Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Ultrafiltration:
A filtration process for water that uses membranes to preferentially
separate very small particles that are larger than the membrane's molecular
weight cutoff, typically greater than 10,000 Daltons. A Dalton is a unit of
mass, defined as 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 nucleus. It is also called an
atomic mass unit
, abbreviated as either amu or u.
Vector:
An organism that carries germs from one host to another.
Vesicle:
A blister filled with fluid.
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD):
According to the National Defense
Authorization Act, WMDs are any weapons or devices that are intended, or
have the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant
number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or
poisonous chemicals or their precursors, a disease organism, or radiation
or radioactivity.
Xenophobia:
Irrational fear of strangers or those who are different from oneself.
Zyklon B:
A form of hydrogen cyanide. Symptoms of inhalation include increased
respiratory rate, restlessness, headache, and giddiness followed later by
convulsions, vomiting, respiratory failure, and unconsciousness. It was
used in the Nazi gas chambers in World War 2.