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TOXIC TORTS GLOSSARY |
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Glossary of Toxic
Torts Terms
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B
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D
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G
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J K
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- D -
DDT: The first chlorinated hydrocarbon
insecticide chemical name: Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane. It has a half-life
of 15 years and can collect in fatty tissues of certain animals. EPA banned
registration and interstate sale of DDT for virtually all but emergency uses in
the United States in 1972 because of its persistence in the environment and
accumulation in the food chain.
Decontamination: Removal of harmful
substances such as noxious chemicals, harmful bacteria or other organisms, or
radioactive material from exposed individuals, rooms and furnishings in
buildings, or the exterior environment.
Defendant: The party from whom the
plaintiff is seeking damages or corrective action because of a negligent,
unlawful or improper act
Deposition: Sworn testimony taken under
oath prior to trial before a court reporter in a place away from the courtroom.
Dermal Toxicity: The ability of a pesticide or
toxic chemical to poison people or animals by contact with the skin.
Designer Bugs: Popular term for microbes
developed through biotechnology that can degrade specific toxic chemicals at
their source in toxic waste dumps or in ground water.
Dioxin: Any of a family of compounds known
chemically as dibenzo-p-dioxins. Concern about them arises from their potential
toxicity and contaminants in commercial products. Tests on laboratory animals
indicate that it is one of the more toxic man-made compounds.
Direct Examination: The first questioning of a
witness during a trial or deposition.
Discovery: The pre-trial process in which a party
to a lawsuit may obtain information from the opposing party and potential
witnesses via demands for production of documents, depositions, written
interrogatories, written requests for admissions of fact, examination of the
scene, and employment of petitions and motions to enforce these rights.
Disinfectant: Any oxidant, including but not
limited to chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chloramines, and ozone, which is added to
water in any part of the treatment or distribution process and is intended to
kill or inactivate pathogenic microorganisms.
Disposal: Final placement or destruction of
toxic, radioactive, or other wastes; surplus or banned pesticides or other
chemicals; polluted soils; and drums containing hazardous materials from removal
actions or accidental releases. Disposal may be accomplished through use of
approved secure landfills, surface impoundments, land farming, deep-well
injection, ocean dumping, or incineration.
Distillation: The act of purifying liquids
through boiling, so that the steam condenses to a pure liquid and the pollutants
remain in a concentrated residue.
Dump: A land site where wastes are discarded in a
disorderly or haphazard fashion without regard to protecting the environment.
Uncontrolled dumping is an indiscriminate and illegal form of waste disposal.
Problems associated with dumps include multiplication of disease-carrying
organisms and pests, fires, air and water pollution, unsightliness, loss of
habitat, and personal injury.
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