Environmental Health & Safety Acronyms

We all know that  government officials and technoids love to use acronyms for everything!  IAC (in any case), here is a list of the most common EHS acronyms.  BELOW ARE THE TERM.

And if you're looking for our massive environmental & safety guidance web pages!

Acronym	Description
AA	Attainment Area
ACL	Alternative Concentration Limit
ACM	Asbestos-Containing Material
ANSI	American National Standards Institute
AOC	Area of Contamination
API	American Petroleum Institute
AQCR	Air Quality Control Region
ARAR	Applicable Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (Cleanup Standards)
ASHRAE	American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers
ASTM	American Society for Testing and Materials
ATSDR	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
BACM	Best Available Control Measure
BACT	Best Available Control Technology
BAT	Best Available Technology
BATEA	Best Available Technology Economically Achievable
BCT	Best Conventional Technology
BDAT	Best Demonstrational Achievable Technology (also "Available")
BDT	Best Demonstrational Technology
BEJ	Best Engineering Judgment
BIF	Boiler and Industrial Furnace
BMP	Best Management Practice
BOD	Biological Oxygen Demand
BPJ	Best Professional Judgment
BPT	Best Practical Control Technology
BRS	Biennial Reporting System
BTU	British Thermal Units
C&D	Construction and Demolition
CAA	Clean Air Act
CAAA	Clean Air Act Amendments
CBI	Confidential Business Information
CAIR	Comprehensive Assessment Information Rule
CAMU	Corrective Action Management Unit
CAS	Chemical Abstract Service
CCP	Commercial Chemical Product
CDC	Centers for Disease Control
CDD	Chlorodibenzodioxin
CDF	Chlorodibenzofuran
CEM	Continuous Emission Monitoring
CEQ	Council on Environmental Quality
CERCLA	Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act of 1980 (amended in 1984 and later)
CESQG	Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator of hazardous wastes
CFC	Chlorofluorocarbon - an ozone-depleting refrigerant
CFR	Code of Federal Regulations
CHEMTREC	Chemical Transportation Emergency Center
CHIPS	Chemical Hazards Information Profiles (EPA
COD	Chemical Oxygen Demand
CPSC	Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 CFR)
CTG	Control Techniques Guidelines
CWA	Clean Water Act
DCO	Delayed Compliance Order
DDT	Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane - a toxic pesticide
DMR	Discharge Monitoring Reports
DO	Dissolved Oxygen
DOD	Department of Defense
DOE	Department of Energy
DOJ	Department of Justice
DOT	Department of Transportation
DRE	Destruction and Removal Efficiency
EIS	Environmental Impact Statement
EMS	Environmental Management System (also see ISO14000)
EP	Extraction Procedure
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
EPR	Extended Product Responsibility
ESA	Environmental Site Assessment
EPCRA	Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
ESP	Electrostatic Precipitor
FDA	Food and Drug Administration(21 CFR)
EUP	Exceptional Use Permits
FFCA	Federal Facility Compliance Act
FIFRA	Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
First Third	August 17, 1988, Federal Register (53 FR 31138) - the first of the hazardous waste land disposal restrictions
FR	Federal Register
GLP	Good Laboratory Practices
GNP	Good Manufacturing Procedures
GPO	Government Printing Office
GRAS	Generally Recognized as Safe
GLPS	Good Laboratory Practice Standards
HAP	Hazardous Air Pollutant
HazWoper	29 CFR 1910.120 - the OSHA / EPA requirement to have all employees trained if they will be handling, managing or shipping hazardous wastes.
HRS	Hazard Ranking System
HCFC	Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
HHW	Household Hazardous Waste
HM	Hazardous Material
HW	Hazardous Waste
HSWA	Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984
HWM	Hazardous Waste Management
ID	(as in ID number) - Hazardous Waste Identification Number assigned to RCRA generators, transporters, and TSDFs
Implementing Agency	refers to the State or Regional office implementing RCRA
INUR	Inventory Update Rule
ISO	International Organization for Standardization
ISO14000	The ISO standard for environmental management systems
ITC	Interagency Testing Committee
LAER	Lowest Achievable Emission Rate
LCA	Life Cycle Analysis/ Assessment
LDR	Land Disposal Restrictions (40 CFR Part 268)
LEPC	Local Emergency Planning Committee
Limit
LOEL	Lowest Observed Effect Level
LQG	Large Quantity Generator of hazardous wastes - this term has a specific definition under RCRA!
LUST	Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
MACT	Maximum Achievable Control Technology
MARPOL	International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
MCL	Maximum Concentration Limit or Level
LQHUW	Large Quantity Handlers of  Universal Waste (haz wastes)
LSF	Liquid Scintillation Fluid (rad waste)
MRQ	Monthly Hotline Report Q&A, The Hotline prepares a monthly report that contains questions and answers on common or difficult RCRA topics. EPA publishes this report. The questions and answers can be usually used as EPA guidance. Beware: the hotline is run by an EPA contractor and their answers are often erratic and not legally binding.
MSDS	Material Safety Data Sheet (under OSHA)
MSW	Municipal Solid Waste (trash, nonhazwaste, etc.)
NAA	Non-Attainment Area
NAAQS	National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NCP	National Contingency Plan
NEPA	National Environmental Policy Act
NESHAP	National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants
NIOSH	National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
NIPDWR	National Interim Primary Drinking Water Regulation
NPDES	National Pollutantion Discharge Elimination System
NPL	National Priorities List - the list of Superfund sites
NRC	National Response Center
NFPA	National Fire Protection Act
NIH	National Institute for Health
NORM	Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
NRC	Several possibilities: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Response Center,  or National Research Council
NSDWR	National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation
NSPS	New Source Performance Standards
NSR	New Source Review
NTIS	National Technical Information Service (usually charges you for the same information that we provide free...)
ODS	Ozone Depleting Substances (air emissions)
OPM	Operation and Maintenance
ORD	Office of Research and Development
OSHA	Occupational Safety and Health Administration (29 CFR)
OSW	Office of Solid Waste
OSWER	Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
P2	Pollution Prevention
PAIR	Preliminary Assessment Information Rule
PBT	Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic
PCB	Polychlorinated biphenyl - A toxic cooling oil used in the past in transformers and capacitors
PCP	Pentachlorophenol
PEL	Permissible Exposure Limit
PM-10	Particulate Matter< 10 Micrometers
PNA	Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds
PNIN	Premanufacture Notification
POTW	Publicly Owned Treatment Works
PPB	Parts Per Billion
PPM	Parts Per Million
PRP	Potentially Responsible Parties
PSD	Prevention of Significant Deterioration
PPE	Personal Protective Equipment (such as gloves, repirators, etc.)
QA/QC	Quality Assurance/Quality Control
R&D	Research and Development
RACM	Reasonably Available Control Measure
RACT	Reasonably Available Control Technique
RCRA	Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 - resulted in hazardous waste regulations - 40 CFR Parts 260 to 280
RGD	Radiation-Generating Devices
RI/FS	Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study
RPCC	Release Prevention, Control and Countermeasure
RQ	Reportable Quantity
RMP	Risk Management Plan
RSO	Radiation Safety Officer
RUST	RCRA Underground Storage Tanks
SARA	Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act
SBAP	Small Business Assistance Program
SBO	Small Business Ombudsman
SDWA	Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
Second Third	June 23, 1989, Federal Register (54 FR 26594) - hazardous waste land disposal restrictions
SERC	State Emergency Response Commission
SIC	Standard Industrial Classification
SIP	State Implementation Plan
SMCL	Secondary Maximum Contamination Level
SNM	Special Nuclear Material
SOC	Schedule of Compliance
SPCC	Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures
SPDES	State Pollutant Discharge Elimination
SQG	Small Quantity Generator of hazardous wastes (has a specific definition!)
SQHUW	Small Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste (haz waste)
SW-846	Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods
SWMU	Solid Waste Management Unit
SSLA	Small Sealed Lead Acid (battery)
TAP	Toxic Air Pollutant
TCDD	Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin
TCE	Tetrachloroethylene, perchloroethylene
TCLP	Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure
Third Third	June 1, 1990, Federal Register (55 FR 22520) - refers to hazardous wastes "landban" land disposal restrictions
TOC	Total Organic Carbon
TPQ	Threshold Planning Quantity (CERCLA community right-to-know)
TQ	Threshold Quantity (spill reporting)
TRI	Toxic Release Inventory (CERCLA community right-to-know)
TSCA	Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 - regulates asbestos, PCBs, new chemicals being deveoped for sale and other chemicals
TSDF	Treatment, Storage, or Disposal Facility (permitted hazardous waste facility)
TSS	Total Suspended Solids
TWA	Time Weighted Average
UHC	Underlying Hazardous Constituent
UIC	Underground Injection Control
USCG	United States Coast Guard
USDA	United States Department of Agriculture
USDW	Underground Source of Drinking Water
USPS	United States Postal Service
UST	Underground Storage
UTS	Universal Treatment Standards: These are the constituent-specific treatment standards found in §268.48.
VOC	Volatile Organic Compounds
WAP	Waste Analysis Plan - A plan that outlines the procedures necessary to ensure proper treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste.