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Glossary
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Household waste
Waste produced within the curtilage of a building
or self-contained part of a building used for living
accommodation.
Hydromorphological pressures
Physical disturbances of water such as impoundments
and other water regulation structures.
Industrial waste
Waste produced by industrial activity such as that
of factories, mills and mines.
Invasive alien species
Species that have been introduced to Ireland (deliberately
or accidentally) by humans and have a negative impact
on its economy, wildlife or habitats.
Invertebrate
An animal that does not possess a backbone.
Ireland’s Sustainable Development Model (ISus)
An environmental emissions projection model for the
economy of Ireland.
Kyoto Protocol
The 1997 protocol to the Convention on Climate Change
under which industrialised countries commit to reducing
their combined greenhouse gas emissions.
Limit value
A level fixed on the basis of scientific knowledge, with
the aim of avoiding, preventing or reducing harmful
effects on human health and/or the environment as a
whole, to be attained within a given period and not to
be exceeded once attained.
Municipal waste
Comprises household waste as well as commercial,
industrial and street cleansing waste, which because of
its nature and composition is similar to household waste.
Nanomaterials
Materials of extremely small scale, with applications
in electronics and elsewhere, which may be potentially
harmful to human health.
Natura 2000
EU-wide network of nature protection areas established
under the Habitats Directive.
Nitrate (NO
3
)
A salt of nitric acid (HNO
3
).
Nitrogen oxides (NO
X
)
A gas that usually includes the pollutants nitric oxide
(NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO
2
), produced by high-
temperature combustion and some natural processes.
Nitrogen dioxide is harmful to human health above
specified limits.
Nutrient
Element or chemical essential for growth,
e.g. phosphorus, nitrogen, silica, oxygen, carbon.
Ozone (O
3
)
A secondary pollutant in which the molecule of oxygen
consists of three atoms rather than the more usual two.
Ozone precursor
A substance that contributes to the formation of
ground-level (tropospheric) ozone.
Particulate matter
Air pollutant comprising fine solid particles (dust)
and liquid droplets.
Pathogens
Biologically hazardous organisms such as viruses, bacteria
or parasites that may give rise to illness in humans or
animals.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Substances such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated
biphenyl that can resist degradation and accumulate in
the environment.
Pesticide
A general term for any chemical agent used to
kill unwanted plants (‘weeds’), animal pests, or
disease-causing fungi.
Phosphate (PO4)
The commonly occurring form of phosphorus taken up
by plants in the aquatic environment and essential for
their growth.
PM
2.5
Particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 μm in diameter.