Environmental Terms and Definitions

Ambient
Occurring over a short time, usually a few minutes or hours. An acute exposure can result in short term or long term health effects. An acute effect happens within a short time after exposure.

Ingestion
Swallowing (such as eating or drinking). Chemicals in or on food, drink, utensils, cigarettes, hands, etc. can be ingested. After ingestion, chemicals may be absorbed into the blood and distributed throughout the body.

Detection limit
The smallest amount of substance that a laboratory test can reliably measure in a sample of air, water, soil or other medium.

Infiltration
(1) the penetration of water through the ground surface into sub-surface soil or the penetration of water from the soil into sewer or other pipes through defective joints, connections, or manhole walls. (2) a land application technique where large volumes of waste water are applied to land, allowed to penetrate the surface and percolate through the underlying soil. (See: percolation).

Incineration
(1) burning of certain types of solid, liquid or gaseous materials. (2) a treatment technology involving destruction of waste by controlled burning at high temperatures, e.g., burning sludge to remove the water and reduce the remaining residues to a safe, non-burnable ash which can be disposed of safely on land, in some waters or in underground locations.

HSWA
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (1984); amendments to RCRA establishing a timetable for landfill bans and more stringent UST requirements.

Acute
Occurring over a short time, usually a few minutes or hours. An acute exposure can result in short term or long term health effects. An acute effect happens within a short time after exposure.

Agricultural pollution
The liquid and solid wastes from farming, including, runoff from pesticides, fertilizers, and feed- lots; erosion and dust from plowing; animal manure and carcasses, crop residues, and debris.

Aerobic treatment
Process by which microbes decompose complex organic compounds in the presence of oxygen and use the liberated energy for reproduction and growth. Types of aerobic processes include extended aeration, trickling filtration, and rotating biological contactors.

Health registry
A record of people exposed to a specific substance (such as a heavy metal), or having a specific health condition (such as cancer or a communicable disease). New York State maintains several health registries.