Acronyms, Abbreviations and Initializations
This list includes acronyms, abbreviations and initializations relevant to a broad range of environmental topics, although the primary focus is on the state and federal contamination cleanup programs. This list is published as an aide for the public, the regulated community and regulators who occasionally encounter unknown and unexplained terms. It should not be taken to be a comprehensive list.
21C - Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21C
21E - Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21E
A
AAL - Allowable Ambient Limit
ACEC - Area of Critical Environmental Concern
ACO - Administrative Consent Order
ADD - Average Daily Dose
ADE - Average Daily Exposure
ADSCR - Average Daily Soil Contact Rate
ADSIR - Average Daily Soil Intake Rate
AEPMM - Active Exposure Pathway Mitigation Measure
AF - Absorbed Fraction, the fraction of OHM in soil absorbed through the skin
AHERA - Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (1986)
AP - Averaging Period
APH - Air-phase Petroleum Hydrocarbons
ARAR - Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirement
AST - Above Ground Storage Tank
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
ATC - Allowable Threshold Concentration
ATSDR - U.S. Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry
AUL - Activity and Use Limitation
AWQC - Ambient Water Quality Criteria
B
BAW - MassDEP Bureau of Air and Waste
BDAT - Best Demonstrated Available Technology
BDL - Below Detection Limit
bgs - below ground surface
BMP - Best Management Practices
BNA - Base-Neutral and Acid-Extractable Organic Compounds
BOD - Biological Oxygen Demand
BOH - Board of Health
BOL - Bill of Lading
BPP - MassDEP Bureau of Policy and Planning
BTEX - Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes
BW - Body Weight
BWP - MassDEP Bureau of Waste Prevention (now Bureau of Air and Waste)
BWR - MassDEP Bureau of Water Resources
BWSC - MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup
C
C - either: (a) Celsius or Centigrade or (b) units Conversion factor
c.21E - Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21E
CAA – U.S. Clean Air Act
CAFE - Corporate Average Fuel Economy [standard]
CAG - U.S. EPA's Carcinogen Assessment Group
CAM - Compendium of Analytical Methods
CAS - Chemical Abstract Service
CDF - Confined Disposal Facility
CEP - Critical Exposure Pathway
CERCLA - U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
CERCLIS - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System
CERO - MassDEP Central Regional Office
CFC - chlorofluorocarbon
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
CMR - Code of Massachusetts Regulations
CMO - Chief Municipal Officer
COC - Contaminant of Concern
COD - Chemical Oxygen Demand
CRA - Comprehensive Response Action
Cres - Residual Saturation
Csat - Soil Saturation Concentration
CSF - Cancer Slope Factor
CSM - Conceptual Site Model
CVOC - Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compound
CWA - U.S. Clean Water Act
D
DAD - Dead and Decomposing
DAQC - MassDEP Division of Air Quality Control (now Air and Climate Division)
dB - Decibel
DCE - Dichloroethylene
DDD - 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethane
DDE - dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene
DDT - 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane
DEIR - Draft Environmental Impact Report
DEQE - Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering, which is the former name of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
DHM - MassDEP Division of Hazardous Materials (now Business Compliance Division)
DNAPL - Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
DO - Dissolved Oxygen
DOD - U.S. Department of Defense
DOE - U.S. Department of Energy
DOI - U.S. Department of the Interior
DOJ - U.S. Department of Justice
DOT - U.S. Department of Transportation
DPH - Massachusetts Department of Public Health
DPS - either: (a) Downgradient Property Status or (b) the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety
DQO - Data Quality Objectives
DRE - Destruction Removal Efficiency
DSWM - MassDEP Division of Solid Waste Management (now Business Compliance Division)
DWM - MassDEP Division of Watershed Management (includes Wetlands Program)
DWPC - MassDEP Division of Water Pollution Control (now Wastewater Management Program)
DWS - MassDEP Division of Water Supply (Now the Drinking Water Program, DWP)
E
E/P - Evaporation/percolation
ECD - Electron Capture Detector
ED - Exposure Duration
EDB - Ethylene Dibromide
EF - Exposure Frequency
EHS - Extremely Hazardous Substance
EIR - Environmental Impact Report
EIS - Environmental Impact Statement
ELCR - Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk
ENF - Environmental Notification Form
EOEEA - Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
EP - Exposure Period
EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPC - Exposure Point Concentration
EPCRA - Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
EPH - Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons
ERL - Effects Range Low
ERM - Effects Range Median
ESP - Electrostatic Precipitator
eV - Electron Volt
F
FB - Field Blank
FEIR - Final Environmental Impact Report
FEIS - Final Environmental Impact Statement
FI - Food Intake
FID - Flame Ionization Detector
FIFRA - U.S. Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
FNSI - Finding of No Significant Impact
FOIA - Freedom of Information Act
FONSEI - Finding Of No Significant Environmental Impact
FP - Flash Point
FS - Feasibility Study
FSP - Field Sampling Plan
FY - Fiscal Year
G
GAC - Granular Activated Carbon
GAO - U.S. General Accounting Office
GC - Gas chromatography
GC/ECD - Gas Chromatography/Electron Capture Detector
GC/MS - Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
GC/FID - Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detector
GC/PID - Gas Chromatography/Photoionization Detector
GEIR - Generic Environmental Impact Report
GIS - Geographic Information System
GPM - Gallons per Minute
GW - Ground Water
GW-1 - groundwater category GW-1
GW-2 - groundwater category GW-2
GW-3 - groundwater category GW-3
GWTP - Ground Water Treatment Plant
H
H&S - Health and Safety
HAP - Hazardous Air Pollutant
HASP - Health and Safety Plan
HAZWOPER - Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
HCFC - Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
HCS - Hazardous Communication Standard
HDPE - High-Density Polyethylene
HEAST - U.S. EPA's Health Effects Assessment Summary Tables
HI - Hazard Index
HMTA - Hazardous Material Transportation Act
HMTUSA - Hazardous Material Transportation Uniform Safety Act
HPLC - High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
HQ - Hazard Quotient
HRS - Hazard Ranking System
HSA - Hollow Stem Auger
HSWA - U.S. EPA’s Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (1984)
HM - Hazardous Material
HW - Hazardous Waste
I
IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer
ICAP - Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma emissions spectroscopy
ICP - Inductively Coupled Plasma atomic emission spectroscopy
IDL - Instrument Detection Limit
IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health
IH - Imminent Hazard
IM - Interim Measure (eliminated from MCP in 1993)
IR - either: (a) Infrared or (b) Ingestion Rate
IRA - Immediate Response Action
IRAC - Immediate Response Action Completion [Report]
IRAP - Immediate Response Action Plan
IRIS - US EPA's Integrated Risk Information System
ISCO - In-Situ Chemical Oxidation
ISV - In-Situ Volatilization
IT - Innovative Technology
ITRC - Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
IWPA - Interim Wellhead Protection Area
IWTP - Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant
J
K
kg - kilogram
L
L - liter
LADD - Lifetime Average Daily Dose
LADSCR - Lifetime Average Daily Soil Contact Rate normalized to bodyweight
LADSIR - Lifetime Average Daily Soil Intake Rate normalized to bodyweight
LAER - Lowest Achievable Emission Rate
LC50 - Lethal Concentration at which 50% of the population dies
LD50 - Lethal Dose at which 50% of the population dies
LDR - Land Disposal Restrictions
LEL - Lower Explosive Limit
LEPC - Local Emergency Planning Committee
LIF - Laser Induced Fluorescence
LLRW - Low-Level Radioactive Waste
LNAPL - Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
LOAEL - Lowest Observed Adverse Effects Level
LOEL - Lowest Observed Effects Level
LRA - Limited Removal Action
LSP - Licensed Site Professional
LTBI - Location to Be Investigated (eliminated from MCP in 1993)
LTTD - Low Temperature Thermal Desorption
LUST - Leaking Underground Storage Tank
M
m - meter
MACT - Maximum Available Control Technology
MassDEP - Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level
MCP - Massachusetts Contingency Plan
MDL - Method Detection Limit
MEK - Methyl Ethyl Ketone
MEPA - Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act
MF - Modifying Factor
mg - milligram
MGL - Massachusetts General Laws
MMCL - Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level
MNA - Monitored Natural Attenuation
MOHML - Massachusetts Oil and Hazardous Material List
MOU - Memorandum of Understanding
MS - Mass Spectrometry
MS/MSD - Matrix Spike/Matrix Spike Duplicate
MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet
MSL - Mean Sea Level
MSR - Material Shipment Record
MTBE - Methyl tertiary-Butyl Ether
MW - either: (a) Molecular Weight or (b) Monitoring Well
N
NAAQS - National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NAPL - Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
NCP - National Contingency Plan
ND - either (a) Not Detected or (b) Non- Detect
NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act
NERO - MassDEP Northeast Regional Office
NESHAP - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
NFA - No Further Action
ng – nanogram
NIOSH - National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
NOx - Nitrous Oxides
NOAA - National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAEL - No Observed Adverse Effects Level
NOEL - No Observed Effects Level
NOHSCP - National Oil and Hazardous Substance Contingency Plan
NOI - Notice of Intent
NON - Notice of Noncompliance
NOR - Notice of Responsibility
NORA - Notice of Response Action
NPDES - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPDWSA - Non-Potential Drinking Water Source Area
NPL - National Priorities List
NPOTW - Non-Publicly Owned Treatment Works
NRD - Natural Resource Damage
NRS - Numerical Ranking System (note: discontinued in 2014)
NRWQC - National Recommended Water Quality Criteria
NSPS - New Source Performance Standard
NSR - No Significant Risk
O
O&M - Operation and Maintenance
OHM - Oil and/or Hazardous Material
OMM - Operation, Maintenance and/or Monitoring
ORS - MassDEP Office of Research and Standards
ORSG - Office of Research and Standards Guideline (for drinking water)
ORW - Outstanding Resource Water
OSC - On-Scene Coordinator
OSHA - U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OTA - Massachusetts Office of Technology Assessment
OWM - Massachusetts Office of Watershed Management
P
PAHs - Polycyclic (or Polynuclear) Aromatic Hydrocarbons
PAN - Penalty Assessment Notice
PARCCS - Precision, Accuracy, Representativeness, Completeness, Comparability and Sensitivity
Pb - chemical symbol for lead
PCBs - Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PCDDs - Polychlorinated Dibenzo Dioxins
PCDFs - Polychlorinated Dibenzo Furans
PCE - Perchloroethylene (Tetrachloroethylene)
PDWSA - Potential Drinking Water Source Area
PEL - OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit
PID - Photoionization Detector
PIP - Public Involvement Plan
PLM - Polarized Light Microscope/Microscopy
PM10 - Particulate Matter of 10 microns in diameter or smaller
POTW - Publicly Owned Treatment Works
PPA - either: (a) Potentially Productive Aquifer or (b) Pollution Prevention Act
ppb - parts per billion
ppbV - parts per billion by volume
PPE - Personal Protective Equipment
ppm - parts per million
ppmV - parts per million by volume
PPRTV - Provisional Peer-Reviewed Toxicity Value
ppt - parts per trillion
PQL - Practical Quantitation Limit
PRA - Preliminary Response Action
PRP - Potentially Responsible Party
PS - Permanent Solution
PSD - Prevention of Significant Deterioration
PSC - Permanent Solution with Conditions
PSNC - Permanent Solution with No Conditions
PTS - Permanent or Temporary Solution
PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride
Q
q1* - U.S. EPA's Cancer Assessment Group's published cancer slope value
QA - Quality Assurance
QC - Quality Control
R
RACT - Reasonably Available Control Technology
RAF - Relative Absorption Factor
RAM - Release Abatement Measure
RAO - Response Action Outcome (no longer used as of April 2014)
RAO-P - Response Action Outcome-Partial (no longer used as of April 2014)
RAPS - Response Action Performance Standard
RC - Reportable Concentration
RCGW-1 - groundwater Reporting Category RCGW-1
RCGW-2 - groundwater Reporting Category RCGW-2
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
RCS-1 - soil Reporting Category RCS-1
RCS-2 - soil Reporting Category RCS-2
RfC - Reference Concentration
RfD - Reference Dose
RFI - either: (a) Request for Information or (b) RCRA Facility Investigation
RFP - Request for Proposals
RGP - US EPA Remediation General Permit
RI/FS - Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study
RIP - Remedy Implementation Plan
RLF - Release Log Form
RLFA - Release Log Form Amendment
RNF - Release Notification Form
ROD - Record of Decision
ROS - Remedy Operation Status
RP - either: (a) Responsible Party or (b) Respirable Particulates
RQ - Reportable Quantity
RQD - Rock Quality Designation
RRT - Regional Response Team
RTECS - Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances
RTN - Release Tracking Number
S
S-1 - soil category S-1
S-2 - soil category S-2
S-3 - soil category S-3
SA - Skin Surface Area
SARA - Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
SCBA - Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
SDWA – U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act
SERO - MassDEP Southeast Regional Office
SIC - Standard Industrial Classification
SIP - State Implementation Plan
SITE - Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation
SO2 - Sulfur Dioxide
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
SOW - Scope of Work
SPCCP - Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan
SPD - Special Project Designation
SRM - Substantial Release Migration
SSDS - Sub-slab Depressurization System
STEL - Short-Term Exposure Limit
SVE - Soil Vapor Extraction
SVOC - Semi-volatile Organic Compound
SW - either: (a) Surface Water or (b) Solid Waste
T
TAG - Technical Assistance Grant
TCA - Trichloroethane
TCDD - Tetrachlorinated Dibenzo Dioxin
TCDF - Tetrachlorinated Dibenzo Furan
TCE - Trichloroethylene
TCLP - Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
TEF - Toxicity Equivalency Factor
TEL - Threshold Effects Level
TEQ - Toxicity Equivalent
TICs - Tentatively Identified Compounds
TMPS - Temporary Solution
TLV - OSHA Threshold Limit Value
Tn - LNAPL Transmissivity
TO-15 - Analytical Method used to analyze Volatile Organic Compounds in Air
TOR - Threat of Release
TOV - Total Organic Vapors
TPH/IR - Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons measured using Infrared Analysis
TPH/GC/PID - Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons measured using Gas Chromatography and a Photo-Ionization Detector
TPH/GC/FID - Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons measured using Gas Chromatography and a Flame Ionization Detector
TPH - Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
TQ - Threshold Quantity
TRC - Technical Review Criteria
TRI - Toxic Release Inventory
TSCA - U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act
TSDF - Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility
TWA - Time Weighted Average
U
UCL - either: (a) Upper Concentration Limit or (b) Upper Confidence Limit
UF - Uncertainty Factor
µg - microgram
UIC - Underground Injection Control
UR - Unit Risk value
URAM - Utility-related Abatement Measure
US EPA - United States Environmental Protection Agency
USACE - United States Army Corps of Engineers
USCG - United States Coast Guard
USGS - United States Geological Survey
UST - Underground Storage Tank
UTM - Universal Transverse Mercator
UV - Ultraviolet
V
VC - Vinyl Chloride
VI - either: (a) Vapor Intrusion or (b) Volume Ingested
VOC - Volatile Organic Compound
VPH - Volatile Petroleum Hydrocarbons
VR - Volume Respired
W
WERO - MassDEP Western Regional Office
WES - Wall Experiment Station
WQC - [Ambient] Water Quality Criteria
WWTP - Waste Water Treatment Plant
X
XRF - X-Ray Fluorescence
Y
Z