1995 May Report of the Auditor General of Canada

May 1995 Report—Chapter 2

Exhibit 2.1—Glossary of Terms

Waste: Any product, substance or organism that is no longer of use to its owner/ generator and is consequently discarded.

Contaminant: Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance in air, soil or water that has an adverse effect.

Solid waste: Garbage collected from households and commercial, institutional or industrial sources that requires recycling, composting, incineration or disposal in landfill.

Hazardous waste: Any solid, liquid or gaseous material that is considered harmful to human health or to other living organisms due to its toxic, radioactive, flammable or infectious properties and that requires special disposal techniques to eliminate or reduce the hazard.

Hazard: The harmful effect of a contaminant or waste, usually evaluated according to the type and magnitude of the physical, chemical, biological or radiological effects associated with exposure to the contaminant or waste.

Liquid wastes: Discarded liquids from domestic, commercial or industrial processes.

Air Emissions: Unwanted by-products of human activity that are released into the air.

Orphan Contaminated Site: A contaminated site for which the responsible party cannot be identified or is unable or unwilling to initiate remediation.

National Contaminated Site: Any contaminated site not on federal lands.

High-Risk Contaminated Site: A site that poses an existing or imminent threat to human health or the environment by virtue of the toxicity of its contaminants, the lack of their containment or its proximity to human habitats and sensitive environments.

Remediation: The management of a contaminated site so as to prevent, minimize or mitigate damage to human health or the environment. Remediation options may include, but are not limited to, direct physical actions, such as treatment, removal or destruction of contaminants, or other on-site risk management solutions, such as capping or containment of contaminants or even benign neglect.