Acute Exposure: a single short exposure or a few short exposures to a relatively large concentration of a chemical.

Administrative Controls: To change the way people work.

Aerosols: A suspension of tiny particles or droplets in the air.

Airborne: Transmission occurs through droplets or aerosols. The organism gets into the air and is breathed in by another person.

Anteroom: a small, separate barrier room at the entrance to the work area, with doors at each end.

Assessment: A process of gathering, analyzing and documenting; evaluation.

Assigned Protection Factor (APF): the workplace level of respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is expected to provide to employees when the employer implements a continuing, effective respiratory protection program.

Autoclave: a strong, heated container used for chemical reactions and other processes using high pressure temperatures.

Bioaerosols: Airborne particles that are living or that originate from living organisms.

Biocontainment: the physical containment of highly pathogenic organisms.

Biological Agent: Bacteria, viruses, fungi or other microorganisms that can negatively affect human health. Effects can range from mild allergic reactions to serious medical conditions, even death.

Biosafety: The discipline addressing the safe handling and containment of infectious microorganisms and hazardous biological materials.

Bloodborne: Bloodborne pathogens are encountered via contact with an infected person’s blood or other bodily fluids.

Category A Priority Pathogens: Organisms/Biological agents that pose the highest risk to national security and public health.

Category B Priority Pathogens: The second-highest priority organisms/biological agents.

Category C Priority Pathogens: The third-highest priority, including emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future.

Chronic Exposure: a repeated exposure to a chemical that occurs over months/years.

Colonization: When an organism successfully enters the body, grows and multiplies.

Conjunctivae: the mucous membranes that cover the front of the eye and line the inside of the eyelids.

Contraindicated: not recommended or not appropriate.

Decontamination: the process of removing contaminants (infectious agents) that have accumulated on people who have worked in a contaminated or likely contaminated environment.

Direct Contact: A susceptible person physically contacts an infected person and transfers the organism (by kissing, sexual contact, or touching open wounds/sores).

Disseminate: spread widely.

Disinfection: a process that eliminates more or all infectious organisms from objects and surfaces.

Doff: remove

Don: put on

Elimination: to physically remove the hazard.

Engineering Controls: To isolate people from the hazard.

Epidemiology: the branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.

Exposure: Contact with a chemical, physical, radiological and/or biological agent.

Germicidal: something that kills germs