SAE
SAE Spotlight Air Environmental
Glossary
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Bioaccumulative: The accumulation over time of a substance in a living organism, particularly a contaminant such as a pesticide or heavy metal.
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BTEX: An acronym for four toxic volatile organic compounds--benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene--that are usually found together in petroleum and petroleum products.
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Criteria Pollutants: A list of the six most common harmful air pollutants established by EPA, which include: carbon monoxide, lead, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
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Cumulative Effects: With respect to the environment, changes caused by incremental and combined impact of past, present and future human and natural activities.
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HAPs (hazardous air pollutants): Pollutants that are known or suspected carcinogens or can cause a range of other adverse health or environmental effects.
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Micrometer/Micron: One millionth of a meter; often used in reference to particulate matter.
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PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons): A class of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. They also are created when these major sources are heated or burned (e.g., in asphalt and coal tar production). Other materials such as wood, garbage and tobacco produce PAHs as well. Large exposure of the chemicals have been linked to different cancers.
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Particulate Matter (PM): A mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, and that are from sizes that can be seen with the naked eye to sizes that are microscopic.
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PM10 & PM 2.5: Inhalable particles with diameters that are generally 10 and 2.5 micrometers and smaller, and that can get deep into the lungs. Some can also get into the bloodstream.t and edit me. It's easy.
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PFAS: Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a group of manmade chemicals that do not break down in the environment, nor in the human body. They can be found in some foods, drinking water, household products, etc., and are known to cause a wide range of adverse human health effects. They are often referred to as the forever chemicals.
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Pretreatment: Treatment of wastewater by commercial and industrial facilities to remove certain pollutants before discharging to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW). The objective is to prevent explosions, damage to collection pipes, pass-throughs to surface water, injury to workers, etc.
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PEL (Permissible Exposure Limits): It's the exposure levels set by OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) that indicate the highest level of a hazardous pollutant/ substance that an employee can be exposed to without incurring the risk of adverse health effects.
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RL (Reporting Limits): Often found on lab reports, these are the lowest concentration of a pollutant/chemical that can be measured by a laboratory.
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Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): A colorless pungent toxic gas formed when sulfur-containing fuel is burned. The pollutant is emitted chiefly by coal-fired power plants, and poses serious health risks such as cardiovascular and lung diseases.
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Synergistic: Relates to the interaction of or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
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TRI facilities: Toxic release inventory facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use in certain quantities any of the hundreds of toxic chemicals that, as determined by EPA, may pose a threat to human health and the environment.