| Carcinogen |
A chemical capable of causing cancer in humans or animals. |
| CFCs |
Chlorofluorocarbon, a chemical compound found in many aerosol products or manufacturing processes and believed to be responsible for depleting the Earth's diminishing ozone layer. |
| Embedded energy |
The energy used to manufacture a product. |
| Embodied energy |
The energy used during the entire life-cycle of a commodity, ie, manufacture, transportation and disposal. |
| EMF electromagnetic field |
Low-energy radiation that comes from the interaction of electric and magnetic fields. Sources include power lines, electric appliances, radio waves, microwaves, and others. Also called electromagnetic radiation. |
| Emulsion paint |
A coating comprised of an emulsion of a resin binder in water. |
| Formaldehyde |
An organic, carbon-containing gas chemical. It is a volatile organic compound. It poses health threats including headaches, fatigue, and moodiness, irritation of mucus membranes, respiratory problems, and cancer. |
| Halogenated solvent |
Formed by substituting one of the halogen elements (chlorine, bromine, or fluorine) into a chemical compound to change both the physical and chemical natures of the compound. |
| HCFCs |
One of a class of compounds used primarily as a CFC substitute. Work on CFC alternatives began in the late 1970s after the first warnings of CFC damage to stratospheric ozone. By adding hydrogen to the chemical formulation, chemists made CFCs less stable in the lower atmosphere enabling them to break down before reaching the ozone layer. However, HCFCs do release chlorine and have contributed more to atmospheric chlorine build-up than originally predicted. |
| ISO 14001 |
A series of international standards for environmental management systems (ISO 14001), life-cycle assessments, environmental audits, environmental labelling, environmental performance evaluation and environment-related terms and definitions. |
| Mutagen |
Anything that can cause a change (or mutation) in the genetic material of a living cell. |
| Passive design strategies |
Passive design is energy efficient design which makes the most of local conditions to make your building more comfortable while reducing your bills. |
| Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
Widely used plastic and one of the major end-uses of chlorine. It is a polymer consisting of thousands of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) molecules joined end to end in a chain. The pure polymer is hard, brittle and difficult to process, but it becomes flexible when plasticizers are added. |
| Solvent |
A liquid capable of dissolving another substance to form
a solution. Water is sometimes called "the universal solvent" because
it dissolves so many things. Organic solvents are used in
paints, varnishes, lacquers, industrial cleaners and printing
inks, for example. The use of such solvents in coatings and
cleaners has declined over the past several years, because
the most common ones are toxic, contribute to air pollution
and may be fire hazards. |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) |
Carbon-containing compounds that evaporate into the air (with a few exceptions). VOCs contribute to the formation of smog and/or may themselves be toxic. VOCs often have an odour, and some examples include gasoline, alcohol, and the solvents used in paints. |
