Environmental Terms and Definitions

Remedial Investigation (RI)
An in-depth study (including sampling of air, soil, water and waste) of a contaminated site needing remediation to determine the nature and extent of contamination. The remedial investigation (RI) is usually combined with a feasibility study (FS).

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.

Preliminary Site Assessment (PSA)
A process followed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to determine if a site contains hazardous waste and its potential for harming the public health or environment.

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.

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).

Odor threshold
The lowest concentration of a chemical that can be smelled. Different chemicals have different odor thresholds. Also, some people can smell a chemical at lower concentrations than others can.

AHERA
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (1986); federal law requiring LEAs to identify asbestos hazards and develop abatement plans.

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.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
ATSDR is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As mandated by the federal superfund law, the agency assesses health risks from hazardous waste sites on the National Priority List.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
NIOSH, part of the Centers for Disease Control, conducts research on worker safety and health and recommends standards for worker protection to OSHA. For example, NIOSH recommends guidelines for workplace exposure to hazardous substances and has published criteria documents on many chemicals.