Environmental Management Systems Flashcards
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Requires an environmental impact statement for any federally funded project
Waste management heirarchy
source reduction, recycling, waste treatment, secure disposal, direct release
Source reduction
any practice that reduces the amount of hazardous substance entering the waste stream prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal
Waste audit
materials accounting in process lines
Emission inventory
direct releases through fugitive and secondary sources
A life cycle assessment (LCA) can be broken into…
… an inventory of all material, energy, emission, waste flows associated with a product, an EIA of these flows, and a feedback mechanism to assist in choosing between alternative products/processes to address negative environmental impacts
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
screening, scoping, EIS preparation, review
Screening
determining which projects warrant and EIA
Scoping
identifying key impacts that will form the basis of a study
Acceptable level of carcinogenic risk
10^-6
For non-carcinogenic risk, a hazard index greater than ___ is considered unaccepted
one
Background risk
risk due to all of the environmental factors to which the average person is exposed
Risk assessment
data collection/evaluation, toxicity assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterization, and risk management
LD50
dose that is lethal for 50% of test population
LOAEL
lowest observable adverse effect level
NOAEL
no observable adverse effect level
Sound is a result of…
… the vibration of solids or dynamics of fluids as they interact with solid objects which cause minute pressure variations detectable by the ear
Ionizing radiation
potential for cellular damage
Radioactivity
the phenomenon whereby an unstable isotope undergoes nuclear disintegration called decay which release a particle or electromagnetic radiation to carry off excess energy
Classes of decay products
Alpha particles, beta particles, gamma radiation
Alpha particles
extremely high energy, but cannot penetrate dense materials and can be shielded by ordinary clothing
Beta particles
fast-moving electrons, greater penetrating potential than alpha particles
Gamma ray emission
release of electromagnetic radiation energy as newly formed elements settle into more stable states
Half-life
time required for 50% of the nuclei to decay
Roentgen equivalent man (REM)
an indication of the extent of biological injury that is probable from a dose of a specific type of radiation to a specific tissue or organ
