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EPA - Environmental Terms Glossary Category: Earth and Environment Date & country: 13/09/2007, USA Words: 1829

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 medical research; waste from patients with communicable diseases; and all used sharp implements,…

Relative Ecological Sustainability
Ability of an ecosystem to maintain relative ecological integrity indefinitely.

Relative Permeability
The permeability of a rock to gas, NAIL, or water, when any two or more are present.

Relative Risk Assessment
Estimating the risks associated with different stressors or management actions.

Release
Any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment of a hazardous or toxic chemical or extremely hazardous substance.

Remedial Action (RA)
The actual construction or implementation phase of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design.

Remedial Design
A phase of remedial action that follows the remedial investigation/feasibility study and includes development 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 contamination at a Superfund site; establish site cleanup criteria; identify preliminary alternatives for remedial action; and support technical and cost analyses of alternatives. 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 overseeing 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.

Remote Sensing
The collection and interpretation of information about an object without physical contact with the object; e.g., satellite imaging, aerial photography, and open path measurements.

Removal Action
Short-term immediate actions taken to address releases of hazardous substances that require expedited response. (See cleanup.)

Repeat Compliance Period
Any subsequent compliance period after the initial one.

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
Rebuilding and replacing major components of a power plant instead of building a new one.

Representative Sample
A portion of material or water that is as nearly identical in content and consistency as possible to that in the larger body of material or water being sampled.

Reregistration
The reevaluation and relicensing of existing pesticides originally registered prior to current scientific and regulatory standards. EPA reregisters pesticides through its Registration Standards 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.

Residential Use
Pesticide application in and around houses, office buildings, apartment buildings, motels, and other living or working areas.

Residential Waste
Waste generated in single and multi-family homes, including newspapers, clothing, disposable tableware, food packaging, cans, bottles, food scraps, and yard trimmings other than those that are diverted to backyard composting. (See Household hazardous waste.)

Residual
Amount of a pollutant remaining in the environment after a natural or technological 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 application of the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).

Residual Saturation
Saturation level below which fluid drainage will not occur.

Residue
The dry solids remaining after the evaporation of a sample of water or sludge.

Resistance
For plants and animals, the ability to withstand poor environmental conditions or attacks by chemicals or disease. May be inborn or acquired.

Resource Recovery
The process of obtaining matter or energy from materials formerly 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 problems. 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 treating the waste on-site, identifying and removing…

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 response to those comments.

Restoration
Measures taken to return a site to pre-violation conditions.

Restricted Entry Interval
The time after a pesticide application during which entry into the treated area is restricted.

Restricted Use
A pesticide may be classified (under FIFRA regulations) for restricted use if it requires special handling because of its toxicity, and, if so, it may be applied only by trained, certified applicators or those under their direct supervision.

Restriction Enzymes
Enzymes that recognize specific regions of a long DNA molecule and cut it at those points.

Retrofit
Addition of a pollution control device on an existing facility without making major changes to the generating plant. Also called backfit.

Reuse
Using a product or component 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.

Reversible Effect
An effect which is not permanent; especially adverse effects which diminish when exposure to a toxic chemical stops.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
A molecule that carries the genetic message from DNA to a cellular protein-producing mechanism.

Rill
A small channel eroded into the soil by surface runoff; can be easily smoothed out or obliterated by normal tillage.

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 differing 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 bordering the 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 quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential presence and/or use of specific pollutants.

Risk Characterization
The last phase of the risk assessment process that estimates the potential for adverse health or ecological effects to occur from exposure to a stressor and evaluates the uncertainty involved.

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 Estimate
A description of the probability that organisms exposed to a specific dose of a chemical or other pollutant will develop an adverse response, e.g., cancer.

Risk Factor
Characteristics (e.g., race, sex, age, obesity) or variables (e.g., smoking, occupational exposure level) associated with increased probability of a toxic effect.

Risk for Non-Endangered Species
Risk to species if anticipated pesticide residue levels are equal to or greater than LC50.

Risk Management
The process of evaluating and selecting alternative regulatory and non-regulatory responses to risk. The selection process necessarily requires the consideration of legal, economic, and behavioral factors.

Risk-based Targeting
The direction of resources to those areas that have been identified as having the highest potential or actual adverse effect on human health and/or the environment.

Risk-Specific Dose
The dose associated with a specified risk level.

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 sport or eating, such as gar and suckers. Most are more tolerant of changing environmental conditions than are game or food species.

Route of Exposure
The avenue by which a chemical comes into contact with an organism, e.g., inhalation, ingestion, dermal contact, injection.

Rubbish
Solid waste, excluding food waste and ashes, from homes, institutions, and workplaces.

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.

Running Losses
Evaporation of motor vehicle fuel from the fuel tank while the vehicle is in use.

Sacrifical Anode
An easily corroded material deliberately installed in a pipe or intake to give it up (sacrifice it) to corrosion while the rest of the water supply facility remains relatively corrosion-free.

Safe
Condition of exposure under which there is a practical certainty that no harm will result to exposed individuals.

Safe Water
Water that does not contain harmful bacteria, toxic materials, or chemicals, and is considered safe for drinking even if it may have taste, odor, color, and certain mineral problems.

Safe Yield
The annual amount of water that can be taken from a source of supply over a period of years without depleting that source beyond its ability to be replenished naturally in 'wet years.'

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.

Sampling Frequency
The interval between the collection of successive samples.

Sanctions
Actions taken by the federal government for failure to provide or implement a State Implementation Plan (SIP). Such action may 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, operation and maintenance of a public water system to evaluate the adequacy of those elements for producing and distributing safe drinking water.

Sanitation
Control of physical factors in the human environment that could harm development, health, or survival.

Saprolite
A soft, clay-rich, thoroughly decomposed rock formed in place by chemical weathering of igneous or metamorphic rock. Forms in humid, tropical, or subtropical climates.

Saprophytes
Organisms living on dead or decaying organic matter that help natural decomposition of organic matter in water.

Saturated Zone
The area below the water table where all open spaces are filled with water under pressure equal to or greater than that of the atmosphere.

Saturation
The condition of a liquid when it has taken into solution the maximum possible quantity of a given substance at a given temperature and pressure.

Science Advisory Board (SAB)
A group of external scientists who advise EPA on science and policy.

Scrap
Materials discarded from manufacturing operations that may be suitable for reprocessing.

Scrap Metal Processor
Intermediate operating facility where recovered metal is sorted, cleaned of contaminants, and prepared for recycling.

Screening
Use of screens to remove coarse floating and suspended solids from sewage.

Screening Risk Assessment
A risk assessment performed with few data and many assumptions to identify exposures that should be evaluated more carefully for potential risk.

Scrubber
An air pollution device that uses a spray of water or reactant or a dry process to trap pollutants in emissions.

Secondary Effect
Action of a stressor on supporting components of the ecosystem, which in turn impact the ecological component of concern. (See primary effect.)

Secondary Materials
Materials that have been manufactured and used at least once and are to be used again.

Secondary Standards
National ambient air quality standards designed to protect welfare, including effects on soils, water, crops, vegetation, man-made (anthropogenic) materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility, and climate; damage to property; transportation hazards; economic values, and personal comfort and well-being.

Secondary Treatment
The second step in most publicly owned waste treatment systems in which bacteria consume the organic parts of the waste. It is accomplished by bringing together waste, bacteria, 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. Disinfection is the final stage of secondary treatment. (See primary, tertiary treatment.)

Secure Chemical Landfill
(See:landfills.)

Secure Maximum Contaminant Level
Maximum permissible level of a contaminant in water delivered to the free flowing outlet of the ultimate user, or of contamination resulting from corrosion of piping and plumbing caused by water quality.

Sediment
Topsoil, sand, and minerals washed from the land into water, usually after rain or snow melt.

Sediment Yield
The quantity of sediment arriving at a specific location.

Sedimentation
Letting solids settle out of wastewater by gravity during treatment.

Sedimentation Tanks
Wastewater tanks in which floating wastes are skimmed off and settled solids are removed for disposal.

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 habitat, and clouding the water so that sunlight cannot reach aquatic plants. Careless farming, 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.

Seepage
Percolation of water through the soil from unlined canals, ditches, laterals, watercourses, or water storage facilities.