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view entire glossary ( A ) AA Assistant Administrator; Associate Administrator; Atomic Absorption ACE Any Credible Evidence ACFM Actual Cubic Feet Per Minute Acidic The condition of water or soil that contains a sufficient amount of acid substances to lower the pH below 7.0. ACL Alternate Concentration Limit. ACS American Chemical Society 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 drinking water. It is also used in motor vehicle evaporative control systems. Activated Sludge Product that results when primary effluent is mixed with bacteria-laden sludge and then agitated and aerated to promote biological treatment, speeding the breakdown of organic matter in raw sewage undergoing secondary waste treatment. 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 opposed to a scheme to control pollution through altering the basic process itself. 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 describes 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 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 required 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. Advanced Treatment: A level of wastewater treatment more stringent than secondary treatment; requires an 85-percent reduction in conventional pollutant concentration or a significant reduction in non-conventional pollutants. Sometimes called tertiary treatment. Advanced Treatment A level of wastewater treatment more stringent than secondary treatment; requires an 85-percent reduction in conventional pollutant concentration or a significant reduction in non-conventional pollutants. Sometimes called tertiary treatment. 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.) Aeration A process which promotes biological degradation of organic matter in water. The process may be passive (as when waste is exposed to air), or active (as when a mixing or bubbling device introduces the air). Aeration Tank A chamber used to inject air into water. Aerobic Life or processes that require, or are not destroyed by, the presence of oxygen. (See: anaerobic.) Aerobic Treatment Process by which microbes decompose complex organic compounds 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.) Air Contaminant Any particulate matter, gas, or combination thereof, other than water vapor. (See: air pollutant.) Air Monitoring (See: monitoring) 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 interaction between two or more primary pollutants, or by reaction with normal atmospheric constituents, with or without photoactivation. Exclusive of pollen, fog, and dust, which are of natural origin, about 100 contaminants have been identified. Air pollutants are often grouped in categories for ease in classification; some of he categories are: solids, sulfur compounds, volatile organic chemicals, particulate matter, nitrogen compounds, oxygen compounds, halogen compounds, radioactive compound, and odors. Air Pollution: The presence of contaminants or pollutan Air Pollution Control Device Mechanism or equipment that cleans emissions generated by a source (e.g., an incinerator, industrial smokestack, or an automobile exhaust system) by removing pollutants that would otherwise be released to the atmosphere. Air Quality Standards The level of pollutants prescribed by regulations that are not be exceeded during a given time in a defined area. Air Sparging Injecting air or oxygen into an aquifer to strip or flush volatile contaminants as air bubbles up through The ground water and is captured by a vapor extraction system. 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 reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer; respiratory, cardiovascular, or developmental effects; reproductive dysfunctions, neurological disorders, heritable gene mutations, or other serious or irreversible chronic or acute health effects in humans. Airborne Particulates Total suspended particulate matter found in the atmosphere as solid particles or liquid droplets. Chemical composition of particulates varies widely, depending on location and time of year. Sources of airborne particulates include: dust, emissions from industrial processes, combustion products from the burning of wood and coal, combustion products associated with motor vehicle or non-road engine exhausts, and reactions to gases in the atmosphere. Airborne Release Release of any pollutant into the air. AL Acceptable Level Alcohol A group of organic chemical compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The molecules in the series vary in chain length and are composed of a hydrocarbon plus a hydroxyl group. Alcohol includes methanol and ethanol. 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 hazardous changes in local water chemistry. ALJ Administrative Law Judge Alkaline The condition of water or soil which contains a sufficient amount of alkali substance to raise the pH above 7.0. Alkylation A chemical reaction that combines two (or more) smaller molecules (like butane) to produce high octane gasoline blending components Alternative Compliance A policy that allows facilities to choose among methods for achieving emission-reduction or risk-reduction instead of command-and-control regulations that specify standards and how to meet them. Use of a theoretical emissions bubble over a facility to cap the amount of pollution emitted while allowing the company to choose where and how (within the facility) it complies.(See: bubble, emissions trading.) Alternative Fuels Substitutes for traditional liquid, oil-derived motor vehicle fuels like gasoline and diesel. Includes mixtures of alcohol-based fuels with gasoline, methanol, ethanol, compressed natural gas, and others. Ambient Air Any unconfined portion of the atmosphere: open air, surrounding air. Ambient Air Quality Standards (See: Criteria Pollutants and National Ambient Air Quality Standards.) Ambient Measurement A measurement of the concentration of a substance or pollutant within the immediate environs of an organism; taken to relate it to the amount of possible exposure. Ambient Temperature Temperature of the surrounding air or other medium. Ammonia A pungent gas formed from the chemical combination of nitrogen and hydrogen, used esp. in refrigeration and in making fertilizers Ammonia (as N) A measure of the amount of ammonia dissolved in water (as nitrogen) Anaerobic A life or process that occurs in, or is not destroyed by, the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic Decomposition Reduction of the net energy level and change in chemical composition of organic matter caused by microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment. Anthracene A polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon, found in asphalt and heavy fuel oils APA Administrative Procedures Act APCA Air Pollution Control Association AQCR Air Quality Control Region Aqueous Something made up of water. Aquifer An underground geological formation, or group of formations, containing water. Are sources of groundwater for wells and springs. Aquitard Geological formation that may contain groundwater but is not capable of transmitting significant quantities of it under normal hydraulic gradients. May function as confining bed. ARB Air Resources Board Area Source Any source of 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, or biogenic sources such as a forest that releases hydrocarbons. Aromatics A type of hydrocarbon, such as benzene or toluene, with a specific type of ring structure. Aromatics are sometimes added to gasoline in order to increase octane. Some aromatics are toxic. 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 control fiber release from asbestos-containing materials in a building or to remove them entirely, including removal, encapsulation, repair, enclosure, encasement, and operations and maintenance programs. ASIWCPA Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators Asphalt A very heavy oil - the "bottom of the barrel" of the crude unit which boils at temperatures higher than 900°F. Asphalt is used for paving roads (when mixed with sand and aggregate), coating shingles and roofing paper, water proofing basements and many other uses. Assay A test for a specific chemical, microbe, or effect. ASTHO Association of State and Territorial Health Officers ASTSWMO Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 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 pollutant and a non-attainment area for others. Attenuation The process by which a compound is reduced in concentration over time, through absorption, adsorption, degradation, dilution, and/or transformation. an also be the decrease with distance of sight caused by attenuation of light by particulate pollution. AWWA American Water Works Association 
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