Navy Human Health Risk Assessment Web Site

Navy Risk Communication Web Site

Glossary

Select a letter from the list below to view other definitions.

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U V W

Background Chemical Concentration
The concentration of a chemical in a medium prior to the action under consideration or the concentration that would have occurred in the environment in the absence of any prior action (Suter 1993).

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
Requires the DoD to comply with a variety of laws and regulations including CERCLA, RCRA, and NEPA.

Baseline (or Baseline Condition)
Condition of the resource and services that would have existed had a spill or release not occurred.

Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment (BERA)
Estimates the ecological risks posed by the no action alternative (EPA 1997).

Baseline Risk Assessment (BRA)
That portion of the CERCLA process where risks to human health and ecological resources are evaluated.

Best Management Practices
Methods that have been determined to be the most effective, practicable means of preventing or reducing pollution from nonpoint sources.

Bioaccumulation
The net accumulation of a chemical by an organism as a result of uptake from all routes of exposure (Suter 1993).

Bioavailability
The degree to which a material in environmental media can be assimilated by an organism (EPA 1997).

Last Modified: 02/27/2003

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