Glossary

bioaccumulation: the process in which a pollutant builds up in the body over an individual's lifetime.

body burden: the load of a given pollutant that an individual carries in his/her body

bottom ash (also, clinker): the residue from an incinerator that falls through the grate mechanism at the bottom of the furnace.

dioxins and furans: commonly used to refer to polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzo furans (PCDF). These toxic chemical compounds are formed during the incineration process and have been shown to be carcinogenic and weaken the immune system, among numerous other negative health impacts.

discards: Materials of no further use to their present owner, to be differentiated from waste, which are materials of no possible use to anyone.

fly ash: The ash recovered from an incinerator's air pollution control equipment.

gasification: A two-stage form of incineration in which waste is first broken down in an oxygen-depleted environment, producing a gas which is then burned.

incineration plant: any stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of wastes with or without recovery of the combustion heat generated.

picogram: common unit of measurement of dioxins, 1 x 10-12 gram, or one one-trillionth of a gram.

PICs (Products of Incomplete Combustion): are chemical compounds produced when garbage does not completely burn. They are emitted in the stack gases anddeposited in the residual ashes and liquids of all waste incinerators.

POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants): synthetic chemicals which display the following properties: they are organic (composed of hydrocarbons); persist long times in the environment; are capable of long-distance transport; and are toxic to humans.

pyrolysis: a form of incineration in which waste is treated in a depleted-oxygen environment, producing a gas, which is burned, and other byproducts, including slag.

Stockholm Convention: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. An international treaty which bans or regulates production and emissions of a class of synthetic chemicals, including dioxins.

TDI (tolerable daily intake): the maximum amount of a chemical which can theoretically be safely ingested. WHO and various governments set TDIs for some chemicals of concern.

TEQ (toxic equivalency): a calculated figure used to estimate the overall toxicity of multiple types (congeners) of dioxin-like chemicals at once. There are two primary TEQ systems, I-TEQ (International) and WHO, which yield slightly different results.

waste-to-energy (WTE): Incineration with an attached steam turbine to generate electricity. Also known as energy-from-waste (EFW) or "energy recovery."