Glossary of Chemistry & Environmental Protection: terms & abbreviations   Dutch-English, French-English, German-English

This is very much a "personalised" collection compiled from my own translation work over the years. It is primarily for translators working into English but may also be helpful the other way round.
Especially in the areas of toxicology & biochemistry there is considerable overlap between this file and my Glossary of Medical Terms, Abbreviations & Symbols.

Take a look at my other online Glossaries too:
Glossary of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Science, Plant Health & Veterinary Science
Glossary: EU & International Affairs
Abbreviations & Acronyms Glossary
Bird Flu Glossary
Glossary of Social Security, Health Insurance & Pensions
Glossary of World Customs & International Trade
Glossary: The Bundestag in English

I offer them all "as is". Comments & suggestions welcome to Alison GauntFor my HOMEPAGE click here!

Key to sources & references
AU = Austria / B = Belgium / D = Germany / EU = European Union / Eurodic = Eurodicautom database / FR = France / ITI = Institute of Translation & Interpreting / microbiol. = microbiology / NL = Netherlands / pest. = pesticides

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NB: SPELLING is British English (like me) so "sulph-" not "sulf-", "haem-" not "hem-", "foetal" not "fetal", etc.)

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AACC = American Association of Clinical Chemists / AAS = 1. atomic absorption spectrometry; 2. atomic absorption spectrophotometry / Abbau = depletion (ozone layer) / biologisch abbaubar = biodegradable / Abfallabscheidung = segregation of wastes / abfallarm = low-waste / Abfallbeseitigungsanlage = waste disposal facility / über den gesamten Abfallkreislauf = "cradle-to-grave" / Abgabe = release, leaching (of chemical from materials) / Abgas = waste gas; exhaust gas (general); flue gas; fume (industrial processes); exhaust; emissions (motor vehicles) / Abklingquote = decay rate (pharm.) / Abkömmling = derivative / ABS = acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene / Abwasser = wastewater; effluent (general and industrial); sewage (from mains drainage system) / Abwasserleitung = sewer (if part of a utility's network); drain (if on land attached to private house) / ACGIH = American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists / ACV = analyse de cycle de vie see LCA / technologies d'adaptation et d'atténuation (usually needs a bit of paraphrasing) = technologies that help countries adapt to and mitigate (the effects of climate change) / ADC = Actieprogramme Afvalscheiding Droge Componenten (NL) (1992) = (suggest) Sorting of Dry Components in Waste Action Programme / ADEME = Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie = Environment and Energy Management Agency (FR) / additiver Umweltschutz = end-of-pipe technology (= older type of pollution control, treats waste as an "add-on" at the end of a process, before discharge into the environment. Modern preference is for "cleaner production", i.e. environmental safeguards are integral to the process) / Advisory Committee on Pesticides (UK) / ADZ aggregated dead zone (e.g. river sampling) / AED = atomic emission detection / AES = atomic emission spectroscopy / affouillement = scour (geol./hydrol.) / AFID = alkali flame ionisation detector / Afsset = Agence française de sécurité sanitaire de l'environnement et du travail = French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (website) / agarose / AGS = Ausschuß für Gefahrstoffe (D) = Dangerous Substances Committee / AH = aromatic hydrocarbon / Aktivchlor = active chlorine / ALARA = as high as reasonably achievable (syn. ALARP) / ALARP = as low as reasonably practicable (syn. ALARA) / Alaun = alum; aluminium potassium sulphate / aldicarb (pest.) / Altbatterien = spent batteries / Altchemikalien = obsolete chemicals (unused, stockpiled e.g., not wastes) / Altglas = recyclable glass; recoverable glass (deposited in "bottle banks") / Altlasten = inherited pollution problems; legacy hazards; "cost of the past" (EU) (in very general sense); derelict sites; abandoned sites (industrial, military); contaminated sites (industrial); old landfill sites (municipal waste); contaminated environments (nuclear) / Altlastensanierung = clean-up; (decontamination and) remediation; remedial action; reclamation; (soil) restoration; (land or site) rehabilitation / Altmedikamente = out-of-date medicines; time-expired medicines; medicines past their sell-by date / Altmetall = scrap metal; scrap / Altöl = waste oil; residual oil; (motor vehicles) sump oil / Altpapier = recoverable paper; salvage paper / Altpestizid = obsolete pesticide / Altreifen = old tyres / Altsäure = spent acid / Altstoff = recycled raw material; secondary raw material; (EU) existing commercial substance / floqué à l'amiante = containing sprayed asbestos ( building e.g.) / Ameisensäure = formic acid / ammoniac = ammonia (gas) / Ammoniak; ammoniaque = ammonia solution; "ammonia water"; "volatile alkali"; household ammonia (gas dissolved in water - a weak base) / amphetamines = recreational drugs, mostly (in UK) Class B, also known as: amp; billy whizz; poor man's coke; speed; uppers / AMSA = acide mercaptosuccinique, see DMSA / anilazine (pest.) / Anlaßproben = reactive sampling; reactive inspection / Anon = anone (cyclohexanone, C6H100, a solvent) / Anreicherungskultur = (liquid) enrichment culture (microbiol.) / Ansatz = conduct (of test) / ansetzen = conduct, perform / antibiotique à large spectre d'action = broad-spectrum antibiotic / anti-déflagrant = flame-proof / AOAC = Association of Official Analytical Chemists (USA) / AOD = argon-oxygen decarburisation / AOX = adsorbable organic halogen compounds (or halides) (= measure of amount of chlorine bound to organic substances in e.g. bleaching of paper or textiles) / organic halogens subject to absorption / APDC = ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate / Arbeitsanweisung = standard operating procedure (ITI) / Arocolor 1254 = a PCB / arseenwaterstof = arsine (AsH3, preferred to "arsenic hydride") / Artenvielfalt = biodiversity / Arzneispezialität = patent medicine; proprietary medicine / Asparaginsäure = aspartic acid / ATEX = explosive atmospheres (EU jargon) / atténuer = mitigate (effects of climate change) / atrazine (pest.) / Ätzkali = caustic potash; potassium hydroxide (KOH) / Aufschluß = digestion (chem.) (ITI) / Aufschwemmung = suspension / Ausgleichskonzentration des Formaldehyds = "offgas" formaldehyde (emitted from furniture e.g.; verb "to offgas") / Ausplattierung = plating out (microbiol.) / auswaschen = scavenge; wash out (aerosols) / auvent costal = coastal margin (water management) / avance aux frais de traitement = advance disposal fee (waste processing) / AVI = afvalverbrandingsinstallatie = waste incinerator; waste incineration plant / AVR = Afvalverwerkingsbedrijf Rijnmond (NL) = (suggest) Rijnmond Waste Processing Facility / azide de sodium = sodium azide / azijnzuur = acetic acid / azoïque = azoic (compound) / colorants azoïques = azo dyes / oxyde azotique = nitric oxide / azoture de sodium see azide de sodium


Created by Alison Gaunt
Last updated 10 March 2018 
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