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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
| Action Level (AL): |
a) Under OSHA regulations, a measured concentration of certain airborne contaminates or noise in the workplace that require immediate attention by testing exposure levels. b) A term used by OSHA and NIOSH to express the level of toxicant which required medical surveillance, usually one half the PEL. Education Note: In water damage emergencies, the level of action emergency managers determine is necessary for workers when entering and exposing themselves to a contamination or hazard. |
| Aeolian Contamination: |
Matter in the form of a contaminate which is transported and broadcast through dynamic air movement. Mitigation Note: In water damage mitigation, one of the concerns comes from clean up contractors who use portable equipment to extract and clean up indoor floods. The exhaust of the equipment indoors aerosolize micropollutants which are inhaled. Another concern is the use of air drying equipment in a dusty or biologically contaminated building, or a building which has friable lead-based paint or asbestos. Caution Note: No sewage or other pathogenic waste should be extracted into portable machines when the machines are left and allowed to wxhaust indoors! See Aeolian, Airborne Contaminates, Airborne Microorganisms, Bioaerosols, Dusts |
| Aerobiology: |
The scientific discipline that studies airborne allergey producing substances including dusts, mites, pollens, mold and animal dander. Scientists and microbiologists specializing in airborne contaminates research and investigation are called aerobiologists. |
| 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 Sampling: |
One of several collection methods used to capture airborne contaminates from air. Education Note: Air sampling may include charcoal sorbent sampling, filtering, vacuum extraction, water impinges, bioaerosol sampling. See Adsorbent Smapling, Smear Tab Sampling, Soil Smapling, Surface Sampling, Swab Sampling, Tape Lift Sampling, Water Sampling, Wipe Sampling, Vacuum Sampling |
| Airborne Contaminates: |
Vapour, gas and solid contaminates, such as fumes and emissions, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, dusts, pollens and other bioaerosols, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts. |
| 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 |
| Air-Purifying Respirator (APR): |
A filter cartridge half-face or full-face respirator having the proper filters to remove known or suspected airborne contaminates so they will not be allowed to enter the wearer's nose or lungs. |
| Atmospheric Stability of a Building: |
An expression of the air and environmental influences exerted on the building throughout the day. Atmospheric stability includes variance in air pressure, thermal changes, occupancy use, and dispersion and dilution of airborne contaminates. |
| Baghouse: |
An air pollutant control devise that removes particulate matter and gases from air by forcing airborne contaminates through large filtering bags. Baghouses can vary in their purpose according to the filter materials (media) and methods of collection. Mitigation Note: a) Baghouse machines are used in large construction cleanup jobs where there is a considerable amount of airborne contamination. b) Baghouses are also filtering devices that are attached to vacuums extracting large amounts of dust, dirt and construction debris. See Filtering |
| 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 |
| Biologically Derived Airborne Contaminates: |
Bioaerosols, gases, and vapours that living organisms produce. Biologically derived materials are natural components of indoor and outdoor environments, but under certain circumstances, biologically derived agents may be considered contaminates when found indoors. |
| Exhaust Filtration: |
One of several engineering control methods acceptable resulting in the scrubbing and filtering of exhausted gases and airborne contaminates to an outside air space. |
| Flushing and Purging of Air: |
In a confined space, including in large buildings having an airborne contaminate, flushing and purging is the utilization of fans and other exhaust equipment, to remove airborne and volatile agents from surfaces, into outside air. Health and Safety Note: If the contaminates are a regulated contaminate, a carcinogen, flammable, pathogen or toxic, the flushing and purging of airborne contaminates must be done so safely, and in such a manner to not cause harm to human health downstream of the exhausted air. See Ventilating |
| Fugitive Building Emissions: |
Fumes, vapours, gases and chemical toxins that emanate from the exhaust of a building as a normal condition of the buildings function. Most emissions are power generated exhaust emissions, but emissions can also be other pollutants and airborne contaminates exuded from a building. See Emissions |
| Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP): |
An indoor inflammatory disease from the inhalation of dusts, spores, and airborne contaminates. HP occurs less often than allergic rhinitis and asthma, but when diagnosed, it is often a more severe of a allergic reaction and it is harder to control. Health and Safety Note: Water damage contractors have a due diligent responsibility to advise building occupants, that if they have allergies, it may be harmful for them to be in the effected zone or building during the containment, drydown and dehumidification period. |
| Laboured Breathing: |
The condition starts with an increase in the breathing rate Breathing then becomes laboured and more rapid. Going to an outside fresh air source and sitting down may aid you in regaining your breath. Health Note: The cause of laboured breathing most likely is a result of poor health, lack of exercise, or smoking. In the mitigation and restoration industry it can be due to the type of the work, and amount of exertion, resulting in exhaustion and heat stress. Laboured breathing by technicians can be due to the inhalation of airborne contaminates from not wearing a respirator or wearing the appropriate respirator, having the wrong filters on the respirator, or wearing the respirator improperly. See Occupational Related Respiratory Diseases |
| Occupational Related Respiratory Diseases: |
Education and Health Note: Diseases associated with the water damage and mitigation industry that are occupational exposures, resulting in the inhalation of airborne contaminates causing illness and disease. Respirable Compounds Include: hardwood floor sanding, silica dust, chemical vapours, soil dust, asbestos, pollens, dander, lead-base paints, aluminum shavings, mold spores, fungal toxins, cotton dust, paper dust, fibreglass, carbon monoxide, cellulose particulates, cement dust, clay dust, fly ash, bird and rodent feces. See Allergies, Allergens, Biological Particles, Bronchitis, Byssinosis, Conjunctivitis, Labored Breathing, Non-Biological Particles, Pneumoconiosis, Rhinitis |
| Reentrainment: |
a) Situations which reoccur to allow portions of exhausted air or airborne contaminates to reenter or re-entrain in a building, zone or room. b) Airborne or surfaceborne contaminates which are allowed to re-enter a cleaned or uncontaminated building space. See Cross-Contamination |
| Toxic Air Contaminates: |
Airborne contaminates including gases, vapours, fumes, mists, spores and other aeroallergens, which when inhaled, become toxic to the human respiratory, blood and central nervous system. Health Note: When you breathe in vapours, fumes and other contaminates, they immediately enter the blood stream through your respiratory system, causing poisoning. This is why you must never stick your head into a confined space to check it out without proper respiratory protection. |
| Water Damege Technician Acquired Infections and Disease: |
Health and Safety Note: Infections and disease acquired as occupational exposures to certain surface, water and airborne contaminates present in the water damage mitigation industry. See Allergy, Aspergillosis, Athletes Foot, Bloodborne Pathogens, Conjunctivitis, Contact Dermatitis, Cryptococcoses, Dysentery, Infections, Finger Nail Fungus, Hepatitis-A, Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Legionella Pneumonitis, Occupational Related Respiratory Diseases, Pink-Eye, Tetanus, Toxins. |
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