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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
| Acceleration Velocity: |
In restorative building dryingand the use of air movers, a harmonic motion occurring in an area or throughout the building, during which high winds that results in damage to certain materials in the building. Education Note: An example of aerodynamic instabiluity is when carpets are dried and forced-air is placed under the carpet and the carpet is allowed to flap up and down, resulting in further damage to the carpet from the instability of the air movement. |
| Air Changes: |
A measurement method expressing the amount air movement into or out of a room or building by the number of building volumes of air, or room volumes of air, exchanged per hour. Air changes are described as AC/h or ACH |
| Air Dynamics: |
The ability of air to have energy and force in motion. The transfer or induction of air from one area to another through pressure, temperature or humidity. Air dynamics are in contrast with static air. Air dynamics can move airborne contaminates from or into porous materials. See Adiabatic, Air Movement, Air Pathway, Convection, Static |
| Air Movement: |
Restorative Drying Note: In wet building drying the ability to move (force) large amounts of dryer air across wet surfaces, allowing liquid water to become moisture vapour, which is then exhausted or dehumidified. See Advection, Aeration, Airmover, Dynamic Pressure, Turbidity, Air Currents |
| Air-mover (Airmover): |
A fan, pumpor other device that causes ear still, staticair to move forward resulting in forced air pressure. Education Note: a) In water damage and odour control air movers are used to vapourise surface water and odours. b) Forced air movement directs and suspends settled but not airborne contaminates to an outside source,dehumidifier, or air scrubber. c) Employees who use airmovers during the drying phase must do so with proper respirator and eye wear protection. d) Airmovers should only be used indoors after cleanup services have been completed. See Air Movement, Air Scrubber, Air Sparging, Allergies, Conjuctivitis, Dynamic Pressure, Pink-Eye, respirable Particles, Rhinitis |
| Asbestos: |
A family of silicate minerals that are non-conductive to heat and electricity. The minerals have been used extensively in insulating materials, including insulation, acoustic tiles and ceilings. Asbestos is a good insulator, but friable asbestos has been known to cause illness and death. health and Safety Note: damaging asbestos containing materials (ACM) from fire and water, may result in some of the mineral fibres becoming airborne and friable. Mitigation Note: a) Remediation contractors may be required to test fior the presence of ACM. If asbestos is suspected, air movement must be restricted and HEPA filtered negative air equipment must be properly installed. b) Asbestos requires sampling and testing to confirm the material(s) actually contain asnestos. depending on the amout of ACM to be removed, a licensed asbestos abatement company will need to be hired. |
| Balanced Drying: |
The drying method most likely to produce an even drying process throughout a wet building and its parts. ? Restorative Drying Note: Related to water damage remediation: a) The temperature and humidity controls necessary to dry a wet building and its contents, using air movement and dehumidification. b) The fastest and safest drying method, without over or under drying the building and its contents back to their pre-loss condition. Balanced drying requires trained technicians who understand psychometry, monitoring and state-of-the-art restorative drying methods. See Dehumidification, Baseline Data |
| Bioaerosol: |
a) Bioaerosols are airborne particles of biological origin including bacteria, and viruses, fungi and yeasts, pollens and organic matter. Bioaerosols also include the cell structures and spore parts of non-viable components (such as toxins). b) An aerosol containing living organisms or particles derived from living organisms such as pollen, animal dander, insect emanations, microbial endotoxins, and human skin scales. c) An airborne organic contaminant that is either generated by or is itself a living organism such as fungi, bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Education Note: Moisture-vapor and airborne contaminates from a flooded building that are forced in air from a surface, through dynamic air movement contain bioaerosols. See Aerosol, Air Movement |
| Closed Drying System: |
Restorative Drying Note: A) In water damaged buildings, a closed drying system is a complete drying of the building relying totally on dehumidification through engineering controls and not outside air. A closed drying system requires high amounts of air movement coupled with dehumidification. B) In restorative drying, a closed drying system requires technical expertise and the appropriate drying equipment necessary to dry a wet building properly, efficiently in a timely manner. See Best Conventional Control Technology |
| Comfort Chart: |
A chart showing effective temperatures with dry-bulb temperature and humidity measurements, and air movement, by which the effects of various air conditions on human comfort are compared. |
| Convection: |
a) The transfer of building heat and cool air, along with air currents, that are moved from one place to another, by circulation from the actual motion of different densities of warm and cool air in a building. b) The transfer of heat by natural air movement. See Air Movement, Air Pathway, Enthalpy |
| Dehumidification: |
The process of removing humidity. The condensation of water vapour from air by cooling it below the dewpoint, or the removal of water vapor from air by chemical or physical means. Restorative Drying Note: Often Dehumidification can be accomplished by opening doors and windows to a dryer atmosphere, and dehumidification is accellerated through forced air movement, and the use of engineering controls and devises such as dehumidifiers and air movers. |
| Delamination: |
The separating or detaching of a primary material from its composite matrix or its secondary materials. Education Note: Delamination is usually is a result of wear and tear, but delamination can be a result of increased exposures to environmental conditions, including sun light and UV, heat, too little or too much humidity, air movement causing drying, and water damages causing release of glue and adhesive binders. |
| Effective Indoor Temperatures: |
a) As it relates to building occupants, effective indoor temperature is the arbitrary index that combines into a singe value, the effects of temperature, humidity, and air movement on the sensation of warmth and cold on the human body. The degree of warmth or cold perceived, varies with different combinations of temperature, humidity and air movement. b) The uniform temperature of a radiantly black enclosure at 50% relative humidity, in which an occupant would experience the same comfort, physiological strain and heat exchange as in the actual environment with the same air motion. |
| Entrainment Velocity: |
a) The ability of water, gas, vapour, mist and solid particles to absorb and impact into other materials. b) The gas flow velocity in air, which tends to keep particles suspended and cause deposited particles to become airborne. Mitigation Note: Typically this applies to airflow in ducts carrying airborne particles and other contaminates. Entrainment velocity effects is a concern for water damage mitigation contractors who use 1,000 CFM or greater air movers which transport large amounts of wet-humidified air throughout a building. See Acceleration Velocity, Air Movement, Dynamic Pressure, Turbidity Air Currents |
| Evapo-transpiration (also known as Vapiro-transpiration): |
The combined action of evaporation (vapourization) and transpiration (transfer). Vapourization is the physical process of converting water to vapor or gas, and transpiration is the mechanical means allowing this action to occur. Restorative Drying Note: In water damage buildings, it is the movement of water, as a liquid, vapourized in air (moisture vapor) and transferred from porous materials and surfaces. For this action to occur, it is important to allow for vapor transfer of moisture through mechanical means, by using air movers and dehumidifiers. See Air Movement, Dehumidification, Evaporation, Moisture Vapour |
| Fallout: |
The ability of an airborne substance having matter to settle and fallout of the air. Mitigation Note: Pertaining to water damage, it is the accumulation of settled dust and debris found on contents from air movers and dryers. The fallout is not apparent until after the forced air movement has stopped. Particles, dust, spores, pollens and other contaminates will settle on surfaces. Air movers are used to dry wet-saturated carpet and building materials. Often these materials harbor pounds of dust and dirt contaminates that become airborne and fallout on surfaces. |
| Kinetic Energy: |
The process which matter in motion produces energy through heat and pressure. Education Note: The most obvious way in which matter can manifest energy is to be in motion. The more the movement, the more energy matter is capable of producing. Kinetic energy is a state of free or bound energy, depending on the its surroundings as well as the state the matter is in to produce movement. During air movement, the more massive the air movement, the faster air moves and the more work or damage it can produce. On the other hand, mechanical or electrical energy (other than thermal or chemical energy) of a system, is always measured as the maximum amount of work that the system can do in coming to static equilibrium. Kinetic energy in a water damaged building, are changes in heat and pressure as exhibited by changes in vapour pressure, evaporation and diffusion of fluids. While part of the reduction of fluids are a result of the standing water extraction process, the remaining absorbed fluids in porous and semi-porous building material, is a direct result of kinetic energy, brought about by forced air movement resulting in changes of vapour pressure, surface tension, heat, evaporation and dehumidification. See Brownian Movement |
| M-VOCs: |
The gas-like effect in air produced by some fungi as they sporulate and decay when digesting organic carbon-based materials. mVOCs (microbial Volatile Organic Compounds) can result in a occupant health condition while indoors where fresh outside air is not constantly present and flowing. Static are spaces or indoor spaces having little air movement, while in the presence of ideal fungi growth conditions, will produce M-VOCs and mycotoxins. Most building areas having musty-like smells, including mushroom like smells and smells consisting of earthy, damp soil, weedy, nutty, or having a sweet ester/metallic smell should be avoided. Health and Mitigation Note: After donning proper respiratory equipment, further investigation as to the cause of the smells should be conducted. Be aware, that not all M-VOC conditions produce smells when fungi is present. Extreme health and respiratory caution must be taken when around a mouldy building environment. |
| Particulate Matter: |
a) A solid material that is a byproduct of construction waste which easily becomes airborne and can be inhaled. b) An airborne dust, spore, pollen or bioaerosol which can result in asthma and allergy-like conditions when inhaled. c) A solid material that settled out of air which can easily become airborne through disturbance or increased air movement. d) Particulate matter in water, especially contaminated water, while it is in a dissolved state. e) When surface water is removed, particulate matter constitutes the insoluble sand, clay, fines and other solid matter after an outdoor flood indoors or a blackwater sewage contamination from main-line sewer backflows. The former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop warns that every day, the average persons respiratory system receives more than two table spoons of particulate matter (dust, pollen, tar, rubber, acids, metals, smoke, clutch and brake materials, bacteria, mould, and many other hazardous and allergic matter). |
| Pink-Eye: |
Also known as Red-Eye, which is an inflammation of the eye causing redness, discomfort and sometimes a discharge from the affected eye. Health Note: Pink-Eye and Red-Eye can be an occupational caused disease from contact with contaminated materials. Pink-eye and red-eye are more commonly referred to as Conjunctivitis. Most conjunctival infections are caused by bacteria, for example, staphylococci, that are spread hand-to-mouth, contact with a contaminated surface, or where sewage affected pollutants become airborne. Education Note: a) Water damage technicians must wear proper clothing, respiratory and eye protection during sewage cleanup. b) Besides sewage bacteria, conjunctivitis can also be caused from airborne dust, spores and allergens. c) Technicians must eliminate the use of air movers during the cleanup phase, especially during mold and sewage damage cleanup or when there is airborne debris created from increased air movement. See Conjunctivitis |
| Quantitative Variables: |
An environmental characteristic which must take into account of the continued changes (variables) in materials and atmosphere. This is based on levels of contamination, temperature, humidity, air movement, and pressure, which must be measured against time, mass, growth and decay. See Sample Variables |
| Static Pressure: |
In water damage mitigation, it is the absence of dynamic dry air pressure. Restorative Drying Note: a) Static pressure results in the continuance of wet building materials receiving additional damage, which under some circumstances, could have been eliminated. b) Wet wall cavities with insulation for example, are static and often will not dry on their own without some form of dynamic pressured air movement. Health and Safety Note: c) Leaving wet walls and wall cavities static, with high humidity present, causes the growth of fungi, resulting in secondary building damage and compromised occupant health. See Eddy Current, Cyclone Effect, Dynamic Pressure, Sick Buildings, Turbidity Air Currents |
| Substructural Drying: |
In water damage remediation, substructure drying is the use of mechanical and engineering controls necessary to dry a wet substructure properly. Mitigation Note: a) Unlike wet above-grade structures, wet below-grade substructures are influenced by an increase amount of moisture vapor coming from inside the substructure foundation walls and soil. a1) To dry a wet substructure properly, all contents and wet building materials must be removed from a basement or below-grade structure, including old carpet, cardboard and plastic sheeting. a3) All standing water or sewage must be extracted and appropriately removed. a4) Allow as much fresh air access to the substructure as possible during water/sewage removal. In fact, use an exhaust fan forcing contaminated air outside the substructure, but not in the building. a5) Depending on the soil matrix and amount of saturation, and if there is sewage present, detergent washing the soil may be appropriate before attempting surface drying or tilling the soil. b) If the below grade substructure is large, other engineering controls will be necessary to monitor and dry the environment properly. Dehumidification with air movement is most important in drying a wet substructure properly. c) Unlike above-grade wet buildings, below-grade buildings may take two to three times as long to dry. See High-Rise Drying, Structural Drying. |
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