Water Quality
This term is also known as the scientific study of water.
Hydrology
This phenomenon occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react in the air with water and oxygen before settling on the earth’s surface and harming the environment.
Acid Rain
This contagious term is used to denote the occurrence of a similar illness among two or more people linked to consumption of a common meal or food item.
Foodborne illness outbreak
This term is used to describe materials that are perceived to be of negative value
Waste
This Michigan city experienced a major public health crisis in 2014-2015 when the public drinking water source was changed, resulting in high levels of lead being found in the drinking water.
Flint, MI
In April of 2010, this oil platform exploded, resulting in approximately 3.3 million barrels of oil making its way to the Gulf of Mexico, affecting more than 30,000 square miles of Gulf waters.
Deepwater Horizon
Often associated with dust, soot, and smoke, this criteria air pollutant gets deep into the lungs and may result in airway irritation, lung damage, and early mortality.
PM 2.5
One of “the Big Six” foodborne illnesses, this virus is the most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States, affecting an estimated 19-21 million people each year.
Norovirus
This practice, defined as “the aerobic biological decomposition of organic materials to produce a stable humus-like product,” is commonly performed in someone’s backyard, and is an effective way of preventing food waste from entering the landfill.
Composting
Owned by Enbridge, this pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac and has been a controversial topic in Michigan for multiple years.
Line 5
This hydrological term is used to describe a layer of earth or rock that contains groundwater.
Aquifer
Contributing to the creation of smog, this atmospheric condition occurs when a warm layer of air settles above a cool layer of air that is closer to the earth’s surface.
Temperature inversion
This is the active surveillance network developed by the CDC to identify new cases of foodborne illness.
FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network)
According to the EPA, this is the most environmentally preferred strategy of reducing waste.
Source reduction
In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city in the world to add this element to its drinking water supply in response to studies linking its inclusion to the water supply to lower incidence of tooth decay among residents.
Fluoride
The last of four stages of water treatment, this stage of water treatment sometimes uses UV light or chemicals to remove pathogens.
Disinfection
This scale, created by the EPA, reports ozone and PM 2.5 levels to communicate outdoor air quality and health.
Air Quality Index (AQI)
In the United States, this agency regulates meat, poultry, and eggs.
United States Department of Agriculture
This is the term used to describe the water that collects contaminants as it trickles through a landfill and can result in hazardous substances entering the ground or surface water if the landfill is not properly constructed.
Leachate
Linked to a family of bacteria that can grow in human-made building water systems, (such as air conditioning units), a 2014 outbreak in Flint, Michigan, of this disease led to more than 90 confirmed cases and 12 confirmed fatalities.
Legionnaires’ disease
This legislation, amended in 1972, gave the EPA authority to regulate water quality standards of surface waters and prohibited discharging untreated wastewater into navigable waters without a permit.
The Clean Water Act
On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from this agreement, which was originally adopted to curb the effects of climate change.
The Paris Agreement
Time and temperature control for safety foods, also known as “potentially hazardous foods,” should remain out of this term as much as possible to prevent bacterial pathogens from growing to unsafe levels.
Temperature danger zone
Also known as Superfund, this federal act mandates the cleanup of hazardous waste sites in the United States (the abbreviation is fine).
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Many communities around the Great Lakes, including multiple communities in Metro Detroit are at risk of contaminating surface waters during heavy rainfall due to the installation of this type of system that is used to transport both wastewater and storm water runoff.
Combined Sewer System