemical decomposition
of organic matter, resulting in partial gasi-
fication, liquefaction, and mineralization of
pollutants.
Dike: A low wall that can act as a barrier
to prevent a spill from spreading.
Diluent: Any liquid or solid material used
to dilute or carry an active ingredient.
Dilution Ratio: The relationship between
the volume of water in a stream and the
volume of incoming water. It affects the
ability of the stream to assimilate waste.
Dinocap: A fungicide used primarily by
apple growers to control summer diseases.
EPA proposed restrictions on its use in
1986 when laboratory tests found it caused
birth defects in rabbits.
Dinoseb: A herbicide that is also used as
a fungicide and insecticide. It was banned
by EPA in 1986 because it posed the risk of
birth defects and sterility.
Dioxin: Any of a family of compounds
known chemically as dibenzo-p-dioxins.
Concern about them arises from their
potential toxicity and contaminants in
commercial products. Tests on laboratory
animals indicate that it is one of the more
toxic man-made compounds.
Direct Discharger A municipal or indus-
trial facility which introduces pollution
through a defined conveyance or system
such as outlet pipes; a point source.
Disinfectant: A chemical or physical pro-
cess that kills pathogenic organisms in
water. Chlorine is often used to disinfect
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10
sewage treatment effluent, water supplies,
wells, and swimming pools.
Dispersant: A chemical agent used to
break up concentrations of organic material
such as spilled oil.
Disposables: Consumer products, other
items, and packaging used once or a few
times and discarded.
Disposal: Final placement or destruction of
toxic, radioactive, or other wastes; surplus
or banned pesticides or other chemicals;
polluted soils; and drums containing haz-
ardous materials from removal actions or
accidental releases. Disposal may be ac-
complished through use of approved se-
cure landfills, surface impoundments, land
farming, deep-well injection, ocean dump-
ing, or incineration.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO): The oxygen
freely available in water, vital to fish and
other aquatic life and for the prevention of
odors. DO levels are considered a most
important indicator of a water body's
ability to support desirable aquatic life.
Secondary and advanced waste treatment
are generally designed to ensure adequate
DO in waste-receiving waters.
Dissolved Solids: Disintegrated organic
and inorganic material in water. Excessive
amounts make water unfit to drink or use
in industrial processes.
Distillation: The act of purifying liquids
through boiling, so that the steam condens-
es to a pure liquid and the pollutants
remain in a concentrated residue.
Diversion Rate: The percentage of waste
materials diverted from traditional dispos-
al such as landfilling or incineration to be
recycled, composted, or re-used.
DNA Hybridization: Use of a segment of
DMA, called a DNA probe, to identify its
complementary DNA; used to detect spe-
cific genes.
Dose Response: How a biological organis-
m's response to a toxic substance quantita-
tively shifts as its overall exposure to the
substance changes (e.g., a small dose of
carbon monoxide may cause drowsiness; a
large dose can be fatal.)
Dose: In radiology, the quantity of energy
or radiation absorbed.
Dosimeter An instrument that measures
exposure to radiation.
DOT Reportable Quantity: The quantity
of a substance specified in U.S. Department
of Transportation regulation that triggers
labelling, packaging and other require-
ments related to shipping such substances.
Draft Permit: A preliminary permit draft-
ed and published by EPA; subject to public
review and comment before final action
on the application.
Dredging: Removal of mud from the
bottom of water bodies. This can disturb
the ecosystem and causes silting that kills
aquatic life. Dredging of contaminated
muds can expose biota to heavy metals
and other toxics. Dredging activities may
be subject to regulation under Section 404
of the Clean Water Act.
Drop-off: Recyclable materials collection
method in which individuals bring them to
a designated collection site.
Dump: A site used to dispose of solid
waste without environmental controls.
Dust: Particles light enough to be suspend-
ed in air.
Dustfall Jar An open container used to
collect large particles from the air for
measurement and analysis.
Dystrophic Lakes: Acidic, shallow bodies
of water that contain much humus and/or
other organic matter; contain many plants
but few fish-
Ecological Impact: The effect that a man-
made or natural activity has on living
organisms and their non-living (abiotic)
environment.
Ecology: The relationship of living things
to one another and their environment, or
the study of such relationships.
Economic Poisons: Chemicals used to
control pests and to defoliate cash crops
such as cotton.
Ecosphere: The "bio-bubble" that contains
life on earth, in surface waters, and in the
air. (See: biosphere.)
Ecosystem: The interacting system of a
biological community and its non-living
environmental surroundings.
Effluent: Wastewater-treated or untreated-
that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer,
or industrial outfall. Generally refers to
wastes discharged into surface waters.
Effluent Guidelines: Technical EPA docu-
ments which set effluent limitations for
given industries and pollutants.
Effluent Limitation: Restrictions estab-
lished by a State or EPA on quantities,
rates, and concentrations in wastewater
discharges.
Effluent Standard: (See effluent limita-
tion.)
Electrodialysis: A process that uses electri-
cal current applied to permeable mem-
branes to remove minerals from water.
Often used to desalinize salty or brackish
water.
Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP): A device
that removes particles from a gas stream
(smoke) after combustion occurs. The ESP
imparts an electrical charge to the particles,
causing them to adhere to metal plates
inside the precipitator. Rapping on the
plates causes the particles to fall into a
hopper for disposal.
Eligible Costs: The construction costs for
waste-water treatment works upon which
EPA grants are based.
Emergency (Chemical): A situation created
by an accidental release or spill of hazard-
ous chemicals that poses a threat to the
safety of workers, residents, the environ-
ment, or property.
Emergency Episode: (See: air pollution
episode.)
Emergency Response Values: Concentra-
tions of chemicals, published by various
groups, defining acceptable levels for
short-term exposures in emergencies.
Eminent Domain: Government taking-or
forced acquisition-of private land for pub-
lic use, with compensation paid to the
landowner.
Emission: Pollution discharged into the
atmosphere from smokestacks, other vents,
and surface areas of commercial or indus-
trial facilities; from residential chimneys;
and from motor vehicle, locomotive, or
aircraft exhausts.
Emission Factor The relationship between
the amount of pollution produced and the
amount of raw material processed. For
example, an emission factor for a blast
furnace making iron would be the number
of pounds of particulates per ton of raw
materials.
Emission Inventory: A listing, by source,
of the amount of air pollutants discharged
into the atmosphere of a community; used
to establish emission standards.
Emission Standard: The maximum amount
of air polluting discharge legally allowed
from a single source, mobile or stationary.
Emissions Trading: EPA policy that allows
a plant complex with several facilities to
decrease pollution from some facilities
while increasing it from others, so long as
total results are equal to or better than
previous limits. Facilities where this is
done are treated as if they exist in a bubble
in which total emissions are averaged out.
Complexes that reduce emissions substan-
tially may "bank" their "credits" or sell
them to other industries.
Encapsulation: The treatment of asbestos-
containing material with a liquid that
covers the surface with a protective coating
or embeds fibers in an adhesive matrix to
prevent their release into the air.
Enclosure: Putting an airtight, imperme-
able, permanent barrier around asbestos-
containing materials to prevent the release
of asbestos fibers into the air.
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11
Endangered Species; Animals, birds, fish,
plants, or other living organisms threat-
ened with extinction by man-made or
natural changes in their environment.
Requirements for declaring a species en-
dangered are contained in the Endangered
Species Act.
Endangerment Assessment: A study to
determine the nature and extent of con-
tamination at a site on the National Priori-
ties List and the risks posed to public
health or the environment. EPA or the
state conduct the study when a legal action
is to be taken to direct potentially responsi-
ble parties to clean up a site or pay for it.
An endangerment assessment supplements
a remedial investigation.
Energy Recovery; Obtaining energy from
waste through a variety of processes (e.g.,
combustion.)
Enforceable Requirements: Conditions or
limitations in permits issued under the
Clean Water Act ,Section 402 or 404 that,
if violated, could result in the issuance of
a compliance order or initiation of a civil
or criminal action under federal or applica-
ble state laws. If a permit has not been
issued, the term includes any requirement
which, in the Regional Administrator's
judgement, would be included in the per-
mit when issued. Where no permit applies,
the term includes any requirement which
the RA determines is necessary for the best
practical waste treatment technology to
meet applicable criteria.
Enforcement: EPA, state, or local legal
actions to obtain compliance with environ-
mental laws, rules, regulations, or agree-
ments and/or obtain penalties or criminal
sanctions for violations. Enforcement pro-
cedures may vary, depending on the re-
quirements of different environmental laws
and related implementing regulations.
Under CERCLA, for example, EPA will
seek to require potentially responsible par-
ties to clean up a Superfund site, or pay
for the cleanup, whereas under the Clean
Air Act the agency may invoke sanctions
against cities failing to meet ambient air
quality standards that could prevent cer-
tain types of construction or federal fund-
ing. In other situations, if investigations by
EPA and state agencies uncover willful
violations, criminal trials and penalties are
sought.
Enforcement Decision Document (EDD):
A document that provides an explanation
to the public of EPA's selection of the
cleanup alternative at enforcement sites on
the National Priorities List. Similar to a
Record of Decision.
Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance (I
& M): An improved automobile inspection
and maintenance program-aimed at re-
ducing automobile emissions-that contains,
at a minimum, more vehicle types and
model years, tighter inspection, and better
management practices. It may also include
annual computerized or centralized inspec-
tions, under-the-hood inspection- for signs
of tampering with pollution control equi-
pment, and increased repair waiver cost.
Enrichment: The addition of nutrients
(e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon com-
pounds) from sewage effluent or agricul-
tural runoff to surface water, greatly in-
creases the growth potential for algae and
other aquatic plants.
Environment: The sum of all external
conditions affecting the life, development
and survival of an organism.
Environmental Assessment: An environ-
mental analysis prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act to
determine whether a federal action would
significantly affect the environment and
thus require a more detailed environmen-
tal impact statement.
Environmental Audit: An independent
assessment of the current status of a par-
ty's compliance with applicable environ-
mental requirements or of a party's envi-
ronmental compliance policies, practices.
and controls.
Environmental Impact Statement: A docu-
ment required of federal agencies by the
National Environmental Policy Act for
major projects or legislative proposals
significantly affecting the environment. A
tool for decision making, it describes the
positive and negative effects of the under-
taking and cites alternative actions.
Environmental Response Team: EPA ex-
perts located in Edison, N.J., and Cincin-
nati, OH, who can provide around-the-c-
lock technical assistance to EPA regional
offices and states during all types of haz-
ardous waste site emergencies and spills of
hazardous substances.
Epidemiology: Study of the distribution of
disease, or other health-related states and
events in human populations, as related to
age, sex, occupation, ethnic, and economic
status in order to identify and alleviate
health problems and promote better health.
Episode (Pollution): An air pollution
incident in a given area caused by a con-
centration of atmospheric pollutants under
meteorological conditions that may result
in a significant increase in illnesses or
deaths. May also describe water pollution
events or hazardous material spills.
Equilibrium: In relation to radiation, the
state at which the radioactivity of consecu-
tive elements within a radioactive series is
neither increasing nor decreasing.
Equivalent Method: Any method of sam-
pling and analyzing for air pollution which
has been demonstrated to the EPA Admin-
istrator's satisfaction to be, under specific
conditions, an acceptable alternative to
normally used reference methods.
Erosion: The wearing away of land surface
by wind or water, intensified by land-clea-
ring practices related to farming, residen-
tial or industrial development, road build-
ing, or logging.
Estuary: Regions of interaction between
rivers and nearshore ocean waters, where
tidal action and river flow mix fresh and
salt water. Such areas include bays,
mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and la-
goons. These brackish water ecosystems
shelter and feed marine life, birds, and
wildlife. (See: wetlands.)
Ethylene Dibromide (EDB): A chemical
used as an agricultural fumigant and in
certain industrial processes. Extremely
toxic and found to be a carcinogen in
laboratory animals, EDB has been banned
for most agricultural uses in the United
States.
Eutrophic Lakes: Shallow, murky bodies
of water with concentrations of plant nutri-
ents causing excessive production of algae.
(See: dystrophic lakes.)
Eutrophication: The slow aging process
during which a lake, estuary, or bay
evolves into a bog or marsh and eventually
disappears. During the later stages of
eutrophication the water body is choked
by abundant plant life due to higher levels
of nutritive compounds such as nitrogen
and phosphorus. Human activities can
accelerate the process.
Evaporation Ponds: Areas where sewage
sludge is dumped and dried.
Evapotranspiration: The loss of water from
the soil both by evaporation and by tran-
spiration from the plants growing in the
soil.
Exceedance: Violation of the pollutant
levels permitted by environmental pro-
tection standards.
Exclusion: In the asbestos program, one of
several situations that permit a Local Edu-
cation Agency (LEA) to delete one or more
of the items required by the Asbestos
Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHER-
A), e.g., records of previous asbestos sam-
ple collection and analysis may be used by
the accredited inspector in lieu of AHERA
bulk sampling.
Exclusionary Ordinance: Zoning that
excludes classes of persons or businesses
from a particular neighborhood or area.
Exempt Solvent: Specific organic com-
pounds not subject to requirements of
regulation because are deemed by EPA to
be of negligible photochemical reactivity.
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12
Exempted Aquifer Underground bodies
of water defined in the Underground
Injection Control program as aquifers that
are potential sources of drinking water
though not being used as such, and thus
exempted from regulations barring under-
ground injection activities.
Experimental Use Permit: Obtained by
manufacturers for testing new pesticides or
uses of thereof whenever they conduct
experimental field studies to support regis-
tration on 10 acres or more on land or one
acre or more of water.
Explosive Limits (chemical): The amounts
of vapor in the air that form explosive
mixtures; limits are expressed as lower and
upper limits and give the range of vapor
concentrations in air that will explode if an
ignition source is present.
Exposure: The amount of radiation or
pollutant present in a given environment
that represents a potential health threat to
living organisms.
Extraction Procedure (E P Toxic): Deter-
mining toxicity by a procedure which
simulates leaching; if a certain concentra-
tion of a toxic substance can be leached
from a waste, that waste is considered
hazardous, i.e., "E P Toxic."
Extremely Hazardous Substances: Any of
406 chemicals identified by EPA as toxic,
and listed under SARA Title III. The list is
subject to periodic revision.
Fabric Filter A cloth device that catches
dust particles from industrial emissions.
Facilities Plans: Plans and studies related
to the construction of treatment works
necessary to comply with the Clean Water
Act or RCRA. A facilities plan investigates
needs and provides information on the
cost effectiveness of alternatives, a recom-
mended plan, an environmental assess-
ment of the recommendations, and de-
scriptions of the treatment works, costs,
and a completion schedule.
Facility Emergency Coordinator: Repre-
sentative of a facility covered by environ-
mental law (e.g, a chemical plant) who
participates in the emergency reporting
process with the Local Emergency Plan-
ning Committee (LEPC).
Fact Sheet: (1) A document prepared by
EPA to inform the public about its permit-
ting process and EPA's tentative decision
with regard to a permit application. (2)
Document distributed with newly promul-
gated rules and/or newly enacted laws to
summarize the relevant facts for interested
parties and the public.
Feasibility Study: 1. Analysis of the practi-
cability of a proposal; e.g., a description
and analysis of potential cleanup alterna-
tives for a site such as one on the National
Priorities List. The feasibility study usually
recommends selection of a costeffective
alternative. It usually starts as soon as the
remedial investigation is underway; to-
gether, they are commonly referred to as
the "RI/FS". 2. A small-scale investigation
of a problem to ascertain whether a pro-
posed research approach is likely to pro-
vide useful data.
Fecal Coliform Bacteria: Bacteria found in
the intestinal tracts of mammals. Their
presence in water or sludge is an indicator
of pollution and possible contamination by
pathogens.
Federal Implementation Plan: Under
current law, a federally implemented plan
to achieve attainment of air quality stan-
dards, used when a state is unable to
develop an adequate plan.
Feedlot: A confined area for the controlled
feeding of animals. Tends to concentrate
large amounts of animal waste that cannot
be absorbed by the soil and, hence, may be
carried to nearby streams or lakes by
rainfall runoff.
Fen: A type of wetland that accumulates
peat deposits. Fens are less acidic than
bogs, deriving most of their water from
groundwater rich in calcium and magne-
sium. (See: wetlands.)
Fermentation: Chemical reactions pro-
duced by living microbes that are supplied
with nutrients in the presence of heat,
pressure, and light.
Fertilizer: Materials such as nitrogen and
phosphorus that provide nutrients for
plants. Commercial fertilizers may contain
other chemicals or may be sold in the form
of processed sewage sludge.
FIFRA Pesticide Ingredient: An ingredient
of a pesticide that must be registered with
EPA under the Federal Insecticide, fungi-
cide, and Rodenticide Act. Products mak-
ing pesticide claims mst register under
FIFRA and may be subject to labeling and
use requirements.
Filling: Depositing dirt, mud or other
materials into aquatic areas to create more
dry land, usually for agricultural or com-
mercial development purposes, often with
ruinous ecological consequences.
Filtration: A treatment process, under the
control of qualified operators, for removing
solid (particulate) matter from water by
means of porous media such as sand or a
man-made filter; often used to remove
particles that containing pathogens.
Financial Assurance for Closure: Docu-
mentation or proof that an owner or opera-
tor of a facility such as a landfill or other
waste repository is capable of paying the
projected costs of closing the facility and
monitoring it afterwardsng as provided in
RCRA regulations.
Finding of No Significant Impact: A
document prepared by a federal agency
showing why a proposed action would not
have a significant impact on the environ-
ment and thus would not require prepara-
tion of an Environmental Impact State-
ment. An FNSI is based on the results of
an environmental assessment.
First Draw: The water that comes out
when a tap is first opened, likely to have
the highest level of lead contamination
from plumbing materials.
Flare: A control device that burns hazard-
ous materials to prevent their release into
the evironment; may operate continuously
or intermittently, usually on top a stack.
Flash Point: The lowest temperature at
which combustible vapors ignite in air
when exposed to flame.
Floe: A clump of solids formed in sewage
by biological or chemical action.
Flocculation: Process by which clumps of
solids in water or sewage aggregate
through biological or chemical action so
they can be separated from water or sew-
age.
Floor Sweep: Capture of heavier-than-air
gases that collect at floor level.
Flow Rate: The rate, expressed in gallons-
or liters-per-hour, at which a fluid escap-
esg from a hole or fissure in a tank. Such
measurements are also made of liquid
waste, effluent, and surface water move-
ment.
Flowmeter A gauge indicating the velocity
of wastewater moving through a treatment
plant or of any liquid moving throuugh
various industrial processes.
Flue Gas Desulfurization: A technology
that employs a sorbent, usually lime or
limestone, to remove sulfur dioxide from
the gases produced by burning fossil fuels.
Flue gas desulfurization is current state-of-
the art technology for major SCh emitters,
like power plants.
Flue Gas: The air coming out of a chimney
after combustion in the burner it is vent-
ing. It can include nitrogen oxides, carbon
oxides, water vapor, sulfur oxides, parti-
cles and many chemical pollutants.
Fluidized Bed Incinerator: An incinerator
that uses a bed of hot sand or other granu-
lar material to transfer heat directly to
waste. Used mainly for destroying munici-
pal sludge.
Flume: A natural or man-made channel
that diverts water.
Fluorides: Gaseous, solid, or dissolved
compounds containing fluorine that result
from industrial processes. Excessive
amounts in food can lead to fluorosis.
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Fluorocarbon (PCs): Any of a number of
organic compounds analogous to hydrocar-
bons in which one or more hydrogen
atoms are replaced by fluorine. Once used
in the United States as a propellant for
domestic aerosols, they are now found
mainly in coolants and some industrial
processes. PCs containing chlorine are
called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). They
are believed to be modifying the ozone
layer in the stratosphere, thereby allowing
more harmful solar radiation to reach the
Earth's surface.
Fluorosis: An abnormal condition caused
by excessive intake of fluorine, character-
ized chiefly by mottling of the teeth.
Flush: 1. To open a cold-water tap to clear
out all the water which may have been
sitting for a long time in the pipes. In new
homes, to flush a system means to send
large volumes of water gushing through
the unused pipes to remove loose particles
of solder and flux. 2. To force large
amounts of water through liquid to clean
out piping or tubing, storage or process
tanks.
Fly Ash: Non-combustible residual parti-
cles expelled by by flue gas.
Fogging: Applying a pesticide by rapidly
heating the liquid chemical so that it forms
very fine droplets that resemble smoke or
fog. Used to destroy mosquitoes, black
flies, and similar pests.
Food Chain: A sequence of organisms,
each of which uses the next, lower member
of the sequence as a food source.
Formaldehyde: A colorless, pungent, and
irritating gas, CH20, used chiefly as a
disinfectant and preservative and in syn-
thesizing other compounds like resins.
Formulation: The substances comprising
all active and inert ingredients in a pesti-
cide.
Fresh Water Water that generally contains
less than 1,000 milligrams-per-liter of dis-
solved solids,
Friable Asbestos: Any material containing
more than one percent asbestos, and that
can be crumbled or reduced to powder by
hand pressure. (May include previously
non-friable material which becomes broken
or damaged by mechanical force.)
Friable: Capable of being crumbled, pul-
verized, or reduced to powder by hand
pressure.
Fuel Economy Standard: The Corporate
Average Fuel Economy Standard (CAFE)
effective in 1978. It enhanced the national
fuel conservation effort imposing a miles-
per-gallon floor for motor vehicles.
Fugitive Emissions: Emissions not caught
by a capture system.
Fume: Tiny particles trapped in vapor in a
gas stream,
Fumigant: A pesticide vaporized to kill
pests. Used in buildings and greenhouses.
Functional Equivalent: Term used to
describe EPA's decision-making process
and its relationship to the environmental
review conducted under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). A
review is considered functionally equiva-
lent when it addresses the substantive
components of a NEPA review.
Fungi: (Singular: Fungus) Molds, mildews,
yeasts, mushrooms, and puffballs, a group
organisms lacking in chlorophyll (i.e., are
not photosynthetic) and which are usually
non-mobile, filamentous, and multicellular.
Some grow in soil, others attach them-
selves to decaying trees and other plants
whence they obtain nutrients. Some are
pathogens, others stabilize sewage and
digest composted waste.
Fungicide: Pesticides which are used to
control, deter, or destroy fungi.
Fungistat: A chemical that keeps fungi
from growing.
Future Liability: Refers to potentially
responsible parties' obligations to pay for
additional response activities beyond those
specified in the Record of Decision or
Consent Decree.
G
Game Fish: Species like trout, salmon, or
bass, caught for sport. Many of them show
more sensitivity to environmental change
than "rough" fish.
Gamma Radiation: Gamma rays are simi-
lar to x-rays, are the most energetic and
most penetrating electromagnetic waves of
radiant nuclear energy. Best blocked by
dense materials such as lead.
Garbage: Animal and vegetable waste
resulting from the handling, storage, sale,
preparation, cooking, and serving of foods.
Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer:
Highly sophisticated instrument that iden-
tifies the molecular composition and con-
centrations of various chemicals in water
and soil samples.
Gasification: Conversion of solid material
such as coal into a gas for use as a fuel.
Gasoline Volatility: The property of gaso-
line whereby it evaporates into a vapor.
Gasoline vapor is a volatile organic com-
pound.
Geiger Counter: A device that detects the
presence of certain types of radioactivity.
Gene Library: A collection of DNA frag-
ments from living cells or organisms. So
far, no simple way for sorting the contents
of gene libraries has been devised. Howev-
er, DNA pieces can be moved into bacteri-
al cells where sorting according to gene
function becomes feasible.
Gene: A segment of DNA that directs the
synthesis of a protein.
General Permit: A permit applicable to a
class or category of dischargers.
General Reporting Facility: A facility
having one or more hazardous chemicals
above the 10,000 pound threshold for
planning quantities. Such facilities must
file MSDS and emergency inventory infor-
mation with the SERC and LEPC and local
fire departments.
Generator: 1. A facility or mobile source
that emits pollutants into the air or releases
hazardous waste into water or soil. 2. Any
person, by site, whose act or process pro-
duces regulated medical waste or whose
act first causes such waste to become
subject to regulation. In a case where
more than one person (e.g., doctors with
separate medical practices) is located in the
same building, each business entity is a
separate generator.
Genetic Engineering: A process of insert-
ing new genetic information into existing
cells in order to modify any organism for
the purpose of changing one of its charac-
teristics.
Germicide: Any compound that kills dis-
ease-causing microorganisms.
Glovebag: A polyethylene or polyvinyl
chloride bag-like enclosure affixed around
an asbestos-containing source (most often
thermal system insulation) permitting the
material to be removed while minimizing
release of airborne fibers in the surround-
ing atmosphere.
Grain Loading: The rate at which particles
are emitted from a pollution source. Mea-
surement is made by the number of grains
per cubic foot of gas emitted.
Granular Activated Carbon Treatment: A
filtering system often used in small watei
systems and individual homes to remove
organics. GAC can be highly effective ir
removing elevated levels of radon frorr
water.
Gray Water: Domestic wastewater com
posed of washwater from kitchen, bath
room, and laundry sinks, tubs, and wash
ers.
Greenhouse Effect: The warming of thi
Earth's atmosphere attributed to a build-uj
of carbon dioxide or other gases; sonv
scientists think that this build-up allow
the sun's rays to heat the Earth, while in
fra-red radiation makes the atmospher
opaque to a counterbalancing loss of heat
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14
Grinder Pump: A mechanical device that
shreds solids and raises sewage to a higher
elevation through pressure sewers.
Gross Alpha Particle Activity: Total activi-
ty due to emission of alpha particles, used
as a screening measurement for radioactiv-
ity generally due to naturally-occurring
radionuclides. Commonly measured in
picocuries.
Gross Beta Particle Activity: Total activity
due to emission of beta particles, used as a
screening measurement for radioactivity
from man-made radionuclides such as beta
particle and gamma ray emitters. Activity
is commonly measured in picocuries.
Ground Cover: Plants grown to keep soil
from eroding.
Ground Water: The supply of fresh water
found beneath the Earth's surface, usually
in aquifers, which supply wells and
springs. Because ground water is a major
source of drinking water, there is growing
concern over contamination from leaching
agricultural or industrial pollutants or
leaking underground storage tanks.
H
Habitat: The place where a population
(e.g., human, animal, plant, microorgan-
ism) lives and its surroundings, both living
and non-living.
Half-Life: 1. The time required for a pol-
lutant to lose half its affect on the envi-
ronment. For example, the biochemical
half-life of DDT in the environment is 15
years of Radium. 1,580 years. 2. The time
required for half of the atoms of a radioac-
tive element to undergo self-transmutation
or decay. 3. The time required for the
elimination of one half a total dose from
the body.
Halogen: Any of a group of five chemical-
ly-related nonmetallic elements that in-
cludes bromine, fluorine, chlorine, iodine,
and astatine.
Halon: Bromine-containing compounds
with long atmospheric lifetimes whose
breakdown in the stratosphere causes
depletion of ozone. Halons are used in fire-
fighting.
Hammermill: A high-speed machine that
uses hammers and cutters to crush, grind,
chip, or shred solid waste.
Hard Water. Alkaline water containing dis-
solved salts that interfere with some indus-
trial processes and prevent soap from
sudsing.
Hauler: Garbage collection company that
offers complete refuse removal service;
many also will also collect recyclables.
Hazard Communication Standard: An
OSHA regulation that requires chemical
manufacturers, suppliers, and importers to
assess the hazards of the chemicals that
they make, supply, or import, and to in-
form employers, customers, and workers
of these hazards through MSDS sheets.
Hazardous Air Pollutants: Air pollutants
which are not covered by ambient air
quality standards but which, as defined in
the Clean Air Act, may reasonably be
expected to cause or contribute to irrevers-
ible illness or death. Such pollutants in-
clude asbestos, beryllium, mercury, ben-
zene, coke oven emissions, radionuclides,
and vinyl chloride.
Hazardous Chemical: An EPA designation
for any hazardous material requiring an
MSDS under OSHA's Hazard Communica-
tion Standard. Such substances are capable
of producing fires and explosions or ad-
verse health effects like cancer and derma-
titis. Hazardous chemicals are distinct from
hazardous waste.(See: Hazardous Waste.)
Hazardous Ranking System: The principle
screening tool used by EPA to evaluate
risks to public health and the environment
associated with abandoned or uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites. The HRS calculates
a score based on the potential of hazardous
substances spreading from the site through
the air, surface water, or ground water,
and on other factors such as density and
proximity of human population. This score
is the primary factor in deciding if the site
should be on the National Priorities List
and, if so, what ranking it should have
compared to other sites on the list.
Hazardous Substance: 1. Any material that
poses a threat to human health and/or the
environment. Typical hazardous substances
are toxic, corrosive, ignitable, explosive, or
chemically reactive. 2. Any substance des-
ignated by EPA to be reported if a desig-
nated quantity of the substance is spilled
in the waters of the United States or if
otherwise released into the environment.
Hazardous Waste: By-products of society
that can pose a substantial or potential
hazard to human health or the environ-
ment when improperly managed. Possess-
es at least one of four characteristics (ignit-
ability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity),
or appears on special EPA lists.
Hazardous Waste Landfill: An excavated
or engineered site where hazardous waste
is deposited and covered.
Hazards Analysis: Procedures used to (1)
identify potential sources of release of
hazardous materials from fixed facilities or
transportation accidents; (2) determine the
vulnerability of a geographical area to a
release of hazardous materials; and (3)
compare hazards to determine which
present greater or lesser risks to a commu-
nity.
Hazards Identification: Providing infor-
mation on which facilities have extremely
hazardous substances, what those chemi-
cals are, how much there is at each facility,
how the chemicals are stored, and whether
they are used at high temperatures.
Health Assessment: An evaluation of
available data on existing or potential risks
to human health posed by a Superfund
site. The Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services (DH-
HS) is required to perform such an assess-
ment at every site on the National Priori-
ties List.
Heat Island Effect: A "dome" of elevated
temperatures over an urban area caused by
structural and pavement heat fluxes, and
pollutant emissions.
Heavy Metals: Metallic elements with high
atomic weights, e.g., mercury, chromium,
cadmium, arsenic, and lead; can damage
living things at low concentrations and
tend to accumulate in the food chain.
Heptachlon An insecticide that was
banned on some food products in 1975 and
all of them 1978. It was allowed for use in
seed treatment until 1983. More recently it
was found in milk and other dairy prod-
ucts in Arkansas and Missouri where dairy
cattle were illegally fed treated seed.
Herbicide: A chemical pesticide designed
to control or destroy plants, weeds, or
grasses.
Herbivore: An animal that feeds on plants.
Heterotrophic Organisms: Species that are
dependent on organic matter for food.
High-Density Polyethylene: A material
used to make plastic bottles and other
products that produces toxic fumes when
burned.
High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW):
Waste generated in core fuel of a nuclear
reactor, found at nuclear reactors or by
nuclear fuel reprocessing; is a serious
threat to anyone who comes near the
waste without shielding. (See: low-level
radioactive waste.)
High-Level Nuclear Waste Facility: Plant
designed to handle disposal of used nucle-
ar fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and
plutonium waste.
Holding Pond: A pond or reservoir, usual-
ly made of earth, built to store polluted
runoff.
Homeowner Water System: Any water
system which supplies piped water to a
single residence.
Homogeneous Area: In accordance wth
Asbestos Hazard and Emergency Response
Act (AHERA) definitions, an area of sur-
facing materials, thermal surface insula-
tion, or miscellaneous material that is
uniform in color and texture.
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15
Hood Capture Efficiency: Ratio of the
emissions captured by a hood and directed
into a control or disposal device, expressed
as a percent of all emissions.
Host: 1. In genetics, the organism, typically
a bacterium, into which a gene from anoth-
er organism is transplanted. 2. In medicine,
an animal infected or parasitized by anoth-
er organism.
Household Waste (Domestic Waste): Solid
waste, composed of garbage and rubbish,
which normally originated in a private
home or apartment house. Domestic waste
may contain a significant amount of toxic
or hazardous waste.
Humus: Decomposed organic material.
Hybrid: A cell or organism resulting from
a cross between two unlike plant or animal
cells or organisms.
Hybridoma: A hybrid cell that produces
monoclonal antibodies in large quantities.
Hydraulic Gradient: In general, the direc-
tion of groundwater flow due to changes
in the depth of the water table.
Hydrocarbons (HC): Chemical com-
pounds that consist entirely of carbon and
hydrogen.
Hydrogen Sulfide (HS): Gas emitted
during organic decomposition. Also a by
product of oil refining and burning. Smells
like rotten eggs and, in heavy concentra-
tion, can kill or cause illness.
Hydrogeology: The geology of ground
water, with particular emphasis on the
chemistry and movement of water.
Hydrology: The science dealing with the
properties,distribution, and circulation of
water.
I
Identification Code or EPA I.D. Number:
The unique code assigned to each genera-
tor, transporter, and treatment, storage, or
disposal facility by regulating agencies to
facilitate identification and tracking of
chemicals or hazardous waste.
Ignitable: Capable of burning or causing a
fire.
Immediately Dangerous to Life and
Health (IDLH): The maximum level to
which a healthy individual can be exposed
to a chemical for 30 minutes and escape
without suffering irreversible health effects
or impairing symptons. Used as a "level of
concern." (See; level of concern.)
Impervious: Describes a material that does
not allow another substance to penetrate or
pass through.
Impoundment: A body of water or sludge
confined by a dam, dike, floodgate, or
other barrier.
In Vitro: 1. "In glass"; a test-tube culture.
2. Any laboratory test using living cells
taken from an organism.
In Vivo: In the living body of a plant or
animal. In vivo tests are those laboratory
experiments carried out on whole animals
or human volunteers.
Incident Command Post: A facility located
at a safe distance from an emergency site,
where the incident commander, key staff,
and technical representatives can make
decisions and deploy emergency manpow-
er and equipment.
Incident Command System (ICS): The
organizational arrangement wherein one
person, normally the Fire Chief of the
impacted district, is in charge of an inte-
grated, comprehensive emergency response
organization and the emergency incident
site, backed by an Emergency Operations
Center staff with resources, information,
and advice.
Incineration: A treatment technology
involving destruction of waste by con-
trolled burning at high temperatures, e.g.,
burning sludge to remove the water and
reduce the remaining residues to a safe,
non-burnable ash that can be disposed of
safely on land, in some waters, or in un-
derground locations.
Incineration at Sea: Disposal of waste by
burning at sea on specially-designed incin-
erator ships.
Incinerator A furnace for burning waste
under controlled conditions.
Incompatible Waste: A waste unsuitable
for mixing with another waste or material
because it may react to form a hazard.
Indicator: In biology, an organism, species,
or community whose characteristics show
the presence of specific environmental
conditions, good or bad.
Indirect Discharge: Introduction of pollut-
ants from a non-domestic source into a
publicly owned waste-treatment system.
Indirect dischargers can be commercial or
industrial facilities whose wastes enter
local sewers.
Indoor Air: The breathing air inside a
habitable structure or conveyance.
Indoor Air Pollution: Chemical, physical,
or biological contaminants in indoor air.
Indoor Climate: Temperature, humidity,
lighting, and noise levels in a habitable
structure or conveyance. Indoor climate
can affect indoor air pollution.
Industrial Pollution Prevention: Combi-
nation of industrial source reduction and
toxic chemical use substitution
Industrial Source Reduction: Practices that
reduce the amount of any hazardous sub-
stance, pollutant, or contaminant entering
any waste stream or otherwise released
into the environment; Also reduces the
threat to public health and the environ-
ment associated with such releases. Term
includes equipment or technology modifi-
cations, substitution of raw materials, and
improvements in housekeeping, mainte-
nance, training or inventory control.
Industrial Waste: Unwanted materials
from an industrial operation; may be liq-
uid, sludge, solid, or hazardous waste.
Inert Ingredient: Pesticide components
such as solvents, carriers, dispersants,and
surfactants that are not active against
target pests. Not all inert ingredients are
innocuous.
Inert: Lacking the ability to chemically
react with other substances.
Inertial Separator A device that uses
centrifugal force to separate waste parti-
cles.
Infectious Agent: Any organism, such as
a virus or bacterium, that is pathogenic
and capable of being communicated by
invasion and multiplication in body tis-
sues..
Infectious Waste: Hazardous waste with
infectious characteristics, including: con-
taminated animal waste; human blood and
blood products; isolation waste, pathologi-
cal waste; and discarded sharps (needles,
scalpels or broken medical instruments.)
Infiltration: 1. The penetration of water
through the ground surface into sub-sur-
face soil or the penetration of water from
the soil into sewer or other pipes through
defective joints, connections, or manhole
walls. 2. The technique of applying large
volumes of waste water to land to pene-
trate the surface and percolate through the
underlying soil. (See: percolation.)
Inflow: Entry of extraneous rain water into
a sewer system from sources other than
infiltration, such as basement drains, man-
holes, storm drains, and street washing.
Influent: Water, wastewater, or other
liquid flowing into a reservoir, basin, or
treatment plant.
Information File: In the Superfund pro-
gram, a file that contains accurate, up-to-d-
ate documents on a Superfund site. The
file is usually located in a public building
(school, library, or city hall) convenient for
local residents.
Injection Well: A well into which fluids
are injected for purposes such as waste
disposal, improving the recovery of crude
oil, or solution mining.
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16
Injection Zone: A geological formation
receiving fluids through a well.
Innovative Technologies: New or inven-
tive methods to treat effectively hazardous
waste and reduce risks to human health
and the environment.
Inoculum: 1. Bacterium placed in compost
to start biological action. 2. A medium
containing organisms that is introduced
into cultures or living organisms.
Inorganic Chemicals: Chemical substances
of mineral origin, not of basically carbon
structure.
Insecticide: A pesticide compound specifi-
cally used to kill or prevent the growth of
insects.
Inspection and Maintenance (I/M): 1.
Activities to assure that vehicles'emissions-
controls work properly. 2. Also applies to
wastewater treatment plants and other
anti-pollution facilities and processes.
Instream Use: Water use taking place
within a stream channel, e.g., hydro-elec-
tric power generation, navigation, water
quality improvement, fish propagation,
recreation.
In-Situ Stripping: Treatment system that
remove or "strips" volatile organic com-
pounds from contaminated ground or
surface water by forcing an airstream
through the water and causing the com-
pounds to evaporate.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): A
mixture of chemical and other, non-pestici-
de, methods to control pests.
Integrated Waste Management: Using a
variety of practices to handle municipal
solid waste; can include source reduction,
recycling, incineration, and landfilling.
Interceptor Sewers: Large sewer lines that,
in a combined system, control the flow of
sewage to the treatment plant. In a storm,
they allow some of the sewage to flow
directly into a receiving stream, thus keep-
ing it from overflowing onto the streets.
Also used in separate systems to collect the
flows from main and trunk sewers and
carry them to treatment points.
Interim (Permit) Status: Period during
which treatment, storage and disposal
facilities coming under RCRA in 1980 are
temporarily permitted to operate while
awaiting a permanent permit. Permits
issued under these circumstances are usu-
ally called "Part A" or "Part B" permits.
Interstate Carrier Water Supply: A source
of water for drinking and sanitary use on
planes, buses, trains, and ships operating
in more than one state. These sources are
federally regulated.
Interstate Commerce Clause: A clause of
the U.S. Constitution which reserves to the
federal government the right to regulate
the conduct of business across state lines.
Under this clause, for example, the U.S.
Supreme Court has ruled that states may
not inequitably restrict the disposal out-of-
state wastes in their jurisdictions.
Interstate Waters: Waters that flow across
or form part of state or international boun-
daries, e.g., the Great Lakes, the Mississip-
pi River, or coastal waters.
Interstitial Monitoring: The continuous
surveillance of the space between the walls
of an underground storage tank.
Inventory (TSCA): Inventory of chemicals
produced pursuant to Section 8 (b) of the
Toxic Substances Control Act.
Inversion: A layer of warm air preventing
the rise of cooling air and pollutants
trapped beneath it. Can cause an air pollu-
tion episode.
Ion: An electrically charged atom that can
be drawn from waste water during electro-
dialysis.
Ion Exchange Treatment: A common wa-
ter-softening method often found on a
large scale at water purification plants that
remove some organics and radium by
adding calcium oxide or calcium hydrox-
ide to increase the ph to a level where the
metals will precipitate out.
lonization Chamber: A device that mea-
sures the intensity of ionizing radiation.
Ionizing Radiation: Radiation that can
strip electrons from atoms, i.e., alpha, beta,
and gamma radiation.
Irradiated Food: Food subject to brief
radioactivity, usually gamma rays, to kill
insects, bacteria, and mold, and to permit
storage without refrigeration.
Irradiation: Exposure to radiation of wave-
lengths shorter than those of visible light
(gamma, x-ray, or ultraviolet), for medical
purposes, to sterilize milk or other food-
stuffs, or to induce polymerization of
monomers or vulcanization of rubber.
Irrigation: Applying water or wastewater
to land areas to supply the water and
nutrient needs of plants.
Irritant: A substance that can cause irrita-
tion of the skin, eyes, or respiratory sys-
tem. Effects may be acute from a single
high level exposure, or chronic from re-
peated low-level exposures to such com-
pounds as chlorine, nitrogen dioxide, and
nitric acid.
Isotope: A variation of an element that has
the same atomic number of protons but a
different weight because of the number of
neutrons. Various isotopes of the same
element may have different radioactive
behaviors, some are highly unstable..
K
Karst: A geologic formation of irregular
limestone deposits with sinks, under-
ground streams, and caverns.
Kinetic Rate Coefficient: A number that
describes the rate at which a water constit-
uent such as a biochemical oxygen demand
or dissolved oxygen rises or falls.
Lagoon: 1. A shallow pond where sunlight,
bacterial action, and oxygen work to purify
wastewater; also used for storage of waste-
water or spent nuclear fuel rods. 2. Shal-
low body of water, often separated from
the sea by coral reefs or sandbars.
Land Application: Discharge of wastewa-
ter onto the ground for treatment or reuse.
(See: irrigation.)
Land Ban: Phasing out of land disposal of
miost untreated hazardous wastes, as man-
dated by the 1984 RCRA amendments.
Land Fanning (of waste): A disposal
process in which hazardous waste deposit-
ed on or in the soil is degraded naturally
by microbes.
Landfills: 1. Sanitary landfills are disposal
sites for non-hazardous solid wastes
spread in layers, compacted to the smallest
practical volume, and covered by material
applied at the end of each operating day.
2. Secure chemical landfills are disposal
sites for hazardous waste, selected and
designed to minimize the chance of release
of hazardous substances into the environ-
ment.
Large Quantity Generator Person or
facility generating more than 2200 pounds
of hazardous waste per month. Such gen-
erators produce about 90 percent of the
nation's hazardous waste, and are subject
to all RCRA requirements.
Lateral Sewers: Pipes that run under city
streets and receive the sewage from homes
and businesses, as opposed to domestic
feeders and main trunk lines.
LC50/Lethal Concentration: Median level
concentration, a standard measure of
toxicity. It tells how much of a substance is
needed to kill half of a group of experi-
mental organisms in a given time. (See:
LD50.)
LD 50/ Lethal Dose: The dose of a toxicant
that will kill 50 percent of the test organ-
isms within a designated period. The lower
the LD 50, the more toxic the compound.
Leachate: Water that collects contaminants
as it trickles through wastes, pesticides or
fertilizers. Leaching may occur in farming
areas, feedlots, and landfills, and may
result in hazardous substances entering
surface water, ground water, or soil.
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Leachate Collection System: A system that
gathers leachate and pumps it to the sur-
face for treatment.
Leaching: The process by which soluble
constituents are dissolved and filtered
through the soil by a percolating fluid.
(See: leachate.)
Lead (Pb): A heavy metal that is hazard-
ous to health if breathed or swallowed. Its
use in gasoline, paints, and plumbing
compounds has been sharply restricted or
eliminated by federal laws and regulations.
(See: heavy metals.)
Leaded Gasoline: Gasoline to which lead
has been added to raise its octane level.
Level of Concern (LOC): The concentra-
tion in air of an extremely hazardous
substance above which there may be seri-
ous immediate health effects to anyone
exposed to it for short periods Lift: In a
sanitary landfill, a compacted layer of solid
waste and the top layer of cover material.
Lifting Station: (See: pumping station.)
Limestone Scrubbing: Use of a limestone
and water solution to remove gaseous
stackpipe sulfur before it reaches the atmo-
sphere.
Limited Degradation: An environmental
policy permitting some degradation of
natural systems but terminating at a level
well beneath an established health stan-
dard.
Limiting Factor A condition whose ab-
sence or excessive concentration, is incom-
patible with the needs or tolerance of a
species or population and which may have
a negative influence on their ability to
thrive, survive.
Limnology: The study of the physical,
chemical, hydrological, and biological
aspects of fresh water bodies.
Linen 1. A relatively impermeable barrier
designed to keep leachate inside a landfill.
Liner materials include plastic and dense
clay. 2. An insert or sleeve for sewer pipes
to prevent leakage or infiltration.
Lipid Solubility: The maximum concentra-
tion of a chemical that will dissolve in fatty
substances. Lipid soluble substances are
insoluble in water. They will very selec-
tively disperse through the environment
via uptake in living tissue.
Liquefaction: Changing a solid into a
liquid.
Liquid Injection Incinerator: Commonly
used system that relies on high pressure to
prepare liquid wastes for incineration
breaking them up into tiny droplets to
allow easier combustion.
List: Shorthand term for EPA list of violat-
ing facilities or firms debarred from obtain-
ing government contracts because they
violated certain sections of the Clean Air
or Clean Water Acts. The list is maintained
by The Office of Enforcement and Compli-
ance Monitoring.
Listed Waste: Wastes listed as hazardous
under RCRA but which have not been
subjected to the Toxic Characteristics List-
ing Process because the dangers they
present are considered self-evident.
Litter: The highly visible portion of solid
waste carelessly discarded outside the
regular garbage and trash collection and
disposal system.
Local Education Agency (LEA): In the
asbestos program, an educational agency at
the local level that exists primarily to
operate schools or to contract for educa-
tional services, including primary and
secondary public and private schools. A
single, unaffiliated school can be consid-
ered an LEA for AHERA purposes.
Local Emergency Planning Committee
(LEPC): A committee appointed by the
state emergency response commission, as
required by SARA Title III, to formulate a
comprehensive emergency plan for its
jurisdiction.
Low NO" Burners: One of several combus-
tion technologies used to reduce emissions
of Nitrogen Oxides (NOX.)
Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW):
Wastes less hazardous than most of those
associated with nuclear reactor; generated
by hospitals, research laboratories, and
certain industries. The Department of
Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
and EPA share responsibilities for manag-
ing them. (See: high-level radioactive
wastes.)
Lower Explosive Limit (LEL): The concen-
tration of a compound in air below which
a flame will not conflagrate if the mixture
is ignited.
Lowest Achievable Emission Rate: Under
the Clean Air Act, the rate of emissions
that reflects (a) the most stringent emission
limitation in the implementation plan of
any state for such source unless the owner
or operator demonstrates such limitations
are not achievable; or (b) the most strin-
gent emissions limitation achieved in prac-
tice, whichever is more stringent. A pro-
posed new or modified source may not
emit pollutants in excess of existing new
source standards.
M
Magnetic Separation: Use of magnets to
separate ferrous materials from mixed
muncipal waste stream.
Mandatory Recycling: Programs which by
law require consumers to separate trash so
that some or all recyclable materials are
recovered for recycling rather than going
to landfills.
Manual Separation: Hand sorting of reycl-
able or compostable materials in waste.
Major Modification: This term is used to
define modifications of major stationary
sources of emissions with respect to Pre-
vention of Significant Deterioration and
New Source Review under the Clean Air
Act.
Major Stationary Sources: Term used to
determine the applicability of Prevention
of Significant Deterioration and new source
regulations. In a nonattainment area, any
stationary pollutant source with potential
to emit more than 100 tons per year is
considered a major stationary source. In
PSD areas the cutoff level may be either
100 or 250 tons, depending upon the
source.
Majors: Larger publicly owned treatment
works (POTWs) with flows equal to at
least one million gallons per day (mgd) or
servicing population equivalent to 10,000
persons; certain other POTWs having
significant water quality impacts. (See:
minors.)
Management Plan: Under the Asbestos
Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHER-
A), a document that each Local Education
Agency is required to prepare, describing
all activities planned and undertaken by a
school to comply with AHERA regulations,
including building inspections to identify
asbestos-containing materials, response
actions, and operations and maintenance
programs to minimize the risk of exposure.
Manifest System: Tracking of hazardous
waste from "cradle to grave" (generation
through disposal) with accompanying
documents known as manifests.(See: Cra-
dle to Grave.)
Manual Separation: Hand separation of
compostable or recyclable material from
waste.
Manufacturers Formulation: A list of sub-
stances or component parts as described by
the maker of a coating, pesticide, or other
product containing chemicals or other sub-
stances.
Marine Sanitation Device: Any equip-
ment or process installed on board a vessel
to receive, retain, treat, or discharge sew-
age.
Marsh: A type of wetland that does not
accumulate appreciable peat deposits and
is dominated by herbaceous vegetation.
Marshes may be either fresh or saltwater,
tidal or non-tidal. (See: wetlands.)
Material Category: In the asbestos pro-
gram, broad classification of materials into
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18
thermal surfacing insulation, surfacing
material, and miscellaneous material.
Materials Recovery Facility: A facility that
processes residentially collected mixed
recyclables into new products available for
market.
Material Type is classification of suspect
material by its specific use or application,
e.g., pipe insulation, fireproofing, and floor
tile.
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): A
compilation of information required under
the OSHA Communication Standard on
the identity of hazardous chemicals, health,
and physical hazards, exposure limits, and
precautions. Section 311 of SARA requires
facilities to submit MSDSs under certain
circumstances.
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF): Facili-
ty that processes residentialy collected
mixed recyclables into new products.
Maximum Contaminant Level: The maxi-
mum permissible level of a contaminant in
water delivered to any user of a public
system. MCLs are enforceable standards.
Mechanical Aeration: Use of mechanical
energy to inject air into water to cause a
waste stream to absorb oxygen.
Mechanical Separation: Using mechanical
means to to separate waste into various
components.
Mechanical Turbulence: Random irregu-
larities of fluid motion in air caused by
buildings or other non-thermal, processes.
Media: Specific environments-air, water,
soil-which are the subject of regulatory
concern and activities.
Medical Surveillance: A periodic compre-
hensive review of a worker's health status;
acceptable elements of such surveillance
program are listed in the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration stan-
dards for asbestos.
Medical Waste: Any solid waste generated
in the diagnosis, treatment, or immuniza-
tion of human beings or animals, in re-
search pertaining thereto, or in the produc-
tion or testing of biologicals, excluding
hazardous waste identified or listed under
40 CFR Part 261 or any household waste as
defined in 40 CFR Sub-section 261.4 (b)(l)).
Mercury: A heavy metal that can accumu-
late in the environment and is highly toxic
if breathed or swallowed. (See: heavy
metals.)
Metabolites: Any substances produced by
biological processes, such as those from
pesticides.
Methane: A colorless, nonpoisonous, flam-
mable gas created by anaerobic decomposi-
tion of organic compounds.
Method 18: An EPA test method which
uses gas chromatographic techniques to
measure the concentration of volatile or-
ganic compounds in a gas stream.
Method 24: An EPA reference method to
determine density, water content and total
volatile content (water and VOC) of coat-
ings.
Method 25: An EPA reference method to
determine the VOC concentration in a gas
stream.
Microclimate: The localized climate condi-
tions with in an urban area or neighbor-
hood.
Microbes: Microscopic organisms (algae,
animals, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and
protozoa), some of which cause diseases.
(See: microorganism.)
Microbial Pesticide: A microorganism that
is used to control a pest, but of minimum
toxicity to man.
Microorganism: Living organisms so small
that individually it can only be seen thro-
ugh a microscope.
Million-gallons Per Day (MGD): A mea-
sure of water flow.
Minimization: A comprehensive program
to minimize or eliminate wastes, usually
applied to wastes at their point of origin.
(See: waste minimization.)
Minors: Publicly owned treatment works
with flows less than 1 million gallons per
day. (See: majors.)
Miscellaneous ACM: Interior asbestos-con-
taining building material or structural
components, members or fixtures, such as
floor and ceiling tiles; does not include
surfacing materials or thermal system
insulation.
Miscellaneous materials: Interior building
materials on structural components, such
as floor or ceiling tiles.
Miscible Liquids: Two or more liquids
that can be mixed and will remain mixed
under normal conditions.
Missed Detection: The situation that oc-
curs when a test indicates that a tank is
"tight" when in fact it is leaking.
Mist: Liquid particles measuring 40 to 500
microns, are formed by condensation of
vapor. By comparison, fog particles are
smaller than 40 microns.
Mitigation: Measures taken to reduce
adverse impacts on the environment.
Mixed Funding: Settlements in which
potentially responsible parties and EPA
share the cost of a response action.
Mixed Liquor. A mixture of activated
sludge and water containing organic mat-
ter undergoing activated sludge treatment
in an aeration tank.
Mobile Incinerator Systems: Hazardous
waste incinerators that can be transported
from one site to another.
Mobile Source: Any non-stationary source
of air pollution such as cars, trucks, motor-
cycles, buses, airplanes, locomotives.
Model Plant: A hypothetical plant design
used for developing economic, environ-
mental, and energy impact analyses as
support for regulations or regulatory gu-
idelines; first step in exploring the econom-
ic impact of a potential NSPS.
Modeling: Development of a mathematical
or physical representation of a system or
theory that accounts for all or some its
known properties. Models are often used
to test the effect of changes of components
on the overall performance of the system.
Molten Salt Reactor: A thermal treatment
unit that rapidly heats waste in a heat-
conducting fluid bath of carbonate salt.
Monitoring Well: 1. A well used to obtain
water quality samples or measure ground-
water levels. 2. Well drilled at a hazardous
waste management facility or Superfund
site to collect ground-water samples for the
purpose of physical, chemical, or biological
analysis to determine the amounts, types,
and distribution of contaminants in the
ground water beneath the site.
Monitoring: Periodic or continuous sur-
veillance or testing to determine the level
of compliance with statutory requirements
and/or pollutant levels in various media
or in humans, plants, and animals.
Monoclonal Antibodies: (Also called
MABs and MCAs) 1. Man-made clones of
a molecule, produced in quanitity for
medical or research purposes. 2. Molecules
of living organisms that selectively find
and attach to other molecules to which
their structure conforms exactly. This could
also apply to equivalent activity by chemi-
cal molecules.
Moratorium: During the negotiation pro-
cess, a period of 60 to 90 days during
which EPA and potentially responsible
parties may reach settlement but no site
response activities can be conducted.
Morbidity: Rate of disease incidence.
Muck Soils: Earth made from decaying
plant materials.
Mulch: A layer of material (wood chips,
straw, leaves, etc.) placed around plants to
hold moisture, prevent weed growth, and
enrich or sterilize the soil.
Multiple Use: Use of land for more than
one purpose; i.e., grazing of livestock,
watershed and wildlife protection, recre-
ation, and timber production. Also applies
to use of bodies of water for recreational
purposes, fishing, and water supply.
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Mutagen: Any substance capable of pro-
ducing a change in DNA.
Mutagenesis: Any process by which cells
are mutuated.
Mutate: To bring about a change in the
genetic constitution of a cell by altering its
DNA.
N
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS): Standards established by EPA
that apply for outside air throughout the
country. (See: criteria pollutants, state
implementation plans, emissions trading.)
National Emissions Standards For Haz-
ardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS): Emis-
sions standards set by EPA for an air
pollutant not covered by NAAQS that may
cause an increase in fatalities or in serious,
irreversible, or incapacitating illness. Pri-
mary standards are designed to protect
human health, secondary standards to
protect public welfare (e.g., building fa-
cades, visibility, crops, and domestic ani-
mals).
National Estuary Program: A program
established under the u^ean Water Act
Amendments of 1987 to develop and im-
plement conservation and management
plans for protecting estuaries and restoring
and maintaining their chemical, physical,
and biological integrity, as well as control-
ling point and nonpoint pollution sources.
National Municipal Plan: A policy created
in 1984 by EPA and the states in 1984 to
bring all publicly owned treatment works
(POTWs) into compliance with Clean
Water Act requirements.
National Oil and Hazardous Substances
Contingency Plan (NOHSCP/NCP): The
federal regulation that guides determina-
tion of the sites to be corrected under both
the Superfund program and the program
to prevent or control spills into surface
waters or elsewhere.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES): A provision of the Clean
Water Act which prohibits discharge of
pollutants into waters of the United States
unless a special permit is issued by EPA, a
state, or, where delegated, a tribal govern-
ment on an Indian reservation.
National Priorities List (NPL): EPA's list
of the most serious uncontrolled or aban-
doned hazardous waste sites identified for
possible long-term remedial action under
Superfund. The list is based primarily on
the score a site receives from the Hazard
Ranking System. EPA is required to up-
date the NPL at least once a year. A site
must be on the NPL to receive money
from the Trust Fund for remedial action.
National Response Team (NRT): Repre-
sentatives of 13 federal agencies that, as a
team, coordinate federal responses to
nationally significant incidents of pollu-
tion-an oil spill, a major chemical release,
or a Superfund response action-and pro-
vide advice and technical assistance to the
responding agency(ies) before and during
a response action.
National Response Center The federal
operations center that receives notifications
of all releases of oil and hazardous sub-
stances into the environment; open 24
hours a day, is operated by the U.S. Coast
Guard, which evaluates all reports and
notifies the appropriate agency.
Natural Gas: A natural fuel containing pri-
marily methane and ethane that occurs in
certain petrological formations.
Natural Selection: The process of survival
of the fittest, by which organisms that
adapt to their environment survive and
those that do not disappear.
Navigable Waters: Traditionally, waters
sufficiently deep and wide for navigation
by all, or specified vessels; such waters in
the United States come under federal juris-
diction and are protected by certain provi-
sions of the Clean Water Act.
Necrosis: Death of plant or animal cells or
tissues. In plants, necrosis can discolor
stems or leaves or kill a plant entirely.
Negotiations: (Under Superfund) After
potentially responsible parties are identi-
fied for a site, EPA coordinates with them
to reach a settlement that will result in the
PRP paying for or conducting the cleanup
under EPA supervision. If negotiations fail,
EPA can order the PRP to conduct the
cleanup or EPA can pay for the cleanup
using Superfund monies and then sue to
recover the costs.
Nematocide: A chemical agent which is
destructive to nematodes (round worms or
threadworms).
Neutralization: Decreasing the acidity or
alkalinity of a substance by adding alkaline
or acidic materials, respectively.
New Source Performance Standards (NS-
PS): Uniform national EPA air emission
and water effluent standards which limit
the amount of pollution allowed from new
sources or from modified existing sourc-
es.modified.
New Source: Any stationary source built
or modified after publication of final or
proposed regulations that prescribe a given
standard of performance.
Nitrate: A compound containing nitrogen
that can exist in the atmosphere or as a
dissolved gas in water and which can have
harmful effects on humans and animals.
Nitrates in water can cause severe illness
in infants and domestic animals.
Nitric Oxide (NO): A gas formed by
combustion under high temperature and
high pressure in an internal combustion
engine; changes into nitrogen dioxide in
the ambient air and contributes to photo-
chemical smog.
Nitrification: The process whereby ammo-
nia in wastewater is oxidized to nitrite and
then to nitrate by bacterial or chemical
reactions.
Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA): A compound
now replacing phosphates in detergents:
Nitrite: 1. An intermediate in the process
of nitrification. 2. Nitrous oxide salts used
in food preservation
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): The result of
nitric oxide combining with oxygen in the
atmosphere; major component of photo-
chemical smog.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOJ: Product of combus-
tion from transportation and stationary
sources and a major contributor to the
formation of ozone in the troposphere and
to acid deposition.
Nitrogenous Wastes: Animal or vegetable
residues that contain significant amounts
of nitrogen.
Nitrophenols: Synthetic organopesticides
containing carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and
oxygen.
No Further Remedial Action Planned:
Determination made by EPA following a
preliminary assessment that a site does not
pose a significant risk and so requires no
further activity under CERCLA.
Noise: Product-level or product-volume
changes occurring during a test that are
not related to a leak but may be mistaken
for one.
Non-Attainment Area: Area that does not
meet one or more of the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for the criteria
pollutants designated in the Clean Air Act.
Non-Binding Allocations of Responsibili-
ty (NBAR): Process for EPA to propose a
way for potentially responsible parties to
allocate costs among themselves.
Non-Community Water System: A public
water system that is not a community
water system, e.g., the water supply at a
camp site or national park.
Non-Conventional Pollutant: Any pollut-
ant not statutorily listed or which is poorly
understood by the scientific community.
No Further Remedial Action Planned:
Determination made by EPA following a
preliminary assessment that a site does not
pose a significant risk and so requires no
further activity under CERCLA.
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20
Non-Point Source: Diffuse pollution sourc-
es (i.e., without a single point of origin or
not introduced into a receiving stream
from a specific outlet). The pollutants are
generally carried off the land by storm-
water. Common non-point sources are
agriculture, forestry, urban, mining, con-
struction, dams, channels, land disposal,
saltwater intrusion, and city streets.
Non-Contact Cooling Water. Water used
for cooling which does not come into
direct contact with any raw material, prod-
uct, byproduct, or waste.
Non-degradation: An environmental poli-
cy which disallows any lowering of natu-
rally occurring quality regardless of prees-
tablished health standards.
Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Radiation:
1. Radiation that does not change the
structure of atoms but does heat tissue and
may cause harmful biological effects. 2.
Microwaves, radio waves, and low-fre-
quency electromagnetic fields from high-
voltage transmission lines.
Nondischarging Treatment Plant: A treat-
ment plant that does not discharge treated
wastewater into any stream or river. Most
are pond systems that dispose of the total
flow they receive by means of evaporation
or percolation to groundwater, or facilities
that dispose of their effluent by recycling
or reuse (e.g., spray irrigation or ground-
water discharge).
Nonfriable Asbestos-containing Materials:
Any material containing more than one
percent asbestos (as determined by Polar-
ized Light Microscopy) that, when dry,
cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or re-
duced to powder by hand pressure.
Non-Road Emissions: Pollutants emitted
by combustion engines on farm and con-
struction equipment, gasoline-powered
lawn and garden equipment, and power
boats and outboard motors.
Notice of Deficiency: An EPA request to
a facility owner or operator requesting
additional information before a prelimi-
nary decision on a permit application can
be made.
Notice of Intent to Deny: Notification by
EPA of its preliminary intent to deny a
permit application.
Nuclear Power Plant: A facility that con-
verts nuclear energy into usable power;
heat produced by a reactor makes steam to
drive turbines which produce electricity.
Nuclear Reactors and Support Facilities:
Uranium mills, commercial power reactors,
fuel reprocessing plants, and uranium
enrichment facilities.
Nuclear Winter: Prediction by some scien-
tists that smoke and debris rising from
massive fires of a nuclear war could block
sunlight for weeks or months, cooling the
earth's surface and producing climate
changes that could, for example, negatively
effect world agricultural and weather pat-
terns.
Nutrient: Any substance assimilated by
living things that promotes growth. The
term is generally applied to nitrogen and
phosphorus in wastewater, but is also
applied to other essential and trace ele-
ments.
Ocean Discharge Waiver A variance from
Clean Water Act requirements for dis-
charges into marine waters.
Odor Threshold: The lowest concentration
of vapor in the air that can be smelled.
Odor thresholds vary widely among indi-
viduals.
Of f-Site Facility: A hazardous waste treat-
ment, storage or disposal area that is locat-
ed away from the generating site.
Oil Fingerprinting: A method that identi-
fies sources of oil and allows spills to be
traced to their source.
Oil Spill: An accidental or intentional dis-
charge of oil which reaches bodies of
water. Can be controlled by chemical
dispersion, combustion, mechanical con-
tainment, and/or adsorption. Spills from
tanks and pipelines can also occur away
from water bodies, contzminzting the soil,
getting into sewer systems and threatening
underground water sources.
Oligotrophic Lakes: Deep clear lakes with
few nutrients, little organic matter and a
high dissolved-oxygen level.
On-Scene Coordinator (OSC): The predes-
ignated EPA, Coast Guard, or Department
of Defense official who coordinates and
directs Superfund removal actions or Clean
Water Act oil-or hazardous-spill response
actions.
On-Site Facility: A hazardous waste treat-
ment, storage or disposal area that is locat-
ed on the generating site.
Onboard Controls: Devices placed on
vehicles to capture gasoline vapor during
refueling and route thems to the engines
when the vehicleis starting so that it can be
efficiently burned.
Oncogenic: A substance that causes tu-
mors, benign or malignant.
Opacity: The amount of light obscured by
particulate pollution in the air; clear win-
dow glass has zero opacity, a brick wall is
100 percent opaque. Opacity is an indicator
of changes in performance of particulate
control systems.
Open Burning: Uncontrolled fires in an
open dump.
Open Dump: An uncovered site used for
disposal of waste without environmental
controls. (See: dump.)
Operable Unit: Term for each of a number
of separate activities undertaken as part of
a Superfund site cleanup. A typical opera-
ble unit would be removal of drums and
tanks from the surface of a site.
Operating Conditions: Conditions speci-
fied in a RCRA permit that dictate how an
incinerator must operate as it burns differ-
ent waste types. A trial burn is used to
identify operating conditions needed to
meet specified performance standards.
Operation And Maintenance: 1. Activities
conducted after a Superfund site action is
completed to ensure that the action is
effective. 2. Actions taken after construc-
tion to assure that facilities constructed to
treat waste water will be properly operated
and maintained to achieve normative effi-
ciency levels and prescribed effluent limi-
tations in an optimum manner. 3. On-
going asbestos management plan in a
school or other public building, including
regular inspections, various methods of
maintaining asbestos in place, and removal
when necessary.
Oral Toxicity: Ability of a pesticide to
cause injury when ingested.
Organic: 1. Referring to or derived from
living organisms. 2. In chemistry, any com-
pound containing carbon.
Organic Chemicals/Compounds: Animal
or plant-produced substances containing
mainly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and
oxygen.
Organic Matter: Carbonaceous waste con-
tained in plant or animal matter and origi-
nating from domestic or industrial sources.
Organophosphates: Pesticides that contain
phosphorus; short-lived, but some can be
toxic when first applied.
Organotins: Chemical compounds used in
anti-foulant paints to protect the hulls of
boats and ships, buoys, and pilings from
marine organisms such as barnacles.
Original AHERA Inspection/Orginal
Inspection/Inspection: Examination of
school buildings arranged by Local Educa-
tion Agencies to identify asbestos-contain-
ing-materials, evaluate their condition, take
samples of materials suspected to contain
asbestos; performed by EPA-accredited
inspectors
Original Generation Point: Where regulat-
ed medical or other material first becomes
waste.
Osmosis: The tendency of a fluid to pass
through a permeable membrane (like the
wall of a living cell) into a less concentrat-
ed solution, so equalizing the density on
both sides.
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Outfall: The place where effluent is dis-
charged into receiving waters.
Overburden: Rock and soil cleared away
before mining.
Overfire Air. Air forced into the top of an
incinerator or boiler to fan the flames.
Overland Flow: A land application tech-
nique that cleanses waste water by allow-
ing it to flow over a sloped surface. As the
water flows over the surface, contaminants
are absorbed and the water is collected at
the bottom of the slope for reuse.
Oversized Regulated Medical Waste:
Medical waste that is too large for plastic
bags or standard containers.
Overturn: One complete cycle of top to
bottom mixing of previously stratified
water masses. This phenomenon may
occur in spring or fall, or after storms, and
results in uniformity of chemical and phys-
ical properties of water at all depths.
Oxidant: A substance containing oxygen
that reacts chemically in air to produce a
new substance; the primary ingredient of
photochemical smog.
Oxidation: 1. The addition of oxygen
which breaks down organic waste or che-
micals such as cyanides, phenols, and
organic sulfur compounds in sewage by
bacterial and chemical means. 2. Any
combination of oxygen with other ele-
ments. 3. In chemistry, a process in which
electrons are removed from a molecule.
Oxidation Pond: A man-made body of
water in which waste is consumed by
bacteria, used most frequently with other
waste-treatment processes; a sewage la-
goon.
Oxygenated Fuels: Gasoline which has
been blended with alcohols or ethers that
contain oxygen in order to reduce carbon
monoxide and other emissions.
Oxygenated Solvent: An organic solvent
containing oxygen as part of the molecular
structure. Alcohols and ketones are oxy-
genated compounds often used as paint
solvents.
Ozone (O3): Found in two layers of the
atmosphere, the stratosphere and the tro-
posphere. In the stratosphere (the atmo-
spheric layer 7 to 10 miles or more above
the earth's surface) ozone is a natural form
of oxygen that provides a protective layer
shielding the earth from ultraviolet radiati-
on.In the troposphere (the layer extending
up 7 to 10 miles from the earth's surface),
ozone is a chemical oxidant and major
component of photochemical smog. It can
seriously impair the respiratory system
and is one of the most widespread of all
the criteria pollutants for which the Clean
Air Act required EPA to set standards.
Ozone in the troposphere is produced
through complex chemical reactions of
nitrogen oxides, which are among the
primary pollutants emitted by combustion
sources; hydrocarbons, released into the
atmosphere through the combustion, han-
dling and processing of petroleum prod-
ucts; and sunlight
Ozonaton A device that adds ozone to
water.
Ozone Depletion: Destruction of the st-
ratospheric ozone layer which shields the
earth from ultraviolet radiation harmful to
life. This destruction of ozone is caused by
the breakdown of certain chlorine and/or-
bromine containing compounds (chloroflu-
orocarbons or halons), which break down
when they reach the stratosphere and then
catalytically destroy ozone molecules.
Ozone Hole:Thinning break in the stra-
tospheric ozone layer. Designation of
amount of such depletion as a "ozone hole"
is made when detected amount of deple-
tion exceeds fifty percent, seasonal ozone
holes have been observed over both the
Antartic region and the Arctic region and
part of Canada and the extreme northeast-
ern United States.
Packaging: The assembly of one or more
containers and any other components
necessary to assure minimum compliance
with a program's storage and shipment
packaging requirements. Also, the contain-
ers, etc., involved.
Packed Bed Scrubber: An air pollution
control device in which emissions pass
through alkaline water to neutralize hydro-
gen chloride gas.
Packed Tower: A pollution control device
that forces dirty air through a tower
packed with crushed rock or wood chips
while liquid is sprayed over the packing
material. The pollutants in the air stream
either dissolve or chemically react with the
liquid.
Pandemic: A Widespread throughout an
area, nation or the world.
Paraquat: A standard herbicide used to kill
various types of crops, including marijua-
na.
Part A Permit, Part B Permit: (See: Interim
Permit Status.)
Particulate Loading: The mass of particula-
tes per unit volume of air or water.
Participation Rate: Portion of population
participating in a recycling program.
Particulates: Fine liquid or solid particles
such as dust, smoke, mist, fumes, or smog,
found in air or emissions.
Parts Per Billion (ppb)/Parts Per Million
(ppm): Units commonly used to express
contaminationt ratios, as in establishing
the maximum permissible amount of a
contaminant in water, land, or air.
Pathogenic: Capable of causing disease.
Pathogens: Microorganisms that can cause
disease in other organisms or in humans,
animals and plants (e.g., bacteria, viruses,
or parasites) found in sewage, in runoff
from farms or rural areas populated with
domestic and wild animals, and in water
used for swimming. Fish and shellfish con-
taminated by pathogens, or the contam-
inated water itself, can cause serious ill-
ness.
Peak Electricity Demand: The maximum
electricity used to meet the cooling load of
a building or buildings in a given area.
Peak Levels: Levels of airborne pollutant
contaminants much higher than average or
occuring for short periods of time in re-
sponse to sudden releases.
Percolation: The movement of water do-
wnward and radially through sub-surface
soil layers, usually continuing downward
to ground water; can also involve upward
movement of water.
Performance Data (for incinerators): Infor-
mation collected, during a trial burn, on
concentrations of designated organic com-
pounds and pollutants found in incinerator
emissions. Data analysis must show that
the incinerator meets performance stan-
dards under operating conditions specified
in the RCRA permit. (See: trial burn; per-
formance standards.)
Performance Standards: (1) Regulatory
requirements limiting the concentrations of
designated organic compounds, particulate
matter, and hydrogen chloride in emissions
from incinerators. (2) Operating standards
established by EPA for various permitted
pollution control systems, asbestos inspec-
tions, and various program operations and
maintenance requirements.
Permeability: The rate at which liquids
pass through soil or other materials in a
specified direction.
Permit: An authorization, license, or equiv-
alent control document issued by EPA or
an approved state agency to implement the
requirements of an environmental regula-
tion; e.g., a permit to operate a wastewater
treatment plant or to operate a facility that
may generate harmful emissions.
Persistence: Refers to the length of time a
compound stays in the environment, once
introduced. A compound may persist for
less than a second or indefinitely.
Persistent Pesticides: Pesticides that do
not break down chemically or break down
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22
very slowly and remain in the environ-
ment after a growing season.
Personal Air Samples: Air samples taken
with a pump is directly attached to the
worker with the collecting filter and cas-
sette placed in the worker's breathing zone
(required under OSHA asbestos standards
and EPA worker protection rule).
Pest: An insect, rodent, nematode, fungus,
weed or other form of terrestrial or aquatic
plant or animal life that is injurious to
health or the environment.
Pesticide Tolerance: The amount of pesti-
cide residue allowed by law to remain in
or on a harvested crop. EPA sets these
levels well below the point where the
compounds might be harmful to consum-
ers.
Pesticide: Substances or mixture there of
intended for preventing, destroying, repel-
ling, or mitigating any pest. Also, any
substance or mixture intended for use as a
plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.
Phenols: Organic compounds that are
byproducts of petroleum refining, tanning,
and textile, dye, and resin manufacturing.
Low concentrations cause taste and odor
problems in water; higher concentrations
can kill aquatic life and humans.
Pheromone: Hormones produced by the
female of a species to attract a mate.
Phosphates: Certain chemical compounds
containing phosphorus.
Phosphogypsum Piles (stacks): Principal
byproduct generated in production of
phosphoric acid from phosphate rock.
These piles may generate radioactive radon
gas-
Phosphorous Plants: Facilities using elec-
tric furnaces to produce elemental phos-
phorous for commercial use, such as high
grade phosphoric acid, phosphate-based
detergent, and organic chemicals use.
Phosphorus: An essential chemical food
element that can contribute to the eutro-
phication of lakes and other water bodies.
Increased phosphorus levels result from
discharge of phosphorus-containing mate-
rials into surface waters.
Photochemical Oxidants: Air pollutants
formed by the action of sunlight on oxides
of nitrogen and hydrocarbons.
Photochemical Smog: Air pollution caused
by chemical reactions of various pollutants
emitted from different sources.
Photosynthesis: The manufacture by
plants of carbohydrates and oxygen from
carbon dioxide mediated by chlorophyll in
the presence if sunlight.
Physical and Chemical Treatment: Pro-
cesses generally used in large-scale
waste-water treatment facilities. Physical
processes may include air-stripping or
filtration. Chemical treatment includes
coagulation, chlorination, or ozonation. The
term can also refer to treatment of toxic
materials in surface and ground waters,
oil spills, and some methods of dealing
with hazardous materials on or in the
ground.
Phytoplankton: That portion of the plank-
ton community comprised of tiny plants,
e.g., algae, diatoms.
Phytotoxic: Harmful to plants.
Picocurie: Measurement of radioactivity. A
picocurie is a trillionth of a curie, repre-
senting about 2.2 radioactive particle disin-
tegrations per minute.
Picocuries Per Liter pCi/L): A unit of
measure for levels of radon gas.
Pig: A container, usually lead, used to ship
or store radioactive materials.
Pilot Tests: Testing a cleanup technology
under actual site conditions to identify
potential problems prior to fullv-scale im-
plementation.
Plankton: Tiny plants and animals that
live in water.
Plasma-arc Reactor. An incinerator that
operates at extremely high temperatures;
treats highly toxic wastes that do not com-
bust easily.
Plasmid: A circular piece of DNA that
exists apart from the chromosome and
replicates independently of it. Bacterial
plasmids carry information that renders
the bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Plasm-
ids are often used in genetic engineering to
carry desired genes into organisms.
Plastics: Non-metallic chemoreactive com-
pounds molded into rigid or pliable con-
struction materials, fabrics, etc.
Plate Tower Scrubber: An air pollution
control device that neutralizes hydrogen
chloride gas by bubbling alkaline water
through holes in a series of metal plates.
Plugging: 1. Act or process of stopping the
flow of water, oil, or gas into or out of a
formation through a borehole or well pene-
trating that formation. 2. Stopping a leak
or sealing off a pipe or hose.
Plume: 1. A visible or measurable dis-
charge of a contaminant from a given
point of origin. Can be visible or thermal
in water, or visible in the air as, for exam-
ple, a plume of smoke. 2 The area of radia-
tion leaking from a damaged reactor. 3.
Area downwind within which a release
could be dangerous for those exposed to
leaking fumes.
Plutonium: A radioactive metallic element
chemically similar to uranium.
PM-10: A new standard for measuring the
amount of solid or liquid matter suspend-
ed in the atmosphere, i.e. the amount of
particulate matter over 10 micrometers in
diameter; smaller PM-10 particles penetrate
to the deeper portions of the lung, affect-
ing sensitive population groups such as
children and individuals with respiratory
ailments.
Point Source: A stationary location or
fixed facility from which pollutants are
discharged; any single identifiable source
of pollution, e.g., a pipe, ditch, ship, ore
pit, factory smokestack.
Pollen: The fertilizing element of flowering
plants; background air pollutant.
Pollutant: Generally, any substance intro-
duced into the environment that adversely
affects the usefulness of a resource.
Pollution Prevention: The active process
of identifying areas, processes, and activi-
ties which create excessive waste byprod-
ucts for the purpose of substitution, alter-
ation, or elimination of the process to
prevent waste generation.
Pollutant Standard Index (PSI): Measure
of adverse health effects of air pollution
levels in major cities.
Pollution: Generally, the presence of mat-
ter or energy whose nature, location, or
quantity produces undesired environmen-
tal effects. Under the Clean Water Act, for
example, the term is defined as the man-
made or man-induced alteration of the
physical, biological, chemical, and radio-
logical integrity of water.
Polonium: A radioactive element that
occurs in pitchblende and other uranium-
containing ores.
Polyelectrolytes: Synthetic chemicals that
help solids to clump during sewage treat-
ment.
Polymer: Basic molecular ingredients in
plastic.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): A tough, envi-
ronmentally indestructible plastic that
releases hydrochloric acid when burned.
Population: A group of interbreeding
organisms occupying a particular space;
the number of humans or other living
creatures in a designated area.
Post-Closure: The time period following
the shutdown of a waste management or
manufacturing facility; for monitoring
purposes, often considered to be 30 years.
Post-Consumer Reycling: Reuse of materi-
als generated from residential and consum-
er waste, e.g. converting wastepaper from
offices into corrugated boxes or newsprint.
Potable Water: Water that is safe for drin-
king and cooking.
Potentially Responsible Party (PRP): Any
individual or company-including owners,
operators, transporters or generators-poten-
tially responsible for, or contributing to a
spill or other contamination at a Superfund
site. Whenver possible, through adminis-
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trative and legal actions, GPA requires
PRPs to clean up hazardous sites they
have contaminated.
Precipitate: A solid that separates from a
solution.
Precipitation: Removal of hazardous solids
from liquid waste to permit safe disposal;
removal of particles from airborne emis-
sions.
Precipitator Pollution control device that
collects particles from an air stream.
Precursor In photochemistry, a compound
antecedal to a volatile organic compound
(VOC). Precursors react in sunlight to form
ozone or other photochemical oxidants.
Preliminary Assessment: The process of
collecting and reviewing available informa-
tion about a known or suspected waste site
or release.
Pressure Sewers: A system of pipes in
which water, wastewater, or other liquid is
pumped to a higher elevation.
Pretreatment: Processes used to reduce,
eliminate, or alter the nature of wastewater
pollutants from non-domestic sources
before they are discharged into publicly
owned treatment works (POTWs).
Prevalent Level Samples: Air samples
taken under normal conditions (also
known as ambient background samples).
Prevalent Levels: Levels of airborne con-
taminant occurring under normal condi-
tions.
Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD): EPA program in which state and-
/or federal permits are required in order
to restrict emissions from new or modified
sources in places where air quality already
meets or exceeds primary and secondary
ambient air quality standards.
Primary Drinking Water Regulation:
Applies to public water systems and speci-
fies a contaminant level, which, in the
judgment of the EPA Administrator, will
not adversely affect human health.
Primary Waste Treatment: First steps in
wastewater treatment; screens and sedi-
mentation tanks are used to remove most
materials that float or will settle. Primary
treatment removes about 30 percent of
carbonaceous biochemical oxygen (BOD)
demand from domestic sewage.
Principal Organic Hazardous Constituents
(POHCs): Hazardous compounds moni-
tored during an incinerator's trial burn,
selected for high concentration in the waste
feed and difficulty of combustion.
Probability of Detection : The likelihood,
expressed as a percentage, that a test meth-
od will correctly identify a leaking tank.
Process Wastewater: Any water that comes
into contact with any raw material, prod-
uct, byproduct, or waste.
Process Weight: Total weight of all mate-
rials, including fuel, used in a manufactur-
ing process; used to calculate the allowable
particulate emission rate.
Product Level: The level of a product in a
storage tank.
Product: In relation to underground stor-
age tanks, the contents of a storage tank.
Products of Incomplete Combustion
(PICs): Organic compounds formed by
combustion. Usually generated in small
amounts and sometimes toxic, PICs are
heat-altered versions of the original materi-
al fed into the incinerator (e.g., charcoal is
a P.C. from burning wood).
Propellant: Liquid in a self-pressurized
pesticide product that expels the active
ingredient from its container.
Proposed Plan: A plan for a site cleanup
that is available to the public for comment.
Proteins: Complex nitrogenous organic
compounds of high molecular weight
made of amino acids; essential for growth
and repair of animal tissue. Many, but not
all, proteins are enzymes.
Protocol: A series of formal steps for con-
ducting a test.
Protoplast: A membrane-bound cell from
which the outer wall has been partially or
completely removed. The term often is ap-
plied to plant cells.
Protozoa: One-celled animals that are
larger and more complex than bacteria.
May cause disease.
Public Comment Period: The time allowed
for the public to express its views and
concerns regarding an action by EPA (e.g.,
a Federal Register Notice of proposed rule-
making, a public notice of a draft permit,
or a Notice of Intent to Deny).
Public Hearing: A formal meeting wherein
EPA officials hear the public's views and
concerns about an EPA action or proposal.
EPA is required to consider such com-
ments when evaluating its actions. Public
hearings must be held upon request during
the public comment period.
Public Notice: 1. Notification by EPA
informing the public of Agency actions
such as the issuance of a draft permit or
scheduling of a hearing. EPA is required to
ensure proper public notice, including
publication in newspapers and broadcast
over radio stations. 2. In the safe drinking
water program, water suppliers are re-
quired to publish and broadcast notices
when pollution problems are discovered.
Public Water System: A system that
provides piped water for human consump-
tion to at least 15 service connections or
regularly serves 25 individuals.
Publicly Owned Treatment Works: A
waste-treatment works owned by a state,
unit of local government, or Indian tribe,
usually designed to treat domestic wastew-
aters.
Pumping Station: Pumping devices in-
stalled in sewer or water systems or other
liquid-carrying pipelines to move the liq-
uids to a higher level.
Putrescible: Able to rot quickly enough to
cause odors and attract flies.
Pyrolysis: Decomposition of a chemical by
extreme heat.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control: A
system of procedures, checks, audits, and
corrective actions to ensure that all EPA
research design and performance, environ-
mental monitoring and sampling, and
other technical and reporting activities are
of the highest achievable quality.
Quench Tank: A water-filled tank used to
cool incinerator residues or hot materials
during industrial processes.
R
Radiation: Any form of electromagnetic
energy propagated as rays, waves, or
streams of energetic particles.
Radiation Standards: Regulations that set
maximum exposure limits for protection of
the public from radioactive materials.
Radio Frequency Radiation: (See Non-
ionizing Radiation.)
Radioactive Substances: Substances that
emit ionizing radiation.
Radiobiology: The study of radiation
effects on living things.
Radioisotopes: Chemical variants of an
element with potentially oncogenic, terrato-
genic, and mutagenic effects on the human
body.
Radionuclide: Radioactive particle, man-
made or natural, with a distinct atomic
weight number. Can have a long life as
soil or water pollutants.
Radium: A highly radioactive white shin-
ing metallic element found in pitchblende,
carnotite, and other uranic minerals. It
emits alpha particles and gamma rays
which produce radon gas.
Radius of Vulnerabilry Zone: The maxi-
mum distance from the point of release of
a hazardous substance in which the air-
borne concentration could reach the level
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of concern under specified weather condi-
tions.
Radon Decay Products: A term used to
refer collectively to the immediate prod-
ucts of the radon decay chain. These in-
clude Po-218, Pb-214, Bi-214, and Po-214,
which have an average combined half-life
of about 30 minutes.
Radon: A colorless naturally occurring,
radioactive, inert gas formed by radioac-
tive decay of radium atoms in soil or
rocks.
Rasp: A machine that grinds waste into a
manageable material and helps prevent
odor.
Raw Sewage: Untreated wastewater and
its contents.
Raw Water: Intake water prior to any
treatment or use.
Reasonably Available Control Measures
(RACM): A broadly defined term referring
to technological and other measures for
pollution control.
Reasonably Available Control Technolo-
gy (RACT): Control technology that is both
reasonably available, and both technologi-
cally and economically feasible. Usually
applied to existing sources in nonattainm-
ent areas; in most cases is less stringent
than new source performance standards.
Receiving Waters: A river, lake, ocean,
stream or other watercourse into which
wastewater or treated effluent is dis-
charged.
Recharge: The process by which water is
added to a zone of saturation, usually by
percolation from the soil surface, e.g., the
recharge of an aquifer.
Recharge Area: A land area in which
water reaches the zone of saturation from
surface infiltration, e.g., where rainwater
soaks through the earth to reach an aqui-
fer.
Recombinant Bacteria: A microorganism
whose genetic makeup has been altered by
deliberate introduction of new genetic
elements. The offspring of these altered
bacteria also contain these new genetic
elements, i.e. they "breed true."
Recombinant DNA: The new DNA that is
formed by combining pieces of DNA from
different organisms or cells.
Recommended Maximum Contaminant
Level (RMCL): The maximum level of a
contaminant in drinking water at which no
known or anticipated adverse affect on
human health would occur, and that in-
cludes an adequate margin of safety. Rec-
ommended levels are nonenforceable
health goals. (See: maximum contaminant
level.)
Reconstructed Source: Facility in which
components are replaced to such an extent
that the fixed capital cost of the new com-
ponents exceed 50 percent of the capital
cost of constructing a comparable brand-
new facility. New-source performance
standards may be applied to sources
reconstructed after the proposal of the
standard if it is technologically and eco-
nomically feasible to meet the standard.
Record of Decision (ROD): A public docu-
ment that explains which cleanup alterna-
tive^) will be used at National Priorities
List sites where, under CERCLA, Trust
Funds pay for the cleanup.
Recovery Rate: Percentage of usable recy-
cled materials that have been removed
from the total amount of municipal solid
waste generated in a specific area or by a
specific business.
Reclamation: (In recycling) Restoration of
materials found in the waste stream to a
beneficial use which may be for purposes
other than the original use.
Recycle/Reuse: Minimizing waste genera-
tion by recovering and reprocessing usable
products that might otherwise become
waste (.i.e. recycling of aluminum cans,
paper, and bottles, etc.).
Red Bag Waste: (See: infectious waste.)
Red Border An EPA document under-
going review before being submitted for
final management decision-making.
Red Tide: A proliferation of a marine
plankton toxic and often fatal to fish, per-
haps stimulated by the addition of nutri-
ents. A tide can be red, green, or brown,
depending on the coloration of the plank-
ton.
Reentry Interval: The period of time im-
mediately following the application of a
pesticide during which unprotected work-
ers should not enter a field.
Reference Dose (RfD): The concentration
of a chemical known to cause health prob-
lems; also be referred to as the ADI, or
acceptable daily intake.
Reformulated Gasoline: Gasoline with a
different composition from conventional
gasoline (e.g., lower aromatics content) that
cuts air pollutants.
Refuse Reclamation: Conversion of solid
waste into useful products, e.g., compos-
ting organic wastes to make soil condition-
ers or separating aluminum and other
metals for recycling.
Refuse: (See: solid waste.)
Regeneration: Manipulation of cells to
cause them to develop into whole plants.
Regional Response Team (RRT): Repre-
sentatives of federal, local, and state agen-
cies who may assist in coordination of
activities at the request of the On-Scene
Coordinator before and during a signifi-
cant pollution incident such as an oil spill,
major chemical release, or a Superfund
response.
Registrant: Any manufacturer or formula-
tor who obtains registration for a pesticide
active ingredient or product.
Registration: Formal listing with EPA of a
new pesticide before it can be sold or
distributed. Under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. EPA is
responsible for registration (pre-market
licensing) of pesticides on the basis of data
demonstrating no unreasonable adverse ef-
fects on human health or the environment
when applied according to approved label
directions.
Registration Standards: Published docu-
ments which include summary reviews of
the data available on a pesticide's active
ingredient, data gaps, and the Agency's
existing regulatory position on the pesti-
cide.
Regulated Asbestos-Containing Material
(RACM): Friable asbestos material or
nonfriable ACM that will be or has been
subjected to sanding, grinding, cutting, or
abrading or has crumbled, or been pulver-
ized or reduced to powder in the course of
demolition or renovation operations.
Regulated Medical Waste: Under the
Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988, any
solid waste generated in the diagnosis,
treatment, or immunization of human
beings or animals, in research pertaining
thereto, or in the production or testing of
biologicals. Included are cultures and
stocks of infectious agents; human blood
and blood products; human pathological
body wastes from surgery and autopsy;
contaminated animal carcasses from medi-
cal research; waste from patients with
communicable diseases; and all used sharp
implements, such as needles and scalpels,
etc., and certain unused sharps. (See; treat-
ed medical waste; untreated medical
waste; destroyed medical waste.)
Release: Any spilling, leaking, pumping,
pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging,
injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or
disposing into the environment of a haz-
ardous or toxic chemical or extremely
hazardous substance.
Remedial Action (RA): The actual con-
struction or implementation phase of a
Superfund site cleanup that follows reme-
dial design.
Remedial Design: A phase of remedial
action that follows the remedial investiga-
tion/feasibility study and includes devel-
opment of engineering drawings and
specifications for a site cleanup.
Remedial Investigation: An in-depth
study designed to gather data needed to
determine the nature and extent of con-
tamination at a Superfund site; establish
site cleanup criteria; identify preliminary
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alternatives for remedial action; and sup-
port technical and cost analyses of alterna-
tives. The remedial investigation is usually
done with the feasibility study. Together
they are usually referred to as the "RI/FS".
Remedial Project Manager (RPM): The
EPA or state official responsible for over-
seeing on-site remedial action.
Remedial Response: Long-term action that
stops or substantially reduces a release or
threat of a release of hazardous substances
that is serious but not an immediate threat
to public health.
Remediation: 1. Cleanup or other methods
used to remove or contain a toxic spill or
hazardous materials from a Superfund site;
2. for the Asbestos Hazard Emergency
Response program, abatement methods
including evaluation, repair, enclosure,
encapsulation, or removal of greater than
3 linear feet or square feet of asbestos-
containing materials from a building.
Removal Action: Short-term immediate ac-
tions taken to address releases of hazard-
ous substances that require expedited
response. (See: cleanup.)
Reportable Quantity (RQ): Quantity of a
hazardous substance that triggers reports
under CERCLA. If a substance exceeds its
RQ, the release must be reported to the
National Response Center, the SERC, and
community emergency coordinators for
areas likely to be affected.
Repowering: Replacement of an existing
coal-fired boiler with one or more clean
coal technologies in order to achieve signif-
icantly greater emission reduction relative
to the performance of technology in wide-
spread use at the time the Clean Air Act
amendments of 1990 were enacted. (See:
Clean coal technology.)
Reregistration: The reevaluation and reli-
censing of existing pesticides originally
registered prior to current scientific and
regulatory standards. EPA reregisters
pesticides through its Registration Stan-
dards Program.
Reserve Capacity: Extra treatment capacity
built into solid waste and wastewater
treatment plants and interceptor sewers to
accommodate flow increases due to future
population growth.
Reservoir: Any natural or artificial holding
area used to store, regulate, or control
water.
Residual: Amount of a pollutant remaining
in the environment after a natural or tech-
nological process has taken place, e.g., the
sludge remaining after initial wastewater
treatment, or particulates remaining in air
after it passes through a scrubbing or other
process.
Residual Risk: The extent of health risk
from air pollutants remaining after applica-
tion of the Maximum Achievable Control
Technology (MACT).
Resistance: For plants and animals, the
ability to withstand poor environmental
conditions or attacks by chemicals or dis-
ease. May be inborn or acquired.
Resource Recovery: The process of obtain-
ing matter or energy from materials for-
merly discarded.
Response Action: 1. Generic term for
actions taken in response to actual or
potential health-threatening environmental
events such as spills, sudden releases, and
asbestos abatement/management prob-
lems; 2. A CERCLA-authorized action
involving either a short-term removal
action or a long-term removal response.
This may include but is not limited to:
removing hazardous materials from a site
to an EPA-approved hazardous waste
facility for treatment, containment or treat-
ing the waste on-site, identifying and re-
moving the sources of ground-water con-
tamination and halting further migration of
contaminants; 3. Any of the following
actions taken in school buildings in re-
sponse to AHERA to reduce the risk of
exposure to asbestos: removal, encapsula-
tion, enclosure, repair, and operations and
maintenance. (See: cleanup) .
Responsiveness Summary: A summary of
oral and/or written public comments
received by EPA during a comment period
on key EPA documents, and EPA's re-
sponse to those comments.
Restoration: Measures taken to return a
site to pre-violation conditions.
Restricted Use: A pesticide may be classi-
fied (under FIFRA regulations) for restrict-
ed use if the it requires special handling
because of its toxicity, and, if so, it may be
applied only by trained, certified applica-
tors or those under their direct supervi-
sion.
Restriction Enzymes: Enzymes that recog-
nize specific regions of a long DNA mole-
cule and cut it at those points.
Reuse: Using a productor conpoents of
municipal solid waste in its original form
more than once, e.g., refilling a glass bottle
that has been returned or using a coffee
can to hold nuts and bolts.
Reverse Osmosis: A treatment process
used in water systems by adding pressure
to force water through a semi-permeable
membrane. Reverse osmosis removes most
drinking water contaminants. Also used in
wastewater treatment. Large-scale reverse
osmosis plants are being developed.
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA): A molecule that
carries the genetic message from DNA to
a cellular protein-producing mechanisms.
Ringlemann Chart: A series of shaded
illustrations used to measure the opacity of
air pollution emissions, ranging from light
grey through black; used to set and enforce
emissions standards.
Riparian Habitat: Areas adjacent to rivers
and streams with a high density, diversity,
and productivity of plant and animal
species relative to nearby uplands.
Riparian Rights: Entitlement of a land
owner to certain uses of water on or bor-
dering his property, including the right to
prevent diversion or misuse of upstream
waters. Generally a matter of state law.
Risk: A measure of the probability that
damage to life, health, property, and/or
the environment will occur as a result of a
given hazard.
Risk Assessment: Qualitative and quanti-
tative evaluation of the risk posed to hu-
man health and/or the environment by the
actual or potential presence and/or use of
specific pollutants.
Risk Communication: The exchange of
information about health or environmental
risks among risk assessors and managers,
the general public, news media, interest
groups, etc.
Risk Management: The process of evaluat-
ing and selecting alternative regulatory
and non-regulatory responses to risk. The
selection process necessarily requires the
consideration of legal, economic, and be-
havioral factors.
River Basin: The land area drained by a
river and its tributaries.
Rodenticide: A chemical or agent used to
destroy rats or other rodent pests, or to
prevent them from damaging food, crops,
etc.
Rotary Kiln Incinerator: An incinerator
with a rotating combustion chamber that
keeps waste moving, thereby allowing it to
vaporize for easier burning.
Rough Fish: Fish not prized for eating,
such as gar and suckers. Most are more
tolerant of changing environmental condi-
tions than game species.
Rubbish: Solid waste, excluding food
waste and ashes, from homes, institutions,
and work-places.
Run-Off: That part of precipitation, snow
melt, or irrigation water that runs off the
land into streams or other surface-water. It
can carry pollutants from the air and land
into receiving waters.
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26
Safener: A chemical added to a pesticide
to keep it from injuring plants.
Salinity: The percentage of salt in water.
Salt Water Intrusion: The invasion of fresh
surface or ground water by salt water. If it
comes from the ocean it may be called sea
water intrusion.
Salts: Minerals that water picks up as it
passes through the air, over and under the
ground, or from households and industry.
Salvage: The utilization of waste materials.
Sanctions: Actions taken by the federal
government for failure to plan or imple-
ment a State Improvement Plan (SIP). Such
action may be include withholding of
highway funds and a ban on construction
of new sources of potential pollution.
Sand Filters: Devices that remove some
suspended solids from sewage. Air and
bacteria decompose additional wastes
filtering through the sand so that cleaner
water drains from the bed.
Sanitary Landfill: (See: landfills.)
Sanitary Sewers: Underground pipes that
carry off only domestic or industrial waste,
not storm water.
Sanitary Survey: An on-site review of the
water sources, facilities, equipment, opera-
tion and maintenance of a public water
system to evaluate the adequacy of those
elements for producing and distributing
safe drinking water.
Sanitary Water (Also known as gray
water): Water discharged from sinks, sho-
wers, kitchens, or other nonindustrial
operations, but not from commodes.
Sanitation: Control of physical factors in
the human environment that could harm
development, health, or survival.
Saturated Zone: A subsurface area in
which all pores and cracks are filled with
water under pressure equal to or greater
than that of the atmosphere.
Scrap: Materials discarded from manufac-
turing operations that may be suitable for
reprocessing.
Screening: Use of screens to remove coarse
floating and suspended solids from sew-
age.
Scrubber An air pollution device that uses
a spray of water or reactant or a dry pro-
cess to trap pollutants in emissions.
Secondary Drinking Water Regulations:
Non-enforceable regulations applying to
public water systems and specifying the
maximum contamination levels that, in the
judgment of EPA, are required to protect
the public welfare. These regulations apply
to any contaminants that may adversely
affect the odor or appearance of such
water and consequently may cause people
served by the system to discontinue its
use.
Secondary Materials: Materials that have
been manufactured and used at least once
and are to be used again.
Secondary Treatment: The second step in
most publicly owned waste treatment
systems in which bacteria consume the
organic parts of the waste. It is accom-
plished by bringing together waste, bacte-
ria, and oxygen in trickling filters or in the
activated sludge process. This treatment
removes floating and settleable solids and
about 90 percent of the oxygen-demanding
substances and suspended solids. Disinfec-
tion is the final stage of secondary treat-
ment. (See: primary, tertiary treatment.)
Secure Chemical Landfill: (See: landfills.)
Secure Maximum Contaminant Level:
Maximum permissible level of a contami-
nant in water delivered to the free flowing
outlet of the ultimate user, or of contami-
nation resulting from corrosion of piping
and plumbing caused by water quality.
Sedimentation Tanks: Wastewater tanks
in which floating wastes are skimmed off
and settled solids are removed for dispos-
al.
Sedimentation: Letting solids settle out of
wastewater by gravity during treatment.
Sediments: Soil, sand, and minerals
washed from land into water, usually after
rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and
harbors, destroying fish and wildlife habi-
tat, and clouding the water so that sunlight
cannot reach aquatic plants. Careless farm-
ing, mining, and building activities will
expose sediment materials, allowing them
to wash off the land after rainfall.
Seed Protectant: A chemical applied before
planting to protect seeds and seedlings
from disease or insects.
Selective Pesticide: A chemical designed
to affect only certain types of pests, leaving
other plants and animals unharmed.
Semi-Confined Aquifer An aquifer par-
tially confined by soil layers of low perme-
ability through which recharge and dis-
charge can still occur.
Senescence: The aging process. Sometimes
used to describe lakes or other bodies of
water in advanced stages of eutrophica-
tion.
Septic Tank: An underground storage tank
for wastes from homes not connected to a
sewer line. Waste goes directly from the
home to the tank, where it is decomposed
by bacteria. The sludge settles to the bot-
tom and is pumped out periodically, but
effluent flows into the ground through
drains.
Service Connector: The pipe that carries
tap water from a public water main to a
building.
Settleable Solids: Material heavy enough
to sink to the bottom of a wastewater
treatment tank.
Settling Chamber A series of screens
placed in the way of flue gases to slow the
stream of air, thus helping gravity to pull
particles into a collection device.
Settling Tank: A holding area for waste-
water, where heavier particles sink to the
bottom for removal and disposal.
7Q10: Seven-day, consecutive low flow
with a ten year return frequency; the low-
est stream flow for seven consecutive days
that would be expected to occur once in
ten years.
Sewage: The waste and wastewater pro-
duced by residential and commercial sour-
ces and discharged into sewers.
Sewage Lagoon: (See: lagoon.)
Sewage Sludge: Sludge produced at a
Publicly Owned Treatment Works, the
disposal of which is regulated under the
Clean Water Act.
Sewer: A channel or conduit that carries
wastewater and stormwater runoff from
the source to a treatment plant or receiving
stream. Sanitary sewers carry household,
industrial, and commercial waste. Storm
sewers carry runoff from rain or snow.
Combined sewers handle both.
Sewerage: The entire system of sewage
collection, treatment, and disposal.
Sharps: Hypodermic needles, syringes
(with or without the attached needle)
pasteur pipettes, scalpel blades, blood
vials, needles with attached tubing, and
culture dishes used in animal or human
patient care or treatment, or in medical,
research or industrial laboratories. Also
included are other types of broken or
unbroken glassware that were in contact
with infectious agents, such as used slides
and cover slips, and unused hypodermic
and suture needles, syringes, and scalpel
blades.
Shotgun: Non-scientific term for the pro-
cess of breaking up the DNA and then
moving each fragment into a bacterium.
Signal: The volume or product-level
change produced by a leak in a tank.
Signal Words: The words used on a pesti-
cide label-Danger, Warning, Caution-to
indicate level of toxicity.
Significant Deterioration: Pollution result-
ing from a new source in previously
"clean" areas. (See: prevention of significant
deterioration.)
Significant Municipal Facilities: Those
publicly owned sewage treatment plants
that discharge a million gallons per day or
-------
more and are therefore considered by
states to have the potential for to substan-
tially effect the quality of receiving waters.
Significant Violations: Violations by point
source dischargers of sufficient magnitude
or duration to be a regulatory priority.
Silt: Fine particles of sand or rock that can
be picked up by the air or water and de-
posited as sediment.
Silviculture: Management of forest land
for timber. Sometimes contributes to water
pollution, as in clear-cutting.
Sinking: Controlling oil spills by using an
agent to trap the oil and sink it to the
bottom of the body of water where the
agent and the oil are biodegraded.
Site Assessment Program: A means of
evaluating hazardous waste sites through
preliminary assessments and site inspec-
tions to develop a Hazard Ranking System
score.
Site Inspection: The collection of informa-
tion from a Superfund site to determine
the extent and severity of hazards posed
by the site. It follows and is more exten-
sive than a preliminary assessment. The
purpose is to gather information necessary
to score the site, using the Hazard Ranking
System, and to determine if it presents an
immediate threat requiring prompt remov-
al.
Site Safety Plan: A cruciaL element in all
removal actions, it includes information on
equipment being used, precautions to be
taken, and steps to take in the event of an
on-site emergency.
Siting: The process of choosing a location
for a facility.
Skimming: Using a machine to remove oil
or scum from the surface of the water.
Slow Sand Filtration: Passage of raw
water through a bed of sand at low veloci-
ty, resulting in substantial removal of
chemical and biological contaminants,
Sludge: A semi-solid residue from any of
a number of air or water treatment pro-
cesses; can be a hazardous waste.
Slurry: A watery mixture of insoluble
matter resulting from some pollution con-
trol techniques.
Small Quantity Generator (SQG-someti-
mes referred to as "Squeegee"): Persons or
enterprises that produce 220-2200 pounds
per month of hazardous waste; are re-
quired to keep more records than condi-
tionally exempt generators. The largest
category of hazardous waste generators,
SQGs include automotive shops, dry clean-
ers, photographic developers, and a host of
other small businesses. (See: conditionally
exempt generators).
Smelter: A facility that melts or fuses ore,
often with an accompanying chemical
change, to separate its metal content. Emis-
sions cause pollution. Smelting is the pro-
cess involved.
Smog: Air pollution associated with oxi-
dants. (See: photochemical smog.)
Smoke: Particles suspended in air after in-
complete combustion.
Soft Detergents: Cleaning agents that
break down in nature.
Soft Water: Any water that does not con-
tain a significant amount of dissolved
minerals such as salts of calcium or mag-
nesium.
Soil Adsorption Field: A sub-surface area
containing a trench or bed with clean
stones and a system of piping through
which treated sewage may seep into the
surrounding soil for further treatment and
disposal.
Soil Conditioner: An organic material like
humus or compost that helps soil absorb
water, build a bacterial community, and
take up mineral nutrients.
Soil Gas: Gaseous elements and com-
pounds in the small spaces between parti-
cles of the earth and soil. Such gases can
be moved or driven out under pressure.
Soil Sterilant:: A chemical that temporarily
or permanently prevents the growth of all
plants and animals, depending on the
chemical.
Solder: A metallic compound used to seal
the joints between pipes. Until recently,
most solder contained 50-percent lead.
Sole-Source Aquifer: An aquifer that sup-
plies 50-percent or more of the drinking
water of an area.
Solid Waste: Non-liquid, non-soluble
materials ranging from municipal garbage
to industrial wastes that contain complex
and sometimes hazardous substances.
Solid wastes also include sewage sludge,
agricultural refuse, demolition wastes, and
mining residues. Technically, solid waste
also refers to liquids and gases in contain-
ers.
Solid Waste Disposal: The final placement
of refuse that is not salvaged or recycled.
Solid Waste Management: Supervised
handling of waste materials from their
source through recovery processes to dis-
posal.
Solidification and Stabilization: Removal
of wastewater from a waste or changing it
chemically to make it less permeable and
susceptible to transport by water.
Solvent: Liquid capable of dissolving or
dispersing one or more substances.
Soot: Carbon dust formed by incomplete
combustion.
Sorption: The action of soaking up or
attracting substances; process used in
many pollution control systems.
Source Reduction: Reducing the amount
of materials entering the waste stream by
redesigning products or patterns of pro-
duction or consumption (e.g., using return-
able beverage containers). Synonymous
with waste reduction.
Source Separation: Segregating various
wastes at the point of generation (e.g.,
separation of paper, metal and glass from
other wastes to make recycling simpler
and more efficient.)
Special Review: Formerly known as Re-
buttable Presumption Against Registration
(RPAR), this is the regulatory process
through which existing pesticides suspect-
ed of posing unreasonable risks to human
health, non-target organisms, or the envi-
ronment are referred for review by EPA.
Such review requires an intensive
risk/benefit analysis with opportunity for
public comment. If risk is found to out-
weigh social and economic benefits, regula-
tory actions ranging from label revisions
and use-restriction to cancellation or sus-
pended registration can be initiated.
Special Waste: Items such as household
hazardous waste, bulky wastes (refrigera-
tors, pieces of furniture, etc.) tires, and
used oil.
Species: A reproductively isolated aggre-
gate of interbreeding organisms.
Spill Prevention Control and Counter-
measures Plan (SPCP): Plan covering the
release of hazardous substances as defined
in the Clean Water Act.
Spoil: Dirt or rock removed from its origi-
nal location-destroying the composition of
the soil in the process-as in strip-mining,
dredging, or construction.
Sprawl: Unplanned development of open
land.
Spray Tower Scrubber: A device that
sprays alkaline waterinto a chamber where
acid gases present to aid in the neutralize-
ing of the gas.
Stable Air A motionless mass of air that
holds instead of dispersing pollutants.
Stabilization: Conversion of the active
organic matter in sludge into inert, harm-
less material.
Stack: A chimney, smokestack, or vertical
pipe that discharges used air.
Stabilization Ponds: (See: lagoon.)
Stack Effect: Air, as in a chimney, that
moves upward because it is warmer than
the ambient atmosphere.
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28
Stack Gas: (See: flue gas.)
Stage II Controls: Systems placed on
service station gasoline pumps to control
and capture gasoline vapors during refuel-
ling.
Stagnation: Lack of motion in a mass of
air or water'that holds pollutants in place.
Standards: Norms that impose limits on
the amount of pollutants or emissions
produced. EPA establishes minimum stan-
dards, but states are allowed to be stricter.
Start of a Response Action: The point in
time when there is a guarantee or set-aside
of funding either by EPA, other federal
agencies, states or Principal Responsible
Parties in order to begin response actions
at a Superfund site.
State Emergency Response Commission
(SERC): Commission appointed by each
state governor according to the require-
ments of SARA Title III. The SERCs desig-
nate emergency planning districts, appoint
local emergency planning committees, and
supervise and coordinate their activities.
State Implementation Plans (SIP): EPAap-
proved state plans for the establishment,
regulation, and enforcement of air pollu-
tion standards.
Stationary Source: A fixed-site producer of
pollution, mainly power plants and other
facilities using industrial combustion pro-
cesses.
Sterilization: 1. In pest control, the use of
radiation and chemicals to damage body
cells needed for reproduction. 2. The de-
struction of all living organisms in water
or on the surface of various materials. By
contrast, disinfection is the destruction of
most such organisms.
Storage: Temporary holding of waste
pending treatment or disposal, as in con-
tainers, tanks, waste piles, and surface
impoundments.
Storm Sewer: A system of pipes (separate
from sanitary sewers) that carries only
water runoff from buildings and land
surfaces.
Stratification: Separating into layers.
Stratosphere: The portion of the atmo-
sphere 10-to-25 miles above the earth's
surface.
Strip-Cropping: Growing crops in a sys-
tematic arrangement of strips or bands that
serve as barriers to wind and water ero-
sion.
Strip-Mining: A process that uses ma-
chines to scrape soil or rock away from
mineral deposits just under the earth's
surface.
Structural Deformation: Distortion in
walls of a tank after liquid has been added
or removed.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): A pungent, colorless,
gaseous pollutant formed primarily by the
combustion of fossil fuels.
Sump: A pit or tank that catches liquid
runoff for drainage or disposal.
Sump Pump: A mechanical device that
removes water or wastewater from a
sump.
Supercritical Water: A type of thermal
treatment using moderate temperatures
and high pressures to enhance the ability
of water to break down large organic
molecules into smaller, less toxic ones.
Oxygen injected during this process com-
bines with simple organic compounds to
form carbon dioxide and water.
Superfund: The program operated under
the legislative authority of CERCLA and
SARA that funds and carries out EPA solid
waste emergency and long-term removal
and remedial activities. These activities
include establishing the National Priorities
List, investigating sites for inclusion on the
list, determining their priority, and con-
ducting and/or supervising the cleanup
and other remedial actions.
Superfund Innovative Technology Evalu-
ation: EPA program to promote develop-
ment and use of innovative treatment
technologies in Superfund site cleanups.
Surface Impoundment: Treatment, stor-
age, or disposal of liquid hazardous wastes
in ponds.
Surface Uranium Mines: Strip mining
operations for removal of uranium-bearing
ore.
Surface Water: All water naturally open to
the atmosphere (rivers, lakes, reservoirs,
ponds, streams, impoundments, seas,
estuaries, etc.) and all springs, wells, or
other collectors directly influenced by
surface water.
Surfacing ACM: Asbestos-containing
material that is sprayed or troweled on or
otherwise applied to surfaces, such as
acoustical plaster on ceilings and fireproo-
fing materials on structural members.
Surfacing Material: Material sprayed or
troweled onto structural members (beams,
columns, or decking) for fire protection; or
on ceilings or walls for fireproofing, acous-
tical or decorative purposes. Includes
textured plaster, and other textured wall
and ceiling surfaces.
Surfactant: A detergent compound that
promotes lathering.
Surveillance System: A series of monitor-
ing devices designed to check on environ-
mental conditions.
Suspect Material: Building material sus-
pected of containing asbestos, e.g., surfac-
ing material, floor tile, ceiling tile, thermal
system insulation, and miscellaneous other
materials.
Suspended Solids: Small particles of solid
pollutants that float on the surface of, or
are suspended in, sewage or other liquids.
They resist removal by conventional
means.
Suspension: Suspending the use of a
pesticide when EPA deems it necessary to
prevent an imminent hazard resulting from
its continued use. An emergency suspen-
sion takes effect immediately; under an
ordinary suspension a registrant can re-
quest a hearing before the suspension goes
into effect. Such a hearing process might
take six months.
Suspension Culture: Cells growing in a
liquid nutrient medium.
Swamp: A type of wetland dominated by
woody vegetation but without appreciable
peat deposits. Swamps may be fresh or salt
water and tidal or non-tidal. (See: wetlan-
ds.)
Synergism: The cooperative interaction of
two or more chemicals or other phenome-
na producing a greater total effect than the
sum of their individual effects.
Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs):
Man-made organic chemicals. Some SOCs
are volatile, others tend to stay dissolved
in water inszxtead of evaporating.
Systemic Pesticide: A chemical absorbed
by an organizsm that makes the organism
toxic to pests.
Tailings: Residue of raw material or waste
separated out during the processing of
crops or mineral ores.
Technical Assistance Grant (TAG): As
part of the Superfund program, Technical
Assistance Grants of up to $50,000 are
provided to citizens' groups to obtain
assistance in interpreting information
related to cleanups at Superfund sites or
those proposed for the National Priorities
List. Grants are used by such groups to
hire technical advisors to help them under-
stand the site-related technical information
for the duration of response activities.
Technology-Based Limitations: Industry-
specific effluent limitations applied to a
discharge when it will not cause a viola-
tion of water quality standards at low
stream flows. Usually applied to discharg-
es into large rivers.
Technology-Based Standards: Effluent
limitations applicable to direct and indirect
sources which are developed on a categor-
y-by-category basis using statutory factors,
not including water-quality effects.
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Teratogen: Substance that causes malfor-
mation or serious deviation from normal
development of blastocysts, embryos and
fetuses.
Terracing: Dikes built along the contour of
sloping farm land that hold runoff and
sediment to reduce erosion.
Tertiary Treatment: Advanced cleaning of
wastewater that goes beyond the second-
ary or biological stage, removing nutrients
such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and most
BOD and suspended solids.
Thermal Pollution: Discharge of heated
water from industrial processes that can
kill or injure aquatic organisms.
Thermal System Insulation (TSI): Asbes-
tos-containing material applied to pipes,
fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts, or
other interior structural components to
prevent heat loss or gain or water conden-
sation.
Thermal Treatment: Use of elevated tem-
peratures to treat hazardous wastes. (See:
incineration; pyrolysis.)
Threshold Limit Value (TLV): The concen-
tration of an airborne substance that an
average person can be repeatedly exposed
to without adverse effec's. TLVs may be
expressed in three ways: TLV-TWA-Time
weighted average, based on an allowable
exposure averaged over a normal 8-hour
workday or 40-hour workweek;
TLV-STEL-Short-term exposure limit or
maximum concentration for a brief speci-
fied period of time, depending on a specif-
ic chemical (TWA must still be met); and
TLV-C- Ceiling Exposure Limit or maxi-
mum exposure concentration not to be
exceeded under any circumstances. (TWA
must still be met.)
Threshold Planning Quantity: A quantity
designated for each chemical on the list of
extremely hazardous substances that trig-
gers notification by facilities to the State
Emergency Response Commission that
such facilities are subject to emergency
planning requirements under SARA Title
III.
Tidal Marsh: Low, flat marshlands tra-
versed by channels and tidal hollows,
subject to tidal inundation; normally, the
only vegetation present is salt-tolerant
bushes and grasses. (See: wetlands.)
Time-weighted Average (TWA): In air
sampling, the average air concentration of
contaminants during a given period.
Tolerances: Permissible residue levels for
pesticides in raw agricultural produce and
processed foods. Whenever a pesticide is
registered for use on a food or a feed crop,
a tolerance (or exemption from the toler-
ance requirement) must be established.
EPA establishes the tolerance levels, which
are enforced by the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration and the Department of Agri-
culture.
Tonnage: The amount of waste that a
landfill accepts, usually expressed in tons
per month. The rate at which a landfill
accepts waste is limited by the landfill's
permit.
Topography: The physical features of a
surface area including relative elevations
and the position of natural and man-made
features.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS): A measure
of the suspended solids in wastewater,
effluent, or water bodies, determined by
tests for "total suspended non-filterable
solids." (See: suspended solids.)
Toxic: Harmful to living organisms.
Toxic Chemical Release Form: Informa-
tion form required of facilities that manu-
facture, process, or use (in quantities above
a specific amount) chemicals listed under
SARA Title III.
Toxic Chemical: Any chemical listed in
EPA rules as "Toxic Chemicals Subject to
Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986."
Toxic Chemical Use Substitution: Replac-
ing toxic chemicals with less harmful
chemicals in industrial processes.
Toxic Cloud: Airborne plume of gases,
vapors, fumes, or aerosols containing toxic
materials.
Toxic Pollutants: Materials that cause
death, disease, or birth defects in organ-
isms that ingest or absorb them. The quan-
tities and exposures necessary to cause
these effects can vary widely.
Toxic Release Inventory: Database of toxic
releases in the United States compiled from
SARA Title III section 313 reports.
Toxic Substance: A chemical or mixture
that may present an unreasonable risk of
injury to health or the environment.
Toxic Waste: A waste that can produce
injury if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed
through the skin.
Toxicant: A poisonous agent that kills or
injures animal or plant life.
Toxicity Testing: Biological testing (usual-
ly with an invertebrate, fish, or small
mammal) to determine the adverse effects
of a compound or effluent.
Toxicity: The degree of danger posed by a
substance to animal or plant life. (See:
acute, chronic toxicity.)
Toxicology: The science and study of
poisons control.
Toxicological Profile: An examination,
summary, and interpretation of a hazard-
ous substance to determine levels of expo-
sure and associated health effects.
Transformation: The process of placing
genes into a host cell, thereby inducing the
host to exhibit functions encoded by the
new DNA.
Transpiration: The process by which water
vapor is lost to the atmosphere from living
plants. The term can also be applied to the
quantity of water thus dissipated.
Transportation Control Measures (TCMs):
Steps taken by a locality to adjust traffic
patterns (e.g., bus lanes, turnout, right turn
on red) or reduce vehicle use (ridesharing,
high-occupancy vehicle lanes) to cut vehic-
ular emissions.
Trash: Material considered worthless or
offensive that is thrown away. Generally
defined as dry waste material, but in com-
mon usage it is a synonym for garbage,
rubbish, or refuse.
Treatability Studies: Tests of potential
cleanup technologies conducted in a labo-
ratory (See: bench-scale tests.)
Trash-to-Energy Plan: Burning trash to
produce energy.
Treated Regulated Medical Waste: Medi-
cal waste treated to substantially reduce or
eliminate its pathogenicity, but that has not
yet been destroyed.
Treatment Plant: A structure built to treat
wastewater before discharging it into the
environment.
Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility:
Site where a hazardous substance is treat-
ed, stored, or disposed of. TSD facilities
are regulated by EPA and states under
RCRA.
Treatment: (1) Any method, technique, or
process designed to remove solids and/or
pollutants from solid waste, wastestreams,
effluents, and air emissions. (2) methods
used to change the biological character or
composition of any regulated medical
waste so as to substantially reduce or
eliminate its potential for causing disease.
Trial Burn: An incinerator test in which
emissions are monitored for the presence
of specific organic compounds, pardcula-
tes, and hydrogen chloride.
Trichloroethylene TCE): A stable, low
boiling-point colorless liquid, toxic if in-
haled. Used as a solvent or metal degrea-
sing agent, and in other industrial applica-
tions.
Trickling Filter: A coarse treatment system
in which wastewater is trickled over a bed
of stones or other material covered with
bacteria that break down the organic waste
and produce clean water.
Trihalomethane (THM): One of a family
of organic compounds named as derivative
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30
of methane. THMs are generally by-prod-
ucts of chlorination of drinking water that
contains organic material.
Troposphere: The lower atmosphere, the
portion of the atmosphere up to seven
teen miles from the Earth's surface where
clouds are formed.
Trust Fund (CERCLA): A fund set up
under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA) to help pay for cleanup of
hazardous waste sites and for legal action
to force those responsible for the sites to
clean them up.
Tundra: A type of ecosystem dominated
by lichens, mosses, grasses, and woody
plants. Tundra is found at high latitudes
(arctic tundra) and high altitudes (alpine
tundra). Arctic tundra is underlain by
permafrost and is usually satrated. (See:
wetlands.)
Turbidimeten A device that measures the
density of suspended solids in a liquid.
Turbidity: 1. Haziness in air caused by the
presence of particles and pollutants. 2. A
cloudy condition in water due to suspend-
ed silt or organic matter.
u
Ultra Clean Coal (UCC): Coal that is
washed, ground into fine particles, then
chemically treated to remove sulfur, ash,
silicone, and other substances; usually
briquetted and coated with a sealant made
from coal.
Ultraviolet Rays: Radiation from the sun
that can be useful or potentially harmful.
UV rays from one part of the spectrum
(UV-A) enhance plant life and are useful in
some medical and dental procedures; UV
rays from other parts of the spectrum (UV-
B) can cause skin cancer or other tissue
damage. The ozone layer in the atmo-
sphere partly shields us from ultraviolet
rays reaching the earth's surface.
Underground Injection Control (UIC): The
program under the Safe Drinking Water
Act that regulates the use of wells to pump
fluids into the ground.
Underground Sources of Drinking Water
Aquifers currently being used as a source
of drinking water or those capable of
supplying a public water system. They
have a total dissolved solids content of
10,000 milligrams per liter or less, and are
not "exempted aquifers." (See: exempted
aquifer.)
Underground Storage Tank: A tank locat-
ed at least partially underground and
designed to hold gasoline or other petro-
leum products or chemicals.
Unreasonable Risk: Under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA), "unreasonable adverse effects"
means any unreasonable risk to man or the
environment, taking into account the medi-
cal, economic, social, and environmental
costs and benefits of any pesticide.
Unsarurated Zone: The area above the
•water table where soil pores are not fully
saturated, although some water may be
present.
Uranium: A radioactive metallic element,
used in nuclear reactors and the produc-
tion of nuclear weapons, a small percent-
age of which comprises the fissionable
isotope U-235.
Uranium Mill Tailings Piles: Former
uranium ore processing sites that contain
leftover radioactive materials (wastes),
including radium and unrecovered urani-
um.
Uranium Mill-Tailings Waste Piles: Li-
censed active mills with tailings piles and
evaporation ponds created by acid or
alkaline leaching processes.
Urban Runoff: Stormwater from city
streets and adjacent domestic or commer-
cial properties that carries pollutants of
various kinds into the sewer systems and
receiving waters.
Utility Load: The total electricity demand
for a utility district.
Vaccine: Dead or modified antigen used to
induce immunity to certain infectious
diseases.
Vapor Capture System: Any combination
of hoods and ventilation system that cap-
tures or contains organic vapors so they
may be directed to an abatement or recov-
ery device.
Vapor: The gaseous phase of substances
that are liquid or solid at atmospheric
temperature and pressure, e.g., steam.
Vapor Dispersion: The movement of
vapor clouds in air due to wind, thermal
action, gravity spreading, and mixing.
Vapor Plumes: Flue gases visible because
they contain water droplets.
Vaporization: The change of state from
liquid to gas.
Variance: Government permission for a
delay or exception in the application of a
given law, ordinance, or regulation.
Vector: 1. An organism, often an insect or
rodent, that carries disease. 2. Plasmids,
viruses, or bacteria used to transport genes
into a host cell. A gene is placed in the
vector; the vector then "infects" the bacteri-
um.
Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT): A mea-
sure of the extent of motor vehicle opera-
tion; the total number of vehicle miles
travelled within a specific geographic area
over a given period of time.
Vent: (1) The connection and piping
through which gases enter and exit a piece
of equipment; (2) a pipe or duct through
which air-borne contaminants exit a build-
ing (e.g., from copying machines or labora-
tory equipment); (3) a ventilation duct in a
basement or other part of a building.
Ventilation/Suction: The act of admitting
fresh air into a space in order to replace
stale or contaminated air; achieved by
blowing air into the space. Similarly, suc-
tion represents the admission of fresh air
into an interior space by lowering the
pressure outside of the space, thereby
drawing the contaminated air outward.
Venturi Scrubbers: Air pollution control
devices that use water to remove particu-
late matter from emissions.
Vinyl Chloride: A chemical compound,
used in producing some plastics, that is
believed to be oncogenic.
Virgin Materials: Resources extracted from
nature in their raw form, such as timber or
metal ore.
Virus: The smallest form of microorgan-
isms capable of causing disease.
Volatile: Any substance that evaporates
readily.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): Any
organic compound that participates in
atmospheric photochemical reactions ex-
cept those designated by EPA as having
negligible photochemical reactivity.
Volatile Synthetic Organic Chemicals:
Chemicals that tend to volatilize or evapo-
rate.
Volume Reduction: Processing waste
materials to decrease the amount of space
they occupy, usually by compacting or
shredding, incineration, or composting.
Volumetric Tank Test: One of several tests
to determine the physical integrity of a
storage tank; the volume of fluid in the
tank is measured directly or calculated
from product-level changes. A marked
drop in volume indicates a leak.
Vulnerable Zone: An area over which the
airborne concentration of a chemical acci-
dentally released could reach the level of
concern.
Vulnerability Analysis: Assessment of
elements in the community that are sus-
ceptible to damage should a release of
hazardous materials occur.
w
Waste: 1. Unwanted materials left over
from a manufacturing process. 2. Refuse
from places of human or animal habitation.
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Waste Exchange: Arrangment in which
companies exchange their wastes for the
benefit of both parties.
Waste Feed: The continuous or intermit-
tent flow of wastes into an incinerator.
Waste Load Allocation: The maximum
load of pollutants each discharger of waste
is allowed to release into a particular
waterway. Discharge limits are usually
required for each specific water quality
criterion being, or expected to be, violated.
The portion of a stream's total assimilative
capacity assigned to an individual dis-
charge.
Waste Minimization: Measures or tech-
niques that reduce the amount of wastes
generated during industrial production
processes; term is also applied to recycling
and other efforts to reduce the amount of
waste going into the waste stream.
Waste Reduction: Using source reduction,
recycling, or composting to prevent or
reduce waste generation.
Waste Stream: The total flow of solid
waste from homes, businesses, institutions,
and manufacturing plants that are recy-
cled, burned, or disposed of in landfills, or
segments thereof such as the "residential
waste stream" or the "recyclable waste
stream."
Waste Treatment Plant: A facility contain-
ing a series of tanks, screens, filters and
other processes by which pollutants are
removed from water.
Waste Treatment Stream: The continuous
movement of waste from generator to
treater and disposer.
Wastewaten The spent or used water from
a home, community, farm, or industry that
contains dissolved or suspended matter.
Wastewater Infrastructure: The plan or
network for the collection, treatment, and
disposal of sewage in a community. The
level of treatment will depend on the size
of the community, the type of discharge,
and/ or the designated use of the receiving
water.
Wastewater Operations and Maintenance:
Actions taken after construction to assure
that facilities constructed to treat wastewa-
ter will be operated, maintained, and man-
aged to reach prescribed effluent levels in
an optimum manner.
Water Pollution: The presence in water of
enough harmful or objectionable material
to damage the water's quality.
Water Purveyor: A public utility, mutual
water company, county water district, or
municipality that delivers drinking water
to customers.
Water Quality Criteria: Levels of water
quality expected to render a body of water
suitable for its designated use. Criteria are
based on specific levels of pollutants that
would make the water harmful if used for
drinking, swimming, farming, fish produc-
tion, or industrial processes.
Water Quality Standards: State-adopted
and EPA-approved ambient standards for
water bodies. The standards prescribe the
use of the water body and establish the
water quality criteria that must be met to
protect designated uses.
Water Quality-Based Limitations: Effluent
limitations applied to dischargers when
mere technology-based limitations would
cause violations of water quality standards.
Usually applied to discharges into small
streams.
Water Quality-Based Permit: A permit
with an effluent limit more stringent than
one based on technology performance.
Such limits may be necessary to protect the
designated use of receiving waters (i.e.,
recreation, irrigation, industry or water
supply).
Water Solubility: The maximum possible
concentration of a chemical compound
dissolved in water. If a substance is water
soluble it can very readily disperse
through the environment.
Water Supplier One who owns or oper-
ates a public water system.
Water Supply System: The collection,
treatment, storage, and distribution of
potable water from source to consumer.
Water Table: The level of groundwater.
Watershed: The land area that drains into
a stream.
Well: A shaft or a dug hole whose depth is
greater than the largest surface diameter
and whose purpose is to reach under-
ground water supplies or oil, or to store or
bury fluids below ground.
Well Injection: The subsurface emplace-
ment of fluids into a well.
Well Monitoring: Measurement by on-site
instruments or laboratory methods of well
watere quality.
Well Plug: A watertight, gastight seal
installed in a bore hole or well to prevent
movement of fluids.
Wellhead Protection Area: A protected
surface and subsurface zone surrounding
a well or wellfield supplying a public
water system to keep contaminents from
reaching the well water.
Wetlands: An area that is saturated by
surface or ground water with vegetation
adapted for life under those soil condi-
tions, as swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, and
estuaries.
Wildlife Refuge: An area designated for
the protection of wild animals, within
which hunting and fishing are either pro-
hibited or strictly controlled.
Wood-Burning Stove Pollution: Air pollu-
tion caused by emissions of participate
matter, carbon monoxide, total suspended
particulates, and polycyclic organic matter
from wood-burning stoves.
Wood Treatment Facility: An industrial
facility that treats lumber and other wood
products for outdoor use. The process
employs chromated copper arsenate, which
is regulated as a hazardous material.
Working Level Month (WLM): A unit of
measure used to determine cumulative
exposure to radon.
Working Level (WL): A unit of measure
for documenting exposure to radon decay
products, the so-called "daughters".. One
working level is equal to approximately
200 picocuries per liter.
XYZ
Xenobiote: Any biotum displaced from its
normal habitat; a chemical foreign to a
biological system.
Yard Waste: The part of solid waste com-
posed of grass clippings, leaves, twigs,
branches, and garden refuse.
Yellow-Boy: Iron oxide flocculent (clumps
of solids in waste or water); usually ob-
served as orange-yellow deposits in sur-
face streams with excess iron content. (See:
floe, floculation.)
Z-list: OSHA's tables of toxic and hazard-
ous air contaminants.
Zone of Saturation: (See: saturated zone.)
Zooplankton: Tiny aquatic animals eaten
by fish.
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-------
Abbreviations And
Acronyms
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34
A&I: Alternative and
Innovative (Wastewater
Treatment System)
AA: Accountable Area/FMSD
AA: Adverse Action
AA: Advices of Allowance
A A: Assistant Administrator
AA: Associate Administrator
AA: Atomic Absorption
AAAS: American Association
for the Advancement of
Science
AAEE: American Academy of
Environmental Engineers
AANWR: Alaskan Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge
AAP: Affirmative Action Plan
AAP: Affirmative Action
Program
AAP: Asbestos Action Program
AAPCO: American Association
of Pesticide Control
Officials
AARC: Alliance for Acid Rain
Control
AARP: American Association of
Retired Persons
ABEL: EPA's computer model
for analyzing a violator's
ability to pay a civil penal-
ty-
ABES: Alliance for Balanced
Environmental Solutions
AC: Actual Commitment
AC: Advisory Circular
AC: Alternating Current
A&C: Abatement and Control
ACA: American Conservation
Association
ACBM: Asbestos-Containing
Building Material
AC&C: Abatement, Compliance
and Control (Budget
Category)
ACE: Alliance for Clean Energy
ACEEE: American Council for
an Energy Efficient
Economy
ACFM: Actual Cubic Feet Per
Minute
ACL: Alternate Concentration
Limit
ACL: Analytical Chemistry
Laboratory
ACM: Asbestos-Containing
Material
ACP: Agriculture Control
Program (Water Quality
Management)
ACP: Air Carcinogen Policy
ACQUIRE: Aquatic Information
Retrieval
ACQR: Air Quality Control
Region
ACS: American Chemical
Society
ACT: Action
ACTS: Asbestos Contractor
Tracking System
ACWA: American Clean Water
Association
ACWM: Asbestos-Containing
Waste Material
ADABA: Acceptable Data Base
ADB: Applications Data Base
ADCO: Alternate Document
Control Officer (FMSD)
ADI: Acceptable Daily Intake
ADP: Automated Data
Processing
ADP: AHERA Designated
Person
ADQ: Audits of Data Quality
ADR: Alternate Dispute
Resolution
ADSS: Air Data Screening
System
ADT: Average Daily Traffic
AEA: Atomic Energy Act
AEC: Associate Enforcement
Counsels
AEE: Alliance for
Environmental Education
AEERL: Air and Energy
Engineering Research
Laboratory
AEM: Acoustic Emission
Monitoring
AERE: Association of
Environmental and
Resource Economists
AES: American Electroplating
Society
AES: Auger Electron
Spectometry
AFA: American Forestry
Association
AFBF: American Farm Bureau
Federation
AFCA: Area Fuel Consumption
Allocation
API: American Forest Institute
AFRCE: Air Force Regional
Civil Engineers
AFS: AIRS Facility Subsystem
AFUG: AIRS Facility Users
Group
AGA: American Gas
Association, Inc.
AGC: Associate General
Counsel
AGCA: Associated General
Contractors of America.
AH: Allowance Holders
AHERA: Asbestos Hazard
Emergency Response Act
AI: Artificial Intelligence
AIA: American Institute of
Architects
AIC: Active to Inert Conversion
AICE: American Institute of
Chemical Engineers
AICUZ: Air Installation
Compatible Use Zones
AID: Agency for International
Development
AIF: Atomic Industrial Forum,
Inc.
AIG: Assistant Inspector
General
AIHC: American Industrial
Health Council
AIP: Auto Ignition Point
AIRS: Aerometric Information
Retrieval System
AISI: American Iron & Steel
Institute
AL: Acceptable Level
AL: Administrative Leave
AL: Annual Leave
ALA: American Lung
Association
ALA: Delta-Aminolevulinic
Acid
ALA-O: Delta-Aminolevulinic
Acid Dehydrates
ALAPO: Association of Local
Air Pollution Control
Officers
ALARA: As Low As
Reasonably Achievable
ALC: Application Limiting
Constituent
ALJ: Administrative Law Judge
ALMS: Atomic Line
Molecular Spectroscopy
ALR: Action Leakage Rate
AMA: American Medical
Association
AMAS: Administrator's
Management Ac-
countability System
AMBIENS: Atmospheric Mass
Balance of Industrially
Emitted and Natural
Sulfur
AMC: Army Material
Command/DOD
AMOS: Air Management
Oversight System
AMPS: Automatic Mapping
and Planning System
AMS: American Meteorological
Society
AMSA: Association of
Metropolitan Sewer
Agencies
ANEC: American Nuclear
Energy Council
ANPR: Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking
ANRHRD: Air, Noise, &
Radiation Health Research
Division/ORD
ANSS: American Nature Study
Society
AO: Administrative Officer
AO: Administrator's Office
AO: Administrative Order
AO: Area Office
AO: Awards and Obligations
AOAC: Association of Official
Analytical Chemists
AOC: Abnormal Operating
Conditions
AOD: Argon-Oxygen
Decarbonization
AOML: Atlantic Oceanographic
and Meteorological
Laboratory
AP: Accounting Point
APA: American Planning
Association
APA: Administrative
Procedures Act
APCA: Air Pollution Control
Association
APCD: Air Pollution Control
District
APDS: Automated Procurement
Documentation System
APHA: American Public Health
Association
API: American Paper Institute
API: American Petroleum
Institute
PPA: American Public Power
Association
APRAC: Urban Diffusion
Model for Carbon
Monoxide from Motor
Vehicle Traffic
APT: Associated Pharmacists
and Toxicologists
APTI: Air Pollution Training
Institute
APWA: American Public Works
Association
AQ-7: Non-reactive Pollutant
Modelling
AQCCT: Air-Quality Criteria
and Control Techniques
AQCP: Air Quality Control
Program
AQCR: Air-Quality Control
Region
AQD: Air-Quality Digest
AQDHS: Air-Quality Data
Handling System
AQDM: Air-Quality Display
Model
AQMA: Air-Quality
Maintenance Area
AQMP: Air-Quality
Maintenance Plan
AQMP: Air-Quality
Management Plan
AQSM: Air-Quality Simulation
Model
AQTAD: Air-Quality Technical
Assistance Demonstration
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35
AR: Administrative Record
A&R: Air and Radiation
ARA: Assistant Regional
Administrator
ARA: Associate Regional
Administrator
ARAR: Applicable or Relevant
and Appropriate
Standards, Limitations,
Criteria, and Requirements
ARB: Air Resources Board
ARC: Agency Ranking
Committee
ARCC: American Rivers
Conservation Council
ARCS: Alternative Remedial
Contract Strategy
ARD: Air and Radiation
Division/OGC
ARG: American Resources
Group
ARIP: Accidental Release
Information Program
ARL: Air Resources Laboratory
ARM: Air Resources
Management
ARO: Alternate Regulatory
Option
ARRP: Acid Rain Research
Program
ARRPA: Air Resources
Regional Pollution
Assessment Model
ARS: Agricultural Research
Service
ARZ: Auto Restricted Zone
AS: Area Source
ASC: Area Source Category
ASCII: American Standard
Code for Information
Interchange
ASCP: American Society of
Consulting Planners
ASDWA: Association of State
Drinking Water
Administrators
ASHAA: Asbestos in Schools
Hazard Abatement Act
ASIWCPA: Association of State
and Interstate Water
Pollution Control
Control Administrators
ASMDHS: Airshed Model Data
Handling System
ASPA: American Society of
Public Administration
ASRL: Atmospheric Sciences
Research Laboratory
AST: Advanced Secondary
(Wastewater) Treatment
ASTHO: Association of State
and Territorial Health
Officers
ASTM: American Society for
Testing and Materials
ASTSWMO: Association of
State and Territorial Solid
Waste Management
Officials
AT: Advanced Treatment
AT: Alpha Track Detection
ATA: American Trucking
Association
ATERIS: Air Toxics Exposure
and Risk Information
System
ATMI: American Textile
Manufacturing Institute
ATS: Action Tracking System
ATS: Administrator's Tracking
System
ATSDR: Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease
Registry
ATTF: Air Toxics Task Force
AUSA: Assistant United States
Attorney
AUSM: Advanced Utility
Simulation Model
AWPI: American Wood
Preservers' Institute
A/WPR: Air/Water Pollution
Report
AWRA: American Water
Resources Association
AWT: Advanced Wastewater
Treatment
AWWA: American Water
Works Association
AWWARF: American Water
Works Association
Research Foundation.
AX: Administrator's Executive
Office
AX: Administrator's Office
B
BAA: Board of Assistance
Appeals
BAG: Biotechnology Advisory
Committee
BACM: Best Available Control
Measures
BACT: Best Available Control
Technology
BADT: Best Available
Demonstrated Technology
BaP: Benzo(a)Pyrene
BAP: Benefits Analysis Program
BART: Best Available Retrofit
Technology
BASIS: Battelle's Automated
Search Information System
BAT: Best Available
Technology
BATEA: Best Available
Treatment Economically
Achievable
BBS: Bulletin Board System
BCC: Blind Carbon Copy
BCCM: Board for Certified
Consulting Meteorologists
BCT: Best Control Technology
BCPCT: Best Conventional
Pollutant Control
Technology
BOAT: Best Demonstrated
Achievale Technology
BDCT: Best Demonstrated
Control Technology
BDT: Best Demonstrated
Technology
BEJ: Best Engineering
Judgement
BEJ: Best Expert Judgment
BEP: Black Employment
Program
BF: Bonifide Notice of Intent to
Manufacture or Import
(IMD/OTS)
BG: Billion Gallons
BI: Background Information
(FMSD)
BI: Brookings Institution
BIA: Bureau of Indian Affairs
BID: Background Information
Document
BID: Buoyancy Induced
Dispersion
BIOPLUME: Model to Predict
the Maximum Extent of
Existing Plumes
BLM: Bureau of Land
Management:
BLOB: Biologically Liberated
Organc^Beas ties
BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics
BMP: Best Management
Practice(s)
BMR: Baseline Monitoring
Report
BO: Budget Obligations
BOA: Basic Ordering
Agreement (Contracts)
BOD: Biochemical Oxygen
Demand
BOD: Biological Oxygen
Demand
BOF: Basic Oxygen Furnace
BOM: Bureau of Mines
BOP: Basic Oxygen Process
BOPF: Basic Oxygen Process
Furnace
BOYSNC: Beginning of Year
Significant Non-Compliers
BP: Boiling Point
BPA: Blanket Purchase
Agreement
BPJ: Best Professional Judgment
BPT: Best Practicable
Technology
BPT: Best Practicable Control
Technology
BPT: Pest Practicable Treatment
BPWTT: Best Practical
Wastewater Treatment
Technology
BRS: Bibliographic Retrieval
Service
BSI: British Standards Institute
BSO: Benzene Soluble Organics
BTU: British Thermal Unit
BTZ: Below the Treatment Zone
BU: Bargaining Unit
BUN: Blood Urea Nitrogen
BY: Budget Year
c
C: Celsius
CA: Citizen Act
CA: Competition Advocate
CA: Cooperative Agreements
CA: Corrective Action
CAA: Clean Air Act
CAA: Compliance Assurance
Agreement
CAAA: Clean Air Act
Amendments
CAB: Civil Aeronautics Board
CAD: Computer Assisted
Design
CAER: Community Awareness
and Emergency Response
CAFE: Corporate Average Fuel
Economy
CAFO: Consent
Agreement/ Final Order
CAG: Carcinogenic Assessment
Group
CAIR: Comprehensive
Assessment of Information
Rule
CALINE: California Line Source
Model
CAMP: Continuous Air
Monitoring Program
CAN: Common Account
Number
CAO: Corrective Action Order
CAP: Corrective Action Plan
CAP: Cost Allocation Procedure
CAP: Criteria Air Pollutant
CAR: Corrective Action Report
CAS: Center for Automotive
Safety
CAS: Chemical Abstract Service
CASAC: Clean Air Scientific
Advisory Committee
CASLP: Conference on
Alternative State and Local
Practices
CATS: Corrective Action
Tracking System
CAU: Carbon Adsorption Unit
CAU: Command Arithmetic
Unit
CB: Continuous Bubbler
CBA: Chesapeake Bay
Agreement
CBA: Cost Benefit Analysis
CBD: Central Business District
CBD: Commerce Business Dailj
CBI: Compliance Biomonitoring
Inspection
CBI: Confidental Business
Information
CBO: Congressional Budget
Office
CBOD: Carbonaceous
Biochemical Oxygen
Demand
CBP: Chesapeake Bay Program
CBP: County Business Patterns
CC: Activated Charcoal
Adsorption
CC: Carbon Copy
CCA: Competition in
Contracting Act
-------
36
CCAA: Canadian Clean Air Act
CCAP: Center for Clean Air
Policy
CCEA: Conventional
Combustion
Environmental Assessment
CCHW: Citizens Clearinghouse
for Hazardous Wastes
CCID: Confidential Chemicals
Identification System
CCMS/NATO: Committee on
Challenges of a Modern
Society/North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization
CCP: Composite Correction
Plan
CC/RTS:Chemical
Collection/ Request
Tracking System
CCTP: Clean Coal Technology
Program
CD: Climatological Data
CDB: Consolidated Data Base
CDBA: Central Data Base
Administrator
CDBG: Community
Development Block Grant
CDC: Centers for Disease
Control
CDD: Chlorinated
dibenzo-p-dioxin
CDF: Chlorinated dibenzofuran
CDHS: Comprehensive Data
Handling System
GDI: Case Development
Inspection
CDM: Climatological
Dispersion Model
CDM: Comprehensive Data
Management
CDMQC: Climatological
Dispersion Model with
Calibration and
Source Contribution
CDNS: Climatological Data
National Summary
CDP: Census Designated Places
CDS: Compliance Data System
CE: Categorical Exclusion
CE: Conditionally Exempt
Generator
CE: Cost Effectiveness
CEA: Cooperative Enforcement
Agreement
CEA: Cost and Economic
Assessment
CEA: Council of Economic
Advisors
CEAT: Contractor Evidence
Audit Team
CEARC: Canadian
Environmental Assessment
Research Council
CEB: Chemical Element Balance
CEC: Commission of European
Communities
CECATS: CSB Existing
Chemicals Assessment
Tracking System
CEE: Center for Environmental
Education
CEEM: Center for Energy and
Environmental
Management
CEI: Compliance Evaluation
Inspection
CELRF: Canadian
Environmental Law
Research Foundation
CEM: Continuous Emission
Monitoring
CEMS: Continuous Emission
Monitoring System
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
CEPP: Chemical Emergency
Preparedness Plan
CEQ: Council on
Environmental Quality
CERCLA: Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and and
bility Act of 1980
CERCLIS: Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and
Liability Information
System
CERI: Center for Environmental
Research Information
CERT: Certificate of Eligibility
CEU: Continuing Education
Units
CF: Conservation Foundation
CFA: Consumer Federation of
American
CFC: Chlorofluorocarbons
CFM: Chlorofluoromethanes
CFM: Cubic Feet Per Minute
(also ft.3/min.)
CFR: Code of Federal
Regulations
CFS: Cubic feet per second.
CHABA: Committee on
Hearing and Bio-Acoustics
CHAMP: Community Health
Air Monitoring Program
CHEMNET: Chemical Industry
Emergency Mutual Aid
Network
CHESS: Community Health and
Environmental Surveillance
System
CHIP: Chemical Hazard
Information Profiles
(OPTS)
CI: Compression Ignition
CI: Confidence Interval
CIAQ: Council on Indoor Air
Quality
CIBL: Convective Internal
Boundary Layer
CICA: Competition in
Contracting Act
CICIS: Chemicals in Commerce
Information System
CIDRS: Cascade Impactor Data
Reduction System
CUT: Chemical Industry
Institute of Toxicology
CIMI: Committee on Integrity
and Management
Improvement
CIS: Chemical Information
System
CIS: Contracts Information
System
CJE: Critical Job Element
CJO: Chief Judicial Officer
CLC: Capacity Limiting
Constituents
CLEANS: Clinical Laboratory
for Evaluation and
Assessment of
Toxic Substances
CLEVER: Clinical Laboratory
for Evaluation and
Validation of
Epidemiologic Research
CLF: Conservation Law
Foundation
CLIPS: Chemical List Index and
Processing System
CLP: Contract Laboratory
Program
CM: Corrective Measure
CMA: Chemical Manufacturers
Association
CMB: Chemical Mass Balance
CME: Comprehensive
Monitoring Evaluation
CMEL: Comprehensive
Monitoring Evaluation Log
CMEP: Critical Mass Energy
Project
COCO: Contractor-Owned/
Contractor-Operated
COD: Chemical Oxygen
Demand
COE: U.S. Army Corps Of
Engineers
COH: Coefficient Of Haze
CPF: Carcinogenic Potency
Factor
CPI: Consumer Price Index
CPO: Certified Project Officer
CPR: Center for Public
Resources
CPSC: Consumer Product
Safety Commission
CQA: Construction Quality
Assurance
CR: Community Relations
CR: Continuous Radon
Monitoring
CROP: Consolidated Rules of
Practice
CRR: Center for Renewable
Resources
CRS: Congressional Research
Service
CRSTER: Single Source
Dispersion Model
CSI: Clean Sites, Inc.
CSI: Compliance Sampling
Inspection
CSIN: Chemical Substances
Information Network
CSMA: Chemical Specialties
Manufacturers Association
CSO: Combined Sewer
Overflow
CSPA: Council of State
Planning Agencies
CSPI: Center for Science in the
Public Interest
CSRL: Center for the Study of
Responsive Law
CTARC: Chemical Testing and
Assessment Research
Commission
CTB: Certification and Training
Branch/FOD
CTG: Control Techniques
Guidelines
CV: Chemical Vocabulary
CW: Congress Watch
CW: Continuous working-level
monitoring
CWA: Clean Water Act (aka
FWPCA)
CWAP: Clean Water Action
Project
CWTC: Chemical Waste
Transportation Council
CZMA: Coastal Zone
Management Act
DA: Deputy Administrator
DAA: Deputy Assistant
Administrator
DAPSS: Document and
Personnel Security System
(IMD)
DAR: Defense Acquisition
Regulations
dB: Decibel
DBA: Doing Business As
DCA: Document Control
Assistant
DCI: Data Call-in
DCN: Document Control
Number
DCO: Delayed Compliance
Order
DCO: Document Control
Officer
DD: Deputy Director
DD: Division Director
DDD: Deputy Division Director
DDT: DichloroDiphenylTrichlor
oethane
DERs: Data Evaluation Records
DBS: Diethylstilbesterol
DI: Diagnostic Inspection
DMR: Discharge Monitoring
Report
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid
DO: Dissolved Oxygen
DOC: Department Of
Commerce
DOD: Deputy Office Director
DOD: Department Of Defense
DOE: Department Of Energy
DOI: Department Of Interior
DOJ: Department Of Justice
DOL: Department Of Labor
DOS: Department Of State
DOT: Department Of
Transportation
-------
DOW: Defenders Of Wildlife
DPA: Deepwater Ports Act
DQO: Data Quality Objective
DRA: Deputy Regional
Administrator
DRC: Deputy Regional Counsel
DRE: Destruction and Removal
Efficiency
ORES: Dietary Risk Evaluation
System
DRMS: Defense Reutilization
and Marketing Service
DRR: Data Review Record
DS: Dichotomous Sampler
DSAP: Data Self Auditing
Program
DSCF: Dry Standard Cubic Feet
DSCM: Dry Standard Cubic
Meter
DSS: Decision Support System
DSS: Domestic Sewage Study
DT: Declaration of Taking
(FMSD)
DT: Detention Time
DT: Detectors (radon) damaged
or lost
DU: Decision Unit
DU: Ducks Unlimited
DUG: Decision Unit
Coordinator
DWS: Drinking Water Standard
EA: Endangerment Assessment
EA: Enforcement Agreement
EA: Environmental Action
EA: Environmental Assessment
EA: Environmental Audit
EAF: Electric Arc Furnaces
EAG: Exposure Assessment
Group
EAP: Environmental Action
Plan
EAR: Environmental Auditing
Round table
EB: Emissions Balancing
EBCDIC: Extended Binary
Coded Decimal
Interchange Code
EC: European Community
EC: Emulsifiable Concentrate
EC: Environment Canada
EC: Effective Concentration
ECA: Economic Community for
Africa
ECAP: Employee Counselling
and Assistance Program
ECD: Electron Capture Detector
ECE: Economic Commission for
Europe
ECHH: Electro-Catalytic Hyper-
Heaters
ECL: Environmental Chemical
Laboratory
ECL: Executive Control
Language
ECLA: Economic Commission
for Latin America
ECR: Enforcement Case Review
ECRA: Economic Cleanup
Responsibility Act
ED: Department of Education
ED: Effective Dose
EDA: Economic Development
Administration
EDA: Emergency Declaration
Area
EDB: Ethylene Dibromide
EDC: Ethylene Dichloride
EDD: Enforcement Decision
Document
EOF: Environmental Defense
Fund
EDP: Electronic Data Processing
EDRS: Enforcement Document
Retrieval System
EDS: Electronic Data System
EDS: Energy Data System
EDT: Edit Data Transmission
EDTA: Ethylene Diamine
Triacetic Acid
EDX: Electronic Data Exchange
EDZ: Emission Density Zoning
EEA: Energy and
Environmental Analysis
EECs: Estimated Envirnomental
Concentrations
EEC: European Economic
Commission
EEF: Environmental Effects
Branch/HERD
EEG: Electroencephalogram
EEI: Edison Electric Institute
EEOC: Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
EER: Excess Emission Report
EERL: Eastern Environmental
Radiation Laboratory
EERU: Environmental
Emergency Response Unit
EESI: Environment and Energy
Study Institute
EESL: Environmental Ecological
and Support Laboratory
EETFC: Environmental Effects,
Transport and Fate
Committee
EF: Emission Factor
EFO: Equivalent Field Office
EFTC: European Fluorocarbon
Technical Committee
EGR: Exhaust Gas Recirculation
EH: Redox Potential
EHC: Environmental Health
Committee
EHS: Extremely Hazardous
Substance
El: Emissions Inventory
EIA: Economic Impact
Assessment
EIA: Environmental Impact
Assessment
EIL: Environmental Impairment
Liability
EIR: Endangerment Information
Report
EIR: Environmental Impact
Report
EIS: Environmental Impact
Statement
EIS: Environmental Inventory
System
EIS/AS: Emissions Inventory
System/Area Source
EIS/PS: Emissions Inventory
System/Point Source
EKMA: Empirical Kinetic
Modeling Approach
EL: Exposure Level
ELI: Environmental Law
Institute
ELR: Environmental Law
Reporter
EM: Electromagnetic
Conductivity
EM: Electron Microscope
E-MAIL: Electronic Mail
EMAS: Enforcement
Management and
Accountability System
EMR: Environmental
Management Report
EMS: Enforcement Management
System
EMSL: Environmental
Monitoring Support
Laboratory
EMSL: Environmental
Monitoring Systems
Laboratory
EMTS: Environmental
Monitoring Testing Site
EMTS: Exposure Monitoring
Test Site
EO: Ethylene Oxide
EO: Executive Officer
EO: Executive Order
BOB: Executive Office Building
EOC: Emergency Operating
Center
EOD: Entrance on Duty
EOE: Equal Opportunity
Employer
EOF: Emergency Operations
Facility (RTF)
EOJ: End Of Job
EOT: Emergency Operations
Team
EOY: End Of Year
EP: Earth Protectors
EP: Environmental Profile
EP: Emergency
Preparedness/ FMSD
EP: End-use Product
EP: Experimental Product
EP: Extraction Procedure
EPAA: Environmental
Programs Assistance Act
EPAAR: EPA Acquisition
Regulations
EPCRA: Emeegency
Preparedness and
Community Right to Know
Act
EPACASR: EPA Chemical
Activities Status Report
EPAYS: EPA Payroll System
EPCA: Energy Policy and
Conservation Act
EPD: Emergency Planning
District
EPI: Environmental Policy
Institute
EPIC: Environmental
Photographic
Interpretation Center
EPNL: Effective Perceived
Noise Level
EPO: Estuarian Programs Offic
(NOAA)
EPRI: Electric Power Research
Institute
EPTC: Extraction Procedure
Toxicity Characteristic
ER: Electrical Resistivity
ERA: Economic Regulatory
Agency
ERAMS: Environmental
Radiation Ambient
Monitoring System
ERC: Emergency Response
Commission
ERC: Emissions Reduction
Credit
ERC: Environmental Research
Center
ERCS: Emergency Response
Cleanup Services
ERDA: Energy Research and
Development
Administration
ERD&DAA: Environmental
Research, Development
and Demonstration
Authorization Act
ERL: Environmental Research
Laboratory
ERNS: Emergency Response
Notification System
ERP: Enforcement Response
Policy
ERT: Emergency Response
Team
ERTAQ: ERT Air Quality
Model
ES: Enforcement Strategy
ESA: Endangered Species Act
ESA: Environmentally Sensitive
Area
ESC: Endangered Species
Committee
ESCA: Electron Spectroscopy
for Chemical Analysis
ESCAP: Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and
the Pacific
ESECA: Energy Supply and
Environmental
Coordination Act
ESH: Environmental Safety and
Health
ESP: Electrostatic Precipitators
ET: Emissions Trading
ETP: Emissions Trading Policy
ETS: Environmental Tobacco
Smoke
EUP: End-Use Product
EUP: Experimental Use Permit
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38
EWCC: Environmental
Workforce Coordinating
Committee
EX: Executive Level
Appointment
EXAMS: EXposure Analysis
Modeling System
ExEx: Expected Exceedance
F: Fahrenheit (Degrees)
FAA: Federal Aviation
Administration
FAC: Facility Advisory
Committee
FACA: Federal Advisory
Committee Act
FAME: Framework for
Achieving Managerial
Excellence
FAN: Fixed Account Number
FAO: Food and Agriculture
Organization
FAR: Federal Acquisition
Regulations
FASB: Financial Accounting
Standards Board
FATES: FIFRA and TSCA
Enforcement System
FBC: Fluidized bed combustion
FBI: Federal Bureau of
Investigation
FCC: Federal Communications
Commission
FCC: Fluid Catalytic Converter
FCCU: Fluid Catalytic Cracking
Unit
FCO: Federal Coordinating
Officer (in disaster areas)
FCO: Forms Control Officer
FDA: Food and Drug
Administration
PDF: Fundamentally Different
Factors
FDIC: Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation
FDL: Final Determination Letter
FDO: Fee Determination
Official
FE: Fugitive Emissions
FEA: Federal Energy
Administration
FEC: Federal Executive Council
FEDS: Federal Energy Data
System
FEFx: Forced Expiratory Flow
FEHB: Federal Employees
Health Benefits
FEI: Federal Executive Institute
FEIS: Fugitive Emissions
Information System
PEL: Frank Effect Level
FEMA: Federal Emergency
Management Agency
FEPCA: Federal Environmental
Pesticide Control Act;
enacted as amendments to
FIFRA.
FERC: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission
FERS: Federal Employee
Retirement System
FERSA: Federal Employee
Retirement System Act
FES: Factor Evaluation System
FEV: Forced Expiratory Volume
FEV1: Forced Expiratory
Volume—one second
FEVI: Front End Volatility
Index
FEW: Federally Employed
Women
FF: Federal Facilities
FFAR: Fuel and Fuel Additive
Registration
FFDCA: Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act
FFF: Firm Financial Facility
FFFSG: Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam
Generator
FFI: Full Field Investigation
(FMSD)
FFIS: Federal Facilities
Information System
FFP: Firm Fixed Price
FGD: Flue-Gas Desulfurization
FHA: Farmers Home
Administration
FHA: Federal Housing
Administration
FHLBB: Federal Home Loan
Bank Board
FHWA: Federal Highway
Administration
FIA: Federal Insurance
Administration
FIC: Federal Information Center
PICA: Federal Insurance
Contributions Act
FID: Flame lonization Detector
FIFO: First In/First Out
FIFRA: Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act
FIM: Friable Insulation Material
FINDS: Facility Index System
FIP: Federal Implementation
Plan
FIP: Federal Information Plan
FIP: Final Implementation Plan
FIPS: Federal Information
Procedures System
FIT: Field Investigation Team
FLETC: Federal Law
Enforcement Training
Center
FLM: Federal Land Manager
FLP: Flash Point
FLPMA: Federal Land Policy
and Management Act
FMAP: Financial Management
Assistance Project
FMC: Federal Maritime
Commission
FLSA: Fair Labor Standards Act
F/M: Food to Microorganism
Ratio
FMC: Federal Maritime
Commission
FMFIA: Federal Managers
Financial Integrity Act
FML: Flexible Membrane Liner
FMO: Financial Management
Officer
FMP: Facility Management Plan
FMP: Financial Management
Plan
FMS: Financial Management
System
FMVCP: Federal Motor Vehicle
Control Program
FOE: Friends Of the Earth
FOIA: Freedom Of Information
Act
FOISD: Fiber Optic Isolated
Spherical Dipol Antenna
FONSI: Finding Of No
Significant Impact
FORAST: Forest Response to
Anthropogenic Stress
FORTRAN: Formula
Translation
FP: Fine Particulate
FPA: Federal Pesticide Act
FPAS: Foreign Purchase
Acknowledgement
Statements
FPC: Federal Power
Commission
FPD: Flame Photometric
Detector
FPEIS: Fine Particulate
Emissions Information
System
FPM: Federal Personnel Manual
FPPA: Federal Pollution
Prevention Act
FPR: Federal Procurement
Regulation
FPRS: Federal Program
Resources Statement
FPRS: Formal Planning and
Supporting System
FR: Federal Register
FR: Final Rulemaking
FRA: Federal Register Act
FRB: Federal Reserve Board
FRC: Federal Records Center
FRDS: Federal Reporting Data
System
FREDS: Flexible Regional
Emissions Data System
FRES: Forest Range
Environmental Study
FRM: Federal Reference
Methods
FRN: Federal Register Notice
FRN: Final Rulemaking Notice
FRS: Formal Reporting System
FRTIB: Federal Retirement
Thrift Investment Board
FS: Feasibility Study
FS: Forest Service
FSA: Food Security Act
FSC: Facilities Service Center
(FMSD)
FSS: Facility Status Sheet
FSS: Federal Supply Schedule
FT: Full Time
FTC: Federal Trade
Commission
FTE: Full Time Equivalent
FTP: Federal Test Procedure
(for motor vehicles)
FTS: Federal
Telecommunications
System
FTS: File Transfer Service
FTT: Full Time Temporary
FTTS: FIFRA/TSCA Tracking
System
FUA: Fuel Use Act
FURS: Federal Underground
Injection Control Reporting
System
FVMP: Federal Visibility
Monitoring Program
FWCA: Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act
FWP: Federal Women's
Program
FWPCA: Federal Water
Pollution and Control Act
(aka CWA)
FWPCA: Federal Water
Pollution and Control
Administration
FWS: Fish and Wildlife Service
FY: Fiscal Year
FYI: For Your Information
GAAP: Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles
GAG. Groundwater Activated
Carbon
GACT: Granular Activated
Carbon Treatment
GAO: General Accounting
Office
GBL: Government Bill of
Lading
GC: Gas Chromatograph
GC: General Counsel
GC/MS: Gas Chromatograph/
Mass Spectograph
GCWR: Gross Combination
Weight Rating
GDE: Generic Data Exemption
GEI: Geographic Enforcement
Initiative
GEMS: Global Environmental
Monitoring System
GEMS: Graphical Exposure
Modeling System
GEP: Good Engineering
Practice
GF: General Files
GFF: Glass Fiber Filter
GFO: Grant Funding Order
GFP: Government-Furnished
Property
GI: Gastrointestinal
GICS: Grant Information and
Control System
GIFAP: International Group of
National Associations of
Manufacturers of Agroche-
mical Products
-------
3!
CIS: Geographic Information
Systems
CIS: Global Indexing System
GLC: Gas Liquid
Chromatography
GLERL: Great Lakes
Environmental Research
Laboratory
GLNPO: Great Lakes National
Program Office
GLO: Greater Leadership
Opportunity program
GLP: Good Laboratory
Practices
GLWQA: Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement
GMCC: Global Monitoring for
Climatic Change
g/mi: Grams per mile
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
GNP: Gross National Product
GOCM: Goals, Objectives,
Commitments, and
Measures
GOCO: Goverment-Owned/
Contractor-Operated
GOGO: Goverment-Owned/
Government-Operated
GOP: General Operating
Procedures
GOPO: Goverment-Owned/
Privately-Operated
GPAD: Gallons-per-acre per-
day
GPG: Grams-per-Gallon
GPO: Government Printing
Office
GPR: Ground-Penetrating
Radar
GPS: Groundwater Protection
Strategy
GR: Grab Radon Sampling
GRCDA: Government Refuse
Collection and Disposal
Association
GRGL: Groundwater Residue
Guidance Level
GS: General Schedule
GSA: General Services
Administration
GTN: Global Trend Network
GTR: Government
Transportation Request
GVP: Gasoline Vapor Pressure
GVW: Gross Vehicle Weight
GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating
GW: Grab Working-Level
Sampling
GW: Groundwater
GWM: Groundwater
Monitoring
GWPS: Groundwater Protection
Standard
GWPS: Groundwater Protection
Strategy
H
HA: Health Advisory/ODW
HAAB: Hazard Abatement and
Assistance Branch/OTS
HAD: Health Assessment
Document
HAP: Hazardous Air Pollutant
HAPEMS: Hazardous Air
Pollutant Enforcement
Management System
HAPPS: Hazardous Air
Pollutant Prioritization
System
HATREMS: Hazardous and
Trace Emissions System
HAZMAT: Hazardous
Materials
HAZOP: Hazard and
Operability Study
HB: Health Benefits
HBEP: Hispanic and Black
Employment Programs
HC: Hazardous Constituents
HC: Hydrocarbon
HCCPD: Hexachlorocyclo-
pentadiene
HCP: Hypothermal Coal
Process
HDD: Heavy-Duty Diesel
HDE: Heavy-Duty Engine
HDG: Heavy-Duty Gasoline-
Powered Vehicle
HOPE: High Density
Polyethelene
HDT: Highest Dose Tested in a
study
HDT: Heavy-Duty Truck
HDV: Heavy-Duty Vehicle
HEAL: Human Exposure
Assessment Location
HECC: House Energy and
Commerce Committee
HEI: Health Effects Institute
HEM: Human Exposure
Modeling
HEP: Hispanic Employment
Program
HEPA: High-Efficiency
Particulate Air
HERL: Health Effects Research
Laboratory
HERS: Hyperion Energy
Recovery System
HHE: Human Health and the
Environment
HHS: Department of Health
and Human Services
HHV: Higher Heating Value
HI: Hazard Index
HI-VOL: High-Volume Sampler
HIWAY: A Line Source Model
for Gaseous Pollutants
HLRW: High Level Radioactive
Waste
HMIS: Hazardous Materials
Information System
HMS: Highway Mobile Source
HMTA: Hazardous Materials
Transportation Act
HMTR: Hazardous Materials
Transportation Regulations
HO: Headquarters Offices
HOC: Halogenated Organic
Carbons
HON: Hazardous Organic
NESHAP
HOV: High-Occupancy Vehicle
HP: Horse Power
HPLC: High-Performance
Liquid Chromatography
HPV: High Priority Violater
HQ: Headquarters
HQCDO: Headquarters Case
Development Officer
HRC: Human Resources
Council
HRO: Human Resources Officer
HRS: Hazardous Ranking
System
HRUP: High-Risk Urban
Problem
HSDB: Hazardous Substance
Data Base
HSL: Hazardous Substance List
HSWA: Hazardous and Solid
Waste Amendments
HT: Hypothermally Treated
HTP: High Temperature and
Pressure
HUD: Department of Housing
and Urban Development
HVIO: High Volume Industrial
Organics
HW: Hazardous Waste
HWDMS: Hazardous Waste
Data Management System
HWERL: Hazardous Waste
Engineering Research
Laboratory
HWGTF: Hazardous Waste
Groundwater Task Force
HWGTF: Hazardous Waste
Groundwater Test Facility
HWLT: Hazardous Waste Land
Treatment
HWM: Hazardous Waste
Managment
HWRTF: Hazardous Waste
Restrictions Task Force
HWTC: Hazardous Waste
Treatment Council
I
I/A: Innovative/Alternative
(Construction Grants)
IA: Interagency Agreeement
IAAC: Interagency Assessment
Advisory Committee
IAEA: International Atomic
Energy Agency
IAG: Interagency Group
(FMSD)
IAG: Interagency Agreement
IAP: Incentive Awards Program
IAP: Indoor Air Pollution
IARC: International Agency for
Research on Cancer
IATDB: Interim Air Toxics Data
Base
IB A: Industrial Biotechnology
Association
IBRD: International Bank for
Reconstruction and
Development
IBT: Industrial Biotest
Laboratory
ICAIR: Interdisciplinary
Planning and Information
Research
ICAP: Inductively Coupled
Argon Plasma
ICB: Information Collection
Budget
ICBN: International
Commission on the
Biological Effects of
Noise
ICC: Interstate Commerce
Commission
ICE: Industrial Combustion
Emissions Model
ICE: Internal Combustion
Engine
ICP: Inductively Coupled
Plasma
ICR: Information Collection
Request
ICRE: Ignitability, Corrosivity,
Reactivity, Extraction
ICRP: International
Commission on
Radiological Protection
ICS: Incident Command Systen
ICS: Institute for Chemical
Studies
ICS: Intermittent Control
Strategies
ICS: Intermittent Control
System
ICWM: Institute for Chemical
Waste Management
ID: Inside Diameter
IDLH: Immediately Dangerous
to Life and Health
IEB: International Environment
Bureau
IEMP: Integrated
Environmental
Management Project
IERL: Industrial Environmental
Research Laboratory
(ORD)
IES: Institute for Environmenta
Studies
IFB: Invitation for Bid
IFCAM: Industrial Fuel Choice
Analysis Model
IFIS: Industry File Information
System
IFPP: Industrial Fugitive
Process Particulate
IFMS: Integrated Financial
Management System
IG: Inspector General
IGA: Interagency Grant (Also
called IAG)
IGCI: Industrial Gas Cleaning
Institute
IRLG: Interagency Regulatory
Liaison Group (Composed
of EPA, CPSC, FDA, and
OSHA)
Indian Health Service
-------
40
IIS: Inflationary Impact
Statement
IJC: International Joint
Commission (on Great
Lakes)
I/M: Inspection/Maintenance
IMM: Intersection Midblock
Model
IMPACT: Integrated Model of
Plumes and Atmosphere in
Complex Terrain
IMPROVE: Interagency
Monitoring of Protected
Visual Environment
INPUFF: Gaussian Puff
Dispersion Model
INT: Intermittent
IO: Immediate Office
IOAA: Immediate Office of the
Assistant Administrator
IOAU: Input/Output
Arithmetic Unit
IOB: Iron Ore Beneficiation
IOU: Input/Output Unit
IP: Inhalable Particles
IPA: Intergovernmental
Personnel Act
IPA: Intergovernmental
Personnel Agreement
IPM: Inhalable Particulate
Matter
IPM: Integrated Pest
Management
IPP: Implementation Planning
Program
IPP: Integrated Plotting
Package
IPP: Intermedia Priority
Pollutant (document)
IPCS: International Program on
Chemical Safety
IPP: Independent Power
Producer
IR: Infrared
IRG: Interagency Review Group
IRIS: Instructional Resources
Information System
IRIS: Integrated Risk
Information System
IRM: Intermediate Remedial
Measures_
IRMC: Inter-Regulatory Risk
Management Council
IRP: Installation Restoration
Program
IRPTC: International Register of
Potentially Toxic
Chemicals
IRR: Institute of Resource
Recovery
IRS: Internal Revenue Service
IRS: International Referral
Systems
IS: Interim Status
ISAM: Indexed Sequential File
Access Method
ISC: Industrial Source Complex
ISCL: Interim Status
Compliance Letter
ISCLT: Industrial Source
Complex Long Term
Model
ISCST: Industrial Source
Complex Short Term
Model
ISD: Interim Status Document
ISE: Ion-specific electrode
ISMAP: Indirect Source Model
for Air Pollution
ISPF: (IBM) Interactive System
Productivity Facility
ISS: Interim Status Standards
ITC: Interagency Testing
Committee
ITC: International Trade
Commission
ITDP: Individual Training and
Development Plan
ITP: Individual Training Plan
IUR: Inventory Update Rule
(IMD)
IWC: In-Stream Waste
Concentration
IWS: Ionizing Wet Scrubber
JAPCA: Journal of Air Pollution
Control Association
JCL: Job Control Language
JEC: Joint Economic Committee
JECFA: Joint Expert Committee
of Food Additives
JLC: Justification for Limited
Competition
JMPR: Joint Meeting on
Pesticide Residues
JNCP: Justification for Non-
Competitive Procurement
JOFOC: Justification for Other
Than Full and Open
Competition
JPA: Joint Permitting
Agreement
JSD: Jackson Structured Design
JSP: Jackson Structured
Programming
JTU: Jackson Turbidity Unit
K
KW: Kilowatt
KWH: Kilowatt Hour
LAA: Lead Agency Attorney
LADD: Lowest Acceptable
Daily Dose
LAER: Lowest Achievable
Emission Rate
LAI: Laboratory Audit
Inspection
LAMP: Lake Acidification
Mitigation Project
LAN: Local Area Network
LC: Lethal Concentration
LC: Liquid Chromatography
LCD: Local Climatological Data
LCL: Lower Control Limit
LCM: Life Cycle Management
LCRS: Leachate Collection and
Removal System
LD: Land Disposal
LD: Light Duty
LD LO: The lowest dosage
of a toxic substance that
kills test organisms.
LDC: London Dumping
Convention
LDCRS: Leachate Detection,
Collection, and Removal
System
LDD: Light-Duty Diesel
LDIP: Laboratory Data Integrity
Program
LDR: Land Disposal
Restrictions
LDRTF: Land Disposal
Restrictions Task Force
LDS: Leak Detection System
LOT: Lowest Dose Tested
LOT: Light-Duty Truck
LDV: Light-Duty Vehicle
LEA: Local Education Agency
LEL: Lowest Effect Level
LEL: Lower Explosive Limit
LEP: Laboratory Evaluation
Program
LEPC: Local Emergency
Planning Committee
LERC: Local Emergency
Response Committee
LFL: Lower Flammability Limit
LGR: Local Governments
Reimbursement Program
LIDAR: Light Detection and
Ranging
LIFO: Last In/First Out
LIMB: Limestone-Injection
Multi-Stage Burner
LLRW: Low Level Radioactive
Waste
LMFBR: Liquid Metal Fast
Breeder Reactor
LMR: Labor Management
Relations
LUIS: Label Use Information
System
M
MAPSIM: Mesoscale Air
Pollution Simulation
Model
MEP: Multiple Extraction
Procedure
MIC: Master Item Code (FMSD)
MOE: Margin Of Exposure
(PAD)
MP: Manufacturing-use
Product
MP: Melting Point
MRF: Materials Recovery
Facility
MRID: Master Record
Identification number
MRL: Maximum-Residue Limit
(Pesticide Tolerance)
MSW: Municipal Solid Waste
MUP: Manufacturing-Use
Product
MUTA: Mutagenicity
N
NAC: National Agency Check
(FMSD)
NACI: National Agency Check
and Inquiry (FMSD)
NFFE: National Federation of
Federal Employees
NFRAP: No Further Remedial
Action Planned
NICT: National Incident
Coordination Team
(FMSD)
NISAC: National Industrial
Security Advisory
Committee
NIST: National Institute of
Standards and Technology
NOA: Notice of Arrival
NOAC: Nature of Action Code
NPHAP: National Pesticide
Hazard Assessment
Program
NSA: National Security
Agency
NSC: National Security
Council
NSDWR: National Secondary
Drinking Water
Regulations
NSEC: National System for
Emergency Coordination
NSEP: National System for
Emergency Preparedness
NUL: National Urban League
OA: Office of
Administration/OARM
OASI: Old Age and Survivor
Insurance
OCD: Offshore and Coastal
Dispersion
OECD: Organization for
Economic Cooperation and
Development of the United
Nations/AA
OF: Optional Form
OLTS: On Line Tracking
System/RD
O&M: Operations and
Maintenance
OPFTE: Other than Permanent
Full-Time Employee
ORM: Other Regulated
Material
ORP: Oxidation-Reduction
Potential
OTPFTE: Other Than
Permanent
Full Time Employee
QUO: Official Use Only
PA1: Performance Audit
Inspection (CWA)
PAI: Pure Active Ingredient
-------
41
compound
PAM: Pesticide Analytical
Manual
PAT: Permit Assistance Team
(RCRA)
* PATS: Pesticide Action
Tracking System
PATS: Pesticides Analytical
Transport Solution
* PBA: Preliminary Benefit
Analysis (BEAD)
PC A: Principle Component
Analysis
PCM: Phase Contrast
Microscopy
PCN: Policy Criteria Notice
PCO: Pest Control Operator
PDCI: Product Data Call-in
PFCRA: Program Fraud Civil
Remedies Act
PFTE: Permanent Full Time
Equivalent
PGD: Policy and Grants
Division/OCM
PH: A measure of the acidity
or alkalinity of a liquid or
solid material.
PHC: Principal Hazardous
Constituent
PHS: Public Health Service
PHSA: Public Health Service
Act
PI: Preliminary Injunction
PI: Program Information
PIC: Products of Incomplete
Combustion
PIC: Public Information Center
PIGS: Pesticides in
Groundwater Strategy
PIMS: Pesticide Incident
Monitoring System
PIN: Pesticide Information
Network
PIN: Procurement Information
Notice
PIP: Public Involvement
Program
PIPQUIC Program
IntegrationProject Queries
Used in
Interactive Command
PIRG: Public Interest Research
Group
PIRT: Pretreatment
Implementation Review
Task Force
PITS: Project Information
Tracking System
PLIRRA: Pollution Liability
. Insurance and Risk
Retention Act
PLM: Polarized Light
Microscopy
„ PLUVUE: Plume Visibility
Model
PM: Particulate Matter
PM: Program Manager
PM10: Particulate Matter
(nominally 10m and less)
PM15: Particulate Matter
(nominally 15m and less)
PMEL: Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory
PMIP: Presidential
Management Intern
Program
PMIS: Personnel Management
Information System
PMN: Premanufacture
Notification
PMNF: Premanufacture
Notification Form
PMR: Pollutant Mass Rate
PMRS: Performance
Management and
Recognition System
PMS: Program Management
System
PMS: Personnel Management
Specialist
PNA: Polynuclear Aromatic
Hydrocarbons
PO: Project Officer
PO: Purchase Order
POC: Point Of Compliance
POC: Program Office Contacts
POE: Point Of Exposure
POGO: Privately-Owned/
Government-Operated
POHC: Principal Organic
Hazardous Constituent
POI: Point Of Interception
POLREP:Pollution Report
POM: Particulate Organic
Matter
POM: Polycyclic Organic
Matter
POR: Program of Requirements
POTW: Publicly Owned
Treatment Works
POV: Privately Owned Vehicle
PP; Pay Period
PP: Program Planning
PPA: Pesticide Producers
Association
PPA: Planned Program
Accomplishment
ppb: Parts Per Billion
PPIC: Pesticide Programs
Information Center
PPIS: Pesticide Product
Information System
PPM/ PPB: Parts per
million/parts per billion
PPMAP: Power Planning
Modeling Application
Procedure
PPSP: Power Plant Siting
Program
PPT: Permanent Part Time
ppt: Parts Per Trillion
ppth: Parts Per Thousand
PQUA: Preliminary
Quantitative Usage
Analysis
PR: Preliminary Review
PR: Procurement Request
PR A: Paperwork Reduction Act
PRA: Planned Regulatory
Action
PRATS: Pesticides Regulatory
Action Tracking System
PRC: Planning Research
Corporation
PRI: Periodic Reinvestigation
PRM: Prevention Reference
Manuals
PRN: Pesticide Registration
Notice
PRP: Potentially Responsible
Party
PRZM: Pesticide Root Zone
Model
PS: Point Source
PSAM: Point Source Ambient
Monitoring
PSC: Program Site
Coordinator
PSD: Prevention of Significant
Deterioration
PSE: Program Subelement
PSES: Pretreatment Standards
for Existing Sources
PSI: Pollutant Standards Index
PSI: Pounds Per Square Inch
PSI: Pressure Per Square Inch
PSIG: Pressure Per Square Inch
Gauge
PSM: Point Source Monitoring
PSNS: Pretreatment Standards
for New Sources
PSP: Payroll Savings Plan
PSU: Primary Sampling Unit
PT: Part Time
PTDIS: Single Stack
Meteorological Model in
EPA UNAMAP Series
PTE: Potential to Emit
PTFE: Polytetrafluoroethylene
(Teflon)
PTMAX: Single Stack
Meteorlogical Model in
EPA UNAMAP series
PTPLU: Point Source Gaussian
Diffusion Model
PUC: Public Utility
Commission
PV: Project Verification
PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride
PWS: Public Water Supply
PWS: Public Water System
PWSS: Public Water Supply
System
PY: Prior Year
QA: Quality Assurance
QAC: Quality Assurance
Coordinator
QA/QC: Quality
Assistance/Quality Control
QAMIS: Quality Assurance
Management and
Information System
QAO: Quality Assurance
Officer
QAPP: Quality Assurance
Program (or Project) Plan
QAT: Quality Action Team
QBTU: Quadrillion British
Thermal Units
QC: Quality Control
QCA: Quiet Communities Act
QCI: Quality Control Index
QCP: Quiet Community
Program
QNCR: Quarterly
Noncompliance Report
QSI: Quality Step Increase
QUA: Qualitative Use
Assessment
QUIPE: Quarterly Update for
Inspector in Pesticide
Enforcement
RA: Reasonable Alternative
RA: Regional Administrator
RA: Regulatory Alternatives
RA: Regulatory Analysis
RA: Remedial Action
RA: Resource Allocation
RA: Risk Analysis
RA: Risk Assessment
RAATS: RCRA Administratve
Action Tracking System
RAC: Radiation Advisory
Committee
RAC: Regional Asbestos
Coordinator
RAC: Response Action
Coordinator
RACM: Reasonably Available
Control Measures
RACT: Reasonably Available
Control Technology
RAD: Radiation Adsorbed Dose
(unit of measurement of
radiation absorbed by
humans)
RADM: Random Walk
Advection and Dispersion
Model
RADM: Regional Acid
Deposition Model
RAM: Urban Air Quality Model
for Point and Area Source
in EPA UNAMAP Series
RAMP: Rural Abandoned Mine
Program
RAMS: Regional Air
Monitoring System
RAP: Radon Action Program
RAP: Reregistration Assessment
Panel
RAP: Remedial
Accomplishment Plan
RAP: Response Action Plan
RAPS: Regional Air Pollution
Study
RARG: Regulatory Analysis
Review Group
RAS: Routine Analytical Servia
RAT: Relative Accuracy Test
RB: Request for Bid
RB: Red Border
RBC: Red Blood Cells
RC: Regional Counsel
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42
RC: Responsibility Center
RCC: Radiation Coordinating
Council
RCDO: Regional Case
Development Officer
RCP: Research Centers Program
RCRA: Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act
RCRIS: Resource Conservation
and Recovery Information
System
RD/RA: Remedial
Design/Remedial Action
(Superfund)
R&D: Research and
Development
RD&D: Research, Development
and Demonstration
RDF: Refuse-Derived Fuel
rDNA: Recombinant DNA
RDU: Regional Decision Units
RDV: Reference Dose Values
RE: Reasonable Efforts
RE: Reportable Event
REAP: Regional Enforcement
Activities Plan
REE: Rare Earth Elements
REEP: Review of
Environmental Effects of
Pollutants
REF: Reference
REM (Roentgen Equivalent
Man)
REM/FIT: Remedial/Field
Investigation Team
REMS: RCRA Enforcement
Management System
REP: Reasonable Efforts
Program
REPS: Regional Emissions
Projection System
RESOLVE: Center for
Environmental Conflict
Resolution
RF: Radio Frequency
RF: Response Factor
RFA: Regulatory Flexibility Act
RFB: Request for Bid
RFD: Reference Dose Values
RFI: Remedial Field
Investigation
RFP: Reasonable Further
Programs
RFP: Request for Proposal
(Contracts)
RHRS: Revised Hazard
Ranking System
RI: Reconnaissance Inspection
RI: Remedial Investigation
RIA: Regulatory Impact
Analysis
RIA: Regulatory Impact
Assessment
RIC: Radon Information Center
RIC: RTF Information Center
RICC: Retirement Information
and Counseling Center
RICO: Racketeer Influenced and
Corrupt Organizations Act
RI/FS: Remedial
Information/ Feasibility
Study
RIM: Regulatory Interpretation
Memorandum
RIN: Regulatory Identifier
Number
RIP: RCRA Implementation
Plan
RISC: Regulatory Information
Service Center (OMB)
RJE: Remote Job Entry
RLL: Rapid and Large Leakage
(Rate)
RMCL: Recommended
Maximum Contaminant
Level (this phrase being
discontinued in favor of
MCLG)
RMDHS: Regional Model Data
Handling System
RMIS: Resources Management
Information System
RMO: Records Management
Officer
RMP: Revolutions Per Minute
RNA: Ribonucleic Acid
RO: Regional Office
ROADCHEM: Roadway
Version that Includes
Chemical Reactions of
BI, NO2, and O3
ROADWAY: A Model to
Predict Pollutant
Concentrations Near a
Roadway
ROC: Record Of
Communication
RODS: Records Of Decision
System
ROG: Reactive Organic Gases
ROLLBACK: A Proportional
Reduction Model
ROM: Regional Oxidant Model
ROMCOE: Rocky Mountain
Center on Environment
ROP: Regional Oversight Policy
ROPA: Record Of Procurement
Action
RP: Radon Progeny Integrated
Sampling
RP: Respirable Particulates
RP: Responsible Party
RPAR: Rebuttable Presumption
Against Registration
RPM: Reactive Plume Model
RPM: Remedial Project
Manager
RPM: Revolutions Per Minute
RPO: Regional Planning Officer
RPO: Regional Program Officer
RQ: Reportable Quantities
RRC: Regional Response Center
RRT: Regional Response Team
RRT: Requisite Remedial
Technology
RS: Registration Standard
RSCC: Regional Sample Control
Center
RSD: Risk-Specific Dose
RSE: Removal Site Evaluation
RSKERL: Robert S. Kerr
Environmental Research
Laboratory
RT: Regional Total
RTCM: Reasonable
Transportation Control
Measure
RTD: Return to Duty
RTDM: Rough Terrain
Diffusion Model
RTECS: Registry of Toxic
Effects of Chemical
Substances
RTM: Regional Transport
Model
RTF: Research Triangle Park
RUP: Restricted Use Pesticide
RVP: Reid Vapor Pressure
RWC: Residential Wood
Combustion
SA: Special Assistant
SA: Sunshine Act
S&A: Sampling and Analysis
S&A: Surveillance and Analysis
SAB: Science Advisory Board
SAC: Secretarial Advisory
Board
SAC: Suspended and Cancelled
Pesticides
SADAA: Science Assistant to
the Deputy Administrator
SAEWG: Standing Air
Emissions Work Group
SAIC: Special-Agents-In-Charge
SAIP: Systems Acquisition and
Implementation Program
SAMWG: Standing Air
Monitoring Work Group
SANE: Sulfur and Nitrogen
Emissions
SANSS: Structure and
Nomenclature Search
System
SAP: Scientific Advisory Panel
SAR: Start Action Request
SAR: Structural Activity
Relationship (of a
qualitative assessment)
SARA: Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act of
1986
SAROAD: Storage and
Retrieval Of Aerometric
Data
SAS: Special Analytical Service
SAS: Statistical Analysis System
SASS: Source Assessment
Sampling System
SBA: Small Business Act
SBA: Small Business
Administration
SBI: Special Background
Investigation (FMSD)
SBO: Small Business
Ombudsman
SC: Sierra Club
SC: Steering Committee
SCAC: Support Careers
Advisory Committee
SCAP: Superfund Consolidated
Accomplishments Plan
SCBA: Self-Contained Breathing
Apparatus
SCC: Source Classification Code
SCFM: Standard Cubic Feet Per
Minute
SCLDF: Sierra Club Legal
Defense Fund
SCORPIO: Subject Content-
Oriented Retriever for
Processing Information
On-Line
SCR: Selective Catalytic
Reduction
SCRAM; State Consolidated
RCRA Authorization
Manual
SCRC: Superfund Community
Relations Coordinator
SCS: Soil Conservation Service
SCS: Supplementary Control
Strategy
SCS: Supplementary Control
System
SCSA: Soil Conservation Society
of America
SCSP: Storm and Combined
Sewer Program
SCW: Supercritical Water
Oxidation
SD: Standard Deviation
S&D: Suspension and
Debarment
SDBE: Small Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise
SDC: Systems Decision Plan
SDWA: Safe Drinking Water
Act
S&E: Salaries and Expensses
SEA: State Enforcement
Agreement
SEA: State/EPA Agreement
SEAM: Surface, Environment,
and Mining
SEAS: Strategic Environmental
Assessment System
SEE: Senior Environmental
Employee
SEIA: Socioeconomic Impact
Analysis
SEM: Scanning Electronic
Microscope
SEM: Standard Error of the
Means
SEP: Standard Evaluation
Procedures
SEPWC: Senate Environment
and Public Works
Committee
SERC: State Emergency
Planning Commission
SES: Secondary Emissions
Standard
SES: Senior Executive Service
SES: Socioeconomic Status
SETS: Site Enforcement
Tracking System
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SF: Standard Form
SF: Superfund
SFA: Spectral Flame Analyzers
SFDS: Sanitary Facility Data
t System
SFFAS: Superfund Financial
Assessment Systerm
SFIREG: State FIFRA Issues
» Research and Evaluation
Group
SFS: State Funding Study
SHORTZ: Short Term Terrain
Model
SHWL: Seasonal High Water
Level
SI: International System of
Units
SI: Site Inspection
SI: Surveillance Index
SI: Spark Ignition
SIC: Standard Industrial
Classification
SICEA: Steel Industry
Compliance Extension Act
SIMS: Secondary Ion-Mass
Spectometry
SIP: State Implementation Plan
SIS: Stay In School
SITE: Superfund Innovative
Technology Evaluation
SL: Sick Leave
SLAMS: State/Local Air
Monitoring Station
SLSM: Simple Line Source
Model
SMART: Simple Maintainance
of ARTS
SMCRA: Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation
Act
SME: Subject Matter Expert
SMO: Sample Management
Office
SMOA: Superfund
Memorandum of Agre-
ement
SMSA: Standard Metropolitan
Statistical Area
SNA: System Network
Architecture
SNAAQS: Secondary National
Ambient Air Quality
Standards
SNAP: Significant
Noncompliance Action
Program
SNARL: Suggested No Adverse
Response Level
SNC: Signficant Noncompliers
T SNUR: Significant New Use
Rule
SOC: Synthetic Organic
Chemicals
* SOCMI: Synthetic Organic
Chemicals Manufacturing
Industry
SOP: Standard Operating
Procedure
SOTDAT: Source Test Data
SOW: Scope Of Work
SPAR: Status of Permit
Application Report
SPCC: Spill Prevention,
Containment, and
Countermeasure
SPE: Secondary Particulate
Emissions
SPECS: Specifications
SPF: Structured Programming
Facility
SPI: Strategic Planning
Initiative
SPLMD: Soil-pore Liquid
Monitoring Device
SPMS: Special Purpose
Monitoring Stations
SPMS: Strategic Planning and
Management System
SPOC: Single Point Of Contact
SPS: State Permit System
SPSS: Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences
SPUR: Software Package for
Unique Reports
SQBE: Small Quantity Burner
Exemption
SQG: Small Quantity Generator
SRAP: Superfund Remedial
Accomplishment Plan
SRC: Solvent-Refined Coal
SRM: Standard Reference
Method
SRP: Special Review Procedure
SRR: Second Round Review
SRR: Submission Review
Record
SRTS: Service Request Tracking
System
SS: Settleable Solids
SS: Superfund Surcharge
SS: Suspended Solids
SSA: Sole Source Aquifer
SSAC: Soil Site Assimulated
Capacity
SSC: State Superfund Contracts
SSD: Standards Support
Document
SSEIS: Standard Support and
Environmental Impact
Statement
SSEIS: Stationary Source
Emissions and Inventory
System
SSI: Size Selective Inlet
SSMS: Spark Source Mass
Spectrometry
SSN: Social Security Number
SSO: Source Selection Official
SST: Supersonic Transport
SSTS: Section Seven Tracking
System
SSURO: Stop Sale, Use and
Removal Order
STAPPA; State and Territorial
Air Pollution
STALAPCO:State and Local Air
Pollution Control Officials
STAR: Stability Wind Rose
STAR: State Acid Rain Projects
S/TCAC: Scientific/Technical
Careers Advisory
Committee
STEL: Short Term Exposure
Limit
STEM: Scanning Transmission-
Electron Microscope
STN: Scientific and Technical
Information Network
STORET: Storage and Retrieval
of Water-Related Data
STP: Sewage Treatment Plant
STP: Standard Temperature and
Pressure
SUP: Standard Unit of
Processing
SURE: Sulfate Regional
Experiment Program
SV: Sampling Visit
SW: Slow Wave
SWC: Settlement With
Conditions
SWDA: Solid Waste Disposal
Act
SWIE: Southern Waste
Information Exchange
SWMU: Solid Waste
Management Unit
SWTR: Surface Water
Treatment Rule
SYSOP: Systems Operator
TA: Travel Authorization
T&A: Time and Attendance
TAG: Technical Assistance
Grant
TALMS: Tunable Atomic Line
Molecular Spectroscopy
TAMS: Toxic Air Monitoring
System
TAMTAC: Toxic Air
Monitoring System
Advisory Committee
TAP: Technical Asssistance
Program
TAPDS: Toxic Air Pollutant
Data System
TAPP: Time and Attendance,
Payroll, and Personnel
TAS: Tolerance Assessment
System
TBT Paints (Trybutilin): (See:
organotins.)
TBT: Tributylrin
TC: Target Concentration
TC: Technical Center
TC: Toxicity Characteristics
TC: Toxic Concentration:
TCDD: Dioxin
(Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-
dioxin)
TCDF: Tetrachlorodi-
benzofurans
TCE: Trichloroethylene
TCLP: Total Concentrate
Leachate Procedure
TCLP: Toxicity Characteristic •
Leachate Procedure
TCM: Transportation Control
Measure
TCP: Transportation Control
Plan
TCP: Trichloroethylene
TCP: Trichloropropane
TCRI: Toxic Chemical Release
Inventory
TD: Toxic Dose
TDS: Total Dissolved Solids
TDY: Temporary Duty
TEAM: Total Exposure
Assessment Model
TEC: Technical Evaluation
Committee
TEG: Tetraethylene Glycol
TEGD: Technical Enforcement
Guidance Document
TEM: Texas Episodic Model
TEP: Typical End-use Product
TEP: Technical Evaluation
Panel
TERA: TSCA Environmental
Release Application
TES: Technical Enforcement
Support
TEXIN: Texas Intersection Air
Quality Model
TFT: Temporary Full Time
TFTE: Temporary Full Time
Equivalent
TGO: Total Gross Output
TGAI: Technical Grade of the
Active Ingredient
TGP: Technical Grade Product
THC: Total Hydrocarbons
THM: Trihalomethane
TI: Temporary Intermittent
TI: Therapeutic Index
TIBL: Thermal Internal
Boundary Layer
TIC: Technical Information
Coordinator
TIC: Tenatively Identified
Compounds
TIM: Technical Information
Manager
TIP: Transportation
Improvement Program
TIS: Tolerance Index System
TISE: Take It Somewhere Else
TITC: Toxic Substance Control
Act Interagency Testing
Committee
TLV: Threshold Limit Value
TLV-C: TLV-Ceiling
TLV-STEL: TLV-Short Term
Exposure Limit
TLV-TWA: TLV-Time Weighfe
Average
TMI: Three Mile Island
TMRC: Theoretical Maximum
Residue Contribution
TNT: Trinitrotoluene
TO: Task Order
TO: Travel Order
TOA: Trace Organic Analysis
TOO Total Organic Carbon
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44
TOC: Total Organic Compound
TOT: Time-of-Travel
TOX: Tetradichloroxylene
TP: Technical Product
TPC: Testing Priorities
Committee
TPI: Technical Proposal
Instructions
TPQ: Threshold Planning
Quantity
TPSIS: Transportation Planning
Support Information
System
TPTH: Triphenyltinhydroxide
TPY: Tons Per Year
TQM: Total Quality
Management
T-R: Transformer-Rectifier
TRC: Technical Review
Committee
TRD: Technical Review
Document
TRI: Toxic Release Inventory
TRIP: Toxic Release Inventory
Program
TRIS: Toxic Chemical Release
Inventory System
TRLN: Triangle Research
Library Network
TRO: Temporary Restraining
Order
TSA: Technical Systems Audit
TSCA: Toxic Substances Control
Act
TSCATS: TSCA Test
Submissions Database
TSCC: Toxic Substances
Coordinating Committee
TSD: Technical Support
Document
TSDF: Treatment, Storage, and
Disposal Facility
TSDG: Toxic Substances
Dialogue Group
TSI: Thermal System Insulation
TSM: Transportation System
Management
TSO: Time Sharing Option
TSP: Teleprocessing Services
Program
TSP: Thrift Savings Plan
TSP: Total Suspended
Particulates
TSS: Terminal Security System
TSS: Total Suspended (non-
filterable) Solids
TTFA: Target Transformation
Factor Analysis
TTHM: Total Trihalomethane
TTO: Total Toxic Organics
TTY: Teletypewriter
TVA: Tennessee Valley
Authority
TWA: Time Weighted Average
TZ: Treatment Zone
u
UAC: User Advisory
Committee
UAM: Urban Airshed Model
UAO: Unilateral Administrative
Order
UAPSP: Utility Acid
Precipitation Study
Program
UAQI: Uniform Air Quality
Index
UARG: Utility Air Regulatory
Group
UCC: Ultra Clean Coal
UCL: Upper Control Limit
UDMH: Unsymmetrical
Dimethyl Hydrazine
UEL: Upper Explosive Limit
UFL: Upper Flammability Limit
UIC: Underground Injection
Control
ULP: Unfair Labor Practices
UMTA: Urban Mass
Transportation
Administration
UMTRCA: Uranium Mill
Tailings Radiation Control
Act
UN: United Nations
UNAMAP: Users' Newtork for
Applied Modeling of Air
Pollution
UNEP: United Nations
Environment Program
UNESCO: United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
UNIDO: United Nations
Industrial Development
Organization
USAO: United States Attorney's
Office
USBM: United States Bureau of
Mines
USC: Unified Soil Classification
USC: United States Code
USCA: United States Code
Annotated
USDA: United States
Department of Agriculture
USDOI: United States
Department Of the Interior
USDW: Underground Sources
of Drinking Water
USEPA: United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
USFS: United States Forest
Service
USGS: United States Geological
Survey
USIA: U.S. Information Agency
USP: U.S. Pharmacopaeia
USPHS: United States Public
Health Service
USPS: United States Postal
Service
UST: Underground Storage
Tank
UTM: Universal Transverse
Mercator
UTP: Urban Transportation
Planning
UV: Ultraviolet
UZM: Unsaturated Zone
Monitoring
VA: Veterans Administration
VALLEY: Meteorological Model
to Calculate Concentrations
on Elevated Terrain
VCM: Vinyl Chloride Monomer
VE: Visual Emissions
VEO: Visible Emission
Observation
VHS: Vertical and Horizontal
Spread Model
VHT: Vehicle-Hours of Travel
VISTTA: Visibility Impairment
from Sulfur Transform-
ation and Transport in the
Atmosphere
VKT: Vehicle Kilometers
Traveled
VMT: Vehicle Miles Traveled
VOC: Volatile Organic
Compounds
VOS: Vehicle Operating Survey
VOST: Volatile Organic
Sampling Train
VP: Vapor Pressure
VSD: Virtually Safe Dose
VSI: Visual. Site Inspection
VSS: Volatile Suspended Solids
w
WA: Work Assignment
WADTF: Western Atmospheric
Deposition Task Force
WAP: Waste Analysis Plan
WB: Wet Bulb
WB: World Bank
WBC: White Blood Cells
WBE: Womens Business
Enterprise
WCED: World Commission on
Environment and
Development
WDROP: Distribution Register
of Organic Pollutants in
Water
WENDB: Water Enforcement
National Data Base
WERL: Water Engineering
Research Laboratory
WG: Wage Grade
WG: Work Group
WGI: Within Grade Increase
WHO: World Health
Organization
WHWT: Water and Hazardous
Waste Team
WIC: Washington Information
Center
WICEM: World Industry
Conference on
' Environmental
Management
WISE: Women In Science and
Engineering
WL: Warning Letter
WL: Working Level (radon
measurement)
WLA/TMDL: Wasteload
Allocation/ Total
Maximum Daily Load
WLM: Working Level Months
WMO: World Meteorological
Organization
WPCF: Water Pollution Control
Federation
WQS: Water Quality Standard
WRC: Water Resources Council
WRDA: Water Resources
Development Act
WRI: World Resources Institute
WS: Work Status
WSF: Water Soluble Fraction
WSRA: Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act
WSTB: Water Sciences and
Technology Board
WSTP: Wastewater Sewage
Treatment Plant
WWEMA: Waste and
Wastewater Equipment
Manufacturers
Association
WWF: World Wildlife Fund
WWTP: Wastewater Treatment
Plant
WWTU: Wastewater Treatment
Unit
YTD: Year to Date
ZBB: Zero Base Budgeting
ZHE: Zero Headspace Extractor
ZOI: Zone Of Incorporation
ZRL: Zero Risk Level
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