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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
| 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 Pathway: |
The direction in which building air is forced through pressure. Air pressure in a building space or zone that is either under positive or negative pressure. |
| Carrier Gas: |
a) When air quality and air pathways are an issue in contaminated buildings, industrial hygienists sometimes use a mixture of visible gas that will travel in cross-current pathways of the building, area or zone. b) The mixture of gases which contains and moves the contaminant material. Components of the carrier gas are not considered to cause or produce air pollution or react with the contaminant material. |
| 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 |
| Critical Barrier During Fungal Abatement: |
A barrier usually made with two layers of 6-mm plastic polyethylene sheeting placed on ceiling, walls and floor, doors, windows and other openings, that creates an isolation barrier during fungal containment (abatement), and may be installed in the waste storage and support areas. Mitigation Note: Critical barriers must block all openings, fixtures, HVAC and air pathways of the building, to prevent the spread of dust, dirt and spores beyond the containment-unit. The critical containment barrier(s) must be constructed in such a manner so as to not disturb contaminated materials. |
| Cross-Contamination: |
The carrying of a microorganism, chemical or toxin from a contaminated area to a non-effected clean area. Health and Safety Note: Typically, cross-contamination is thought of as contaminates carried on objects including clothes and hands, but cross-contamination also occurs in building air pathways and ventilation air streams, where bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and other aero-allergens easily travel through from an airborne route. In hospitals, cross-contamination is referred to as nosocomial infections. See Fomites |
| Free Moisture: |
Water in the form of water vapour in air, that can pass freely from one atmosphere to another, or from a wet material to another via air pathways. Restorative Drying Note: With a change in temperature, free moisture in air can collect and condensate on and in wall cavities, and with another change of temperature, condensate water is allowed to become free moisture once again. |
| High-rise Drying: |
In water damage remediation, it is the use of mechanical and engineering controls necessary to dry a wet high-rise building properly. Investigation and Restorative Drying Note: a) High-rise or multi-story flood remediation requires a great amount of knowledge from building engineers about the building structural components, air pathways and ventilation, chases for electrical, elevator and ventilation shafts, pressure differentials between walls, plumbing and other conduit runs between floors. b) Drying a wood frame 4-story wood frame and floor building, can vary considerably, when attempting to dry a similar 4-story concrete high-rise having a pan floor for example. c) Finding all the sources of water intrusion and moisture vapor, can be half the battle in drying a wet high-rise building properly. See Substructure Drying, Building Drying |
| Structural Respiration: |
Excluding windows and doors, structural respiration is the infiltration of outside air into a building through unplanned air pathways, such as through walls, ceilings, and floors. |
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