Glossary of pollution terms meaning and definition

The following texts are the property of their respective authors and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to share for free to students, teachers and users of the Web their texts will used only for illustrative educational and scientific purposes only.

All the information in our site are given for nonprofit educational purposes

The information of medicine and health contained in the site are of a general nature and purpose which is purely informative and for this reason may not replace in any case, the council of a doctor or a qualified entity legally to the profession.

Glossary of pollution terms meaning and definition

Term		Definition
Acoustic fatigue	meaning and definition	Stress cracking of a material caused by repetitive vibrations induced by sound.
Acute	meaning and definition	Symptoms or effects are short term or appear rapidly.
Acute	meaning and definition	e.g. oil spills
Bioaccumulation	meaning and definition	The increase in concentration of a substance in living tissue. The absorption and storage of pollutants in the tissues of organisms. e.g. heavy metals, chlorinated organic compounds (e.g. DDT, PCBs, dioxins)
Biodegradability	meaning and definition	The ease with which a material is broken down by living organisms, usually bacteria. E.g. paper, apple cores, relatively quickly biodegrade.
Biodegradation	meaning and definition	The process of breakdown of a material by living organisms, usually bacteria.
biological or biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)	meaning and definition	Is recorded as the number of mg of dissolved oxygen consumed in one litre of water at 20oC in five days in the dark. It is measured using a calibrated electronic oxygen meter.
Biomagnification	meaning and definition	The increase in concentration as a pollutant passes along a food chain. e.g. heavy metals, chlorinated organic compounds
Biotic Indicator species	meaning and definition	The presence/absence and state of development of different species can be used to monitor acid rain pollution and estimate the mean concentration of sulfur dioxide. The use of lichens to monitor sulfur dioxide concentrations.
Carcinogen	meaning and definition	A substance that can cause cancer. Carcinogenic action – mutagenic action which causes cells to become cancerous. e.g. many metals, ionising radiation, asbestos
Catalytic converter	meaning and definition	A device fitted to vehicle exhausts to remove pollutants such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitration and unburnt hydrocarbons.
Chemical reactivity	meaning and definition	• Highly reactive substances are likely to be biologically damaging. E.g. tropospheric ozone, acids. They also tend to be less persistent.
Chemical reactivity	meaning and definition	• Secondary pollutants are produced by chemical reactions involving primary pollutants. e.g. PANs in photochemical smogs
Chronic	meaning and definition	Symptoms or effects are long lasting or appear gradually. e.g. bioaccumulation of small doses of lead
Clean Air Act 1956	meaning and definition	UK legislation to control smoke pollution.
Critical group monitoring	meaning and definition	A method of monitoring radioactive discharges. If the members of the public that are most at risk are safe, then so is everyone else.
Critical pathway analysis	meaning and definition	CPA the prediction of the routes that an effluent will take in the environment, to assess pollution risk. Used to predict the movement of pollutants and to plan monitoring programmes. E.g. the movement of radioactive materials released from a nuclear power station or waste processing site.
Cyclone separator	meaning and definition	Type of equipment used to remove suspended particles in gaseous effluents.
dB(A)	meaning and definition	The decibel scale, modified to weight the frequencies to which the human ear is most sensitive.
decibel	meaning and definition	The unit of sound used to monitor noise pollution.
Density	meaning and definition	e.g. dense ash, smoke or suspended solids in water settle close to the source
Degradation	meaning and definition	The breakdown of a material also the process of chemical breakdown.
Deoxygenation	meaning and definition	The process of oxygen removal.
Diffuse source	meaning and definition	Effluent emissions that come from many sources with combined impacts.
Diffuse source	meaning and definition	E.g. vehicle exhausts agricultural pesticides.
Direct effects	meaning and definition	The pollutant causes harm by contact with or ingestion by living organisms.
Direct effects	meaning and definition	E.g. toxic pesticides; acid rain damaging roots and leaves; oil smothering shore life.
electrostatic	meaning and definition	Type of equipment used to remove suspended particles in gaseous effluents.
Precipitator	meaning and definition
Encapsulation	meaning and definition	Sealing waste in a solid material such as glass, cement or plastic to prevent its escape.
energy conservation	meaning and definition	Any activity that reduces energy use will produce a proportional reduction in pollutant emissions.
Enzyme inhibitor	meaning and definition	A material that prevents an enzyme from functioning, usually by blocking the active site or changing its shape.
Eutrophic	meaning and definition	A water body with a high nutrient level.
Fuel substitution	meaning and definition	E.g. natural gas releases less smoke and carbon dioxide than coal per unit of energy released.
Flue gas desulphurisation FGD	meaning and definition	Processes that remove oxides of sulfur from gaseous effluents FGD. In wet FGD; SOx are dissolved in a wet scrubber spray. Dry FGD: SOx are reacted with calcium carbonate (crushed limestone) to produce calcium sulfate. Some processes produce sulfur, sulfuric acid or gypsum (calcium sulfate) which can be used as raw materials in the chemical industry.
Geneva Convention	meaning and definition	UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Pollution (1979) an agreement to control acid rain and other atmospheric pollutants.
Incineration	meaning and definition	the breakdown of a waste by burning it
Indirect effects	meaning and definition	The pollutant does not harm the organism directly but causes harmful environmental changes. E.g. ozone depletion; global climate change; deoxygenation by organic matter; leaching of plant nutrients and mobilisation of toxic ions by acid drainage water.
Inorganic nutrients	meaning and definition	plant nutrients such as compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus such as nitrates and phosphates
Inverse square law	meaning and definition	The mathematical relationship where increasing the distance from the source reduces exposure to 1/ distance squared.
Kyoto Protocol	meaning and definition	(1997) - an agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
L1018h	meaning and definition	Measure of noise pollution used to monitor road traffic noise.
Landfill tax	meaning and definition	A tax to discourage the disposal of waste in landfill sites.
Lapse rate diagram	meaning and definition	A graph to show how temperature changes with altitude; often used to show temperature inversions.
Liposolubility	meaning and definition	A measure of how easily a substance dissolves in fats and oils.
Mediterranean Action Plan	meaning and definition	(1975) - an agreement to protect the Mediterranean Sea, including the control of oil pollution and waste dumping.
Mobility	meaning and definition	A measure of the ease of movement of a material, the degree to which the pollutant is carried by wind, water or organisms. e.g. smoke, acid rain, CFC, PCBs
Montreal Protocol	meaning and definition	(1987) - an agreement to reduce emissions of ozone depleting substances.
Mutagen	meaning and definition	A material that can cause changes in DNA structure. Mutagenic action – the alteration of the structure of DNA e.g. many metals, ionising radiation, asbestos.
Noise and number index	meaning and definition	(NNI) a measure of noise pollution used to monitor aircraft noise pollution around airports.
Oligotrophic	meaning and definition	A water body with a low nutrient level.
Organic nutrients	meaning and definition	high-energy nutrients, such as carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from plant or animal material
Organochlorines	meaning and definition	synthetic organic substances that include chlorine, such as the pesticide DDT.
Organophosphates	meaning and definition	Insecticide pesticides, e. g. malathion and parathion
PANs	meaning and definition	peroxy-acetyl-nitrates, which cause photochemical smogs, are produced by the interaction of oxides of nitrogen, ozone and unburnt hydrocarbons.
PANs	meaning and definition
Pathways	meaning and definition	The route taken by a pollutant from source to sink
Persistence	meaning and definition	A measure of the rate at which a material breaks down and therefore the length of time it remains in the environment. A measure of length of time before the material breaks down.
Persistence	meaning and definition	E.g. pesticides, CFCs, dioxins are persistent.
pH	meaning and definition	a measure of acidity
Photochemical smog	meaning and definition	An atmospheric pollution event where pollutants from vehicles interact under sunny conditions when there is a temperature inversion. NOx, waste hydrocarbons and tropospheric ozone react in the presence of sunlight to produce PANs (peroxy acetyl nitrates). Dispersal is reduced and concentrations are greatest when there is a temperature inversion.
Point sources	meaning and definition	effluent emissions that come from a small number of sources that are usually easily identifiable
Point sources	meaning and definition	e.g. tanker oil spill, power station, sewage outfall
Pollution	meaning and definition	Pollution is energy or matter released into the environment with the potential to cause adverse changes to an ecosystem. They are usually released by human activities but natural events can produce similar effects.
Primary pollutant:	meaning and definition	A pollutant released by human activities.
Pyrethroids	meaning and definition	Insecticide pesticides, originally extracted from chrysanthemum flowers.
Resonant frequency	meaning and definition	The frequency at which an object naturally vibrates.
risk: benefit analysis	meaning and definition	A risk: benefit analysis ensures the benefits outweigh the risks. All human activities involve some risks e.g. use of radioactive materials. If their use results in a benefit then the risks should be assessed and managed to minimise them. If the overall benefit outweighs the risks and better alternatives are not available then their use may be justified.
risk: benefit analysis	meaning and definition
Scrubber	meaning and definition	Type of equipment used to remove suspended particles in gaseous effluents.
Secondary pollutant	meaning and definition	A pollutant produced by chemical reactions involving primary pollutants.
Sewage Treatment	meaning and definition	· Primary sewage treatment: the removal of organic solids from the fluids during sewage treatment.
		· Secondary sewage treatment: the breakdown of the remaining organic matter in the fluids after primary treatment.
		· Tertiary sewage treatment: the final processes in sewage fluid treatment, e.g. phosphate removal.
Sink	meaning and definition	Destination of a pollutant
Smog	meaning and definition	There are two forms of smog
		1. Smoke smogs- If smoke (SPMs) and fog are present at the same time then’smog’ will form.
		2. Photochemical smogs-The word 'smog' is misused here as photochemical smogs do not involve smoke or fog. The similarity is that they also involve temperature inversions.
Smoke Control Order	meaning and definition	A restriction in large urban areas that reduces smoke emissions.
Smokeless Zone	meaning and definition	the part of an urban area in which a Smoke Control Order restricts smoke emissions
Solubility	meaning and definition	the ease with which the molecules of a material separate and disperse into a liquid in water/lipids
		• Water soluble pollutants are often mobile in the hydrosphere. e.g. nitrates
		• Liposoluble pollutants are more likely to bioaccumulate. E.g. DDT, PCBs, heavy metals.
Source	meaning and definition	Where the pollutant is released from- point or diffuse
Specificity	meaning and definition	A measure of the differing toxicities of a substance on different organisms. A specific substance is very toxic to some organisms and much less toxic to other
State	meaning and definition	e.g. gases: carbon dioxide, CFCs, SO2
		liquids: hot water, oil
		solids: smoke particles, suspended solids in water, solid domestic waste
		The state of matter affects dispersal in the environment
Synergism	meaning and definition	The process where the presence of two materials produces a greater effect than the sum of their individual effects e.g. cadmium and zinc. Synergistic action – the interaction of pollutants to create a greater impact than the sum of their individual impacts. e.g. SO2 and NOx
Systemic pesticide	meaning and definition	A pesticide that is absorbed and transported around a plant in the sap.
Temperature inversion	meaning and definition	A situation in the troposphere where the temperature is lower than normal so that warm air lies above cold air. Pollutant gases in this layer are cooled, become more dense, less buoyant and disperse less. Temperature inversions are most likely:
		• when there is little or no wind;
		• when night skies are cloudless;
		• mist or fog reflects sunlight;
		• Valley topography allows cold air to collect.
Teratogen	meaning and definition	A substance that interferes with gene function in a growing embryo so that a non-inherited birth abnormality is produced. Teratogenic action – the interruption of DNA function so that the genes of an unborn embryo cannot
Teratogen	meaning and definition	Cause normal growth and development. Birth abnormalities may be produced (which are not inherited by future generations). e.g. dioxins, mercury
topography	meaning and definition	Relief or shape of the land (Temperature inversions are likely if valley topography allows cold air to collect - basins)
Toxicity	meaning and definition	A measure of how poisonous a substance is, usually caused by enzyme inhibition. e.g. heavy metals, pesticides
Traffic noise index	meaning and definition	(TNI) a measure of noise pollution used to monitor road traffic noise.
Tropospheric ozone	meaning and definition	Produced by the photochemical breakdown of primary pollutants (NOx, CO, hydrocarbons) and their interaction with oxygen.
UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Pollution	meaning and definition	(1979) (The Geneva Convention) – an agreement to control acid rain and other atmospheric pollutants.
Urea spray	meaning and definition	a method of reducing NOx emission
Vitrification	meaning and definition	the process of encapsulating high level radioactive waste in solid glass

Source : http://www.sln.org.uk/Geography/Documents/Glossaries/Glossary%20for%20Pollution.doc

Web site link: http://www.sln.org.uk/

Google key word : Glossary of pollution terms meaning and definition file type : doc

Author : not indicated on the source document of the above text

If you are the author of the text above and you not agree to share your knowledge for teaching, research, scholarship (for fair use as indicated in the United States copyrigh low) please send us an e-mail and we will remove your text quickly.