This  glossary of commonly used terms in the chemical industry includes the most basic concepts and products mentioned on the Earthwise website. If you have any suggestions for additions or any questions, please let us know and we will update this section.

Bioaccumulative
Bioaccumulation occurs when exposures to certain substances are repeated more frequently than the time needed for a substance to leave humans’ or animals’ bodies. It can occur with virtually any substance, including pharmaceuticals and natural products. However, humans and/or animals may have great difficulty getting rid of certain substances. These substances are referred to as bioaccumulative.

Bromine
Bromine is an element, number 35 on the periodic table. It is one of only two elements that are liquid at room temperature. It is brown and dense, smelling a lot like chlorine (in fact bromine, like chlorine, is used in swimming pools). Its primary use is in flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and dyes. Bromine is obtained from natural brines and ocean water. More information is available at www.bromine-info.org.

CPSC
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has federal regulatory authority over 15,000 consumer products in the United States, from toys and bicycles to swimming pools and clothing.

Deca
Decabromodiphenyl ether (often referred to as DecaBDE or decabrom) is one of the most widely used flame retardants in the world. Its potential for health and environmental effects has been studied extensively.

Eco-friendly
Eco-friendly products have been optimized for the least negative impact on the earth and life through their entire lifecycle, from materials extraction, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use, disposal and recycling. Although no product is “perfectly” eco-friendly, it is important that the impact each product has on the environment is analyzed and that each generation of products is better than the previous ones.

EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal executive branch office charged with environment regulatory authority in the United States.

Flame retardant
A flame retardant is a chemical or material that reduces flammability in the material to which it is applied. Flame retardants are often used in products that are routinely exposed to electrical current and/or high temperature or which otherwise pose a high fire hazard in an effort to reduce their potential to catch fire. Examples of products commonly flame retarded are printed circuit boards, electrical wire and cables, televisions, cell phone chargers, cushions in sofas, mattresses and car seats, and airplane upholstery and cushioning.

Flammability standards
Flammability standards are a set of regulations and/or voluntary guidelines that define the performance characteristics of materials with respect to flame retardancy..

Green chemistry
Green chemistry is a term to describe chemical philosophy and practices encouraging the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

ISO 14001 principles
These principles demonstrate the commitment of the industries involved to act in the interest of society and the environment while enhancing the competitiveness of local industries.They offer all companies – small, medium or large – equal access to the industry’s expertise in environmental best practices, as well as procedures driving continuous improvement. The ISO 14001 principles  include benchmarking for other industries to apply similar principles.

NGO
NGO stands for Non-Governmental Organization.

Non-toxic
Non-toxic is a descriptive term for a substance or compound that does not cause damage to an exposed living organism at an acceptably high dose. The term can be applied with respect to humans, animals, plants, fish, microorganisms or virtually any living organism.

OEM
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer.

Persistent substance
A persistent substance is one that does not break down in the environment within an acceptable time frame. The time frames for breakdown are generally set by multiple regulators around the world, and are established for air, water and soil/sediment.

Polymer
Polymers are large molecules with repeating chains of similar structures. They are a building block of many useful materials, including plastics.

Polymeric
Polymeric is a descriptive word for naturally occurring or synthetic compounds consisting of, or related to, large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers.

Polystyrene
Polystyrene is a polymer composed of repeating styrene building blocks. It comes in many forms, depending on substances added to the polymer, and is widely used in the manufacturing of common products.

R&D
R&D stands for Research and Development. It is the way in which companies innovate and create new products, materials and processes.

Recyclable
Recyclable refers to materials or products that can be re-made into new products to be used again.

Styrene
Styrene is named after the styrax tree, from whose sap (benzoin resin) it can be extracted. Low levels of styrene occur naturally in plants, as well as a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, beverages and meats.

Sustainable / sustainability
Sustainability concerning the planet refers to employing practices of today’s society to satisfy its needs, without impacting the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

VECAP
Voluntary Emissions Control Action Programme (VECAP) is a global chemical management program, implemented in Asia- Pacific region, Europe and North America in which Albemarle participates to encourage its customers to take an active role in emission reduction. The VECAP program is based on ISO 14001 principles. For more information on VECAP,, please visit www.vecap.info.

Updated: March 30, 2010