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Disaster Advice Glossary
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Disaster recovery and restoration can be veiled in mystery to the many who have not undertaken specific training. This glossary explains technical terms to assist both report writing and the understanding of those technical terms so often misunderstood.
Definition
| Adsorption: |
The ability of solids and liquids to codense, consolidate and permanently bond to another surface or substrate. |
| Bound Water: |
Water molecules that are held together in wood building material cells once they are saturated. Education Note: Bound water in saturated wood cells is partially responsible for wood cupping, warping, crooking and twisting. This water cannot easily become vaporized and removed by normal drying processes without the aid of mechanical dehumidification equipment. See Adsorption, Free Water |
| CAT (Containment, Adsorption and Treatment): |
An acronym, describing concepts of what steps are necessary in chronology in mitigating water damaged properties properly. The three-step concept is: 1) containment of migrating flood water; 2) adsorption/extraction and surface removal; and 3) treatment, the cleanup including sanitization. Restorative Drying Note: The CAT concept is required in building damage remediation before restorative drying can be implemented appropriately. In major losses, the CAT concept and the restorative drying process often become overlapped at some point. |
| Chemical Sensitivity: |
The acute or chronic sensitivity reaction to a chemical substance. Health and Safety Note: Chemical sensitivity can be a result of adsorption from skin contact, inhalation and ingestion. Chemical sensitivity may show itself as an allergic or asthma reaction, swelling and redness on skin, shortness of breath, laboured breathing, dizziness, stomach ache and vomiting, or a neurological disorder. |
| Dehumidifier: |
a) An air cooler or washer used for lowering the moisture content of the air passing through it: b) An absorption or adsorption machine designed specifically for removing unwanted moisture from air. Adjuster/Contractor Restorative Drying Note: Dehumidifiers may be similar in function and design, but they are not alike when it comes to restorative drying of wet buildings. Specially designed dehumidifiers are often required to dry wet buildings properly. Commercial size dehumidifiers are equipment capable of removing from 15 to 100 gallons of humidified moisture in air per day. Although a dehumidifier may function properly in a wet room, the dehumidifier may not effect the dehumidification process of a wet wall, ceiling or subfloor. The dehumidification of wet walls for example, requires special techniques and equipment to dry the wall cavity properly, and the equipment must do so within a reasonable time before mold growth occurs. See Desiccant Drying, Psychometrics, Refrigerant Drying, Restorative Drying |
| Exposure Route: |
The manner in which a chemical, toxin or biological agent comes in contact with a human, for example, inhalation, ingestion, adsorption, or other form of dermal contact. |
| Impermeability: |
A characteristic of some building materials to hold off and retard moisture and vapour absorption and adsorption. Impermeable building materials are designed to limit the passage of water, gases, vapours and other fluids. See Moisture Impermeable Building Materials, Permeability, Permeability Factor |
| Routes of Exposure: |
Education Note: In buildings, an evaluation of where the contaminates came from and finally settled too. Health Note: In humans, the ability of a microorganism to enter into persons. Inhalation, ingestion, adsorption and skin puncturing are the main routes of exposure from microorganisms. |
| Safety Hazards: |
Any one of a number of workplace hazards which an employee can be exposed. Safety hazards include physical hazards from slip, trip and fall, abrasions and puncture, burns, machinery hazards, inhalation, adsorption, including but not limited to life threatening exposures. See IDLH |
The Disaster Advice Glossary and its contents are the protected copyright of Disaster Advice
The Disaster Advice Glossary operates on TechMerit Technoloy.
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