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Displaying 15 of about 301 resultsDrain and sewer flooding is said to occur when sewage or foul water leaks from the sewerage system (through pipes, drains or manholes) or floods up through toilets, sinks or showers inside a building (Priestly, 2016).
Healthcare waste includes waste generated within healthcare facilities, research centres and laboratories related to medical procedures and medical equipment. It also includes waste originating from minor and scattered healthcare sources, including waste produced in the course of emergency medical treatment or health care undertaken in the home (e.g., h…
Wastewater is regarded as a combination of one or more of the following materials: domestic effluent consisting of ‘blackwater’ (excreta, urine and faecal sludge, contaminants from pharmaceutical and personal care products) and ‘greywater’ (used water from washing and bathing); water from commercial establishments and institutions, including hospitals;…
Mining hazards can be defined as having major environmental impacts including the production of waste, release of toxic and hazardous waste, air pollution and emissions, water pollution and depletion, and the loss of productive land and ecosystems (adapted from UNDP and UN Environment, 2018).
A leak or a spill is an incident involving the uncontrolled release of a toxic substance, potentially resulting in harm to public health and the environment. Chemical incidents can occur as a result of natural events, or as a result of accidental or intentional events. These incidents can be sudden and acute or have a slow onset when there is a ‘silent’…
Pollution is defined as the presence of substances and/or heat in environmental media (air, water, land) whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable environmental effects (UN data, no date). Alternative definition: Pollution is defined as activity that generates pollutants (UN data, no date).
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using digital devices such as cell/mobile phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, e-mail, apps, social media, forums, or gaming when people view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes the deliberate sending, posting, or sharing of negative, harmful, false, or mean…
Malware is a summary term for different forms of malevolent software designed to infiltrate and infect computers, typically without the knowledge of the owner (ITU, 2008).
Conformity assessment: activity that provides demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or body are fulfilled (NIST Information Technology Laboratory, no date).For the purposes of this standard, interoperability allows any government facility or information system, regardless of the personal Identity verifi…
Dam failure is the collapse or movement of part of a dam or its foundation, such that the dam cannot retain water. In general, a failure results in a release of large quantities of water imposing risks on the people or property downstream (ICOLD, 2015).
A building high-rise cladding fire hazard occurs when combustible materials such as cladding on a high-rise building greatly increases risk in the event of a fire and can have a catastrophic outcome (adapted from Rockpanel, no date)
A substance or a material emitting, or related to the emission of, ionising radiation (either in the form of electromagnetic waves or particle radiation) is radioactive (IAEA, 2018).
Explosive remnants of war are unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance that are left by a party to an armed conflict following the cessation of warfare. Explosive ordnance is defined as conventional munitions containing explosives (United Nations, 2004:2).
Wind is air motion relative to the Earth’s surface. Unless otherwise specified, only the horizontal component is considered (WMO, 1992).
A subtropical storm is a subtropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 34 kt (39 mph or 63 km/hr) or more (NOAA, 2019).