Radioactive : Of or characterized by radioactivity.
Radioactive Waste: The byproduct of nuclear reactions that gives off (usually harmful) radiation.
Radioactivity : The spontaneous emission of matter or energy from the nucleus of an unstable atom (the emitted matter or energy is usually in the form of alpha or beta particles, gamma rays, or neutrons).
Radon : A cancer-causing radioactive gas found in many communities' ground water.
Rainforest : A large, dense forest in a hot, humid region (tropical or subtropical). Rainforests have an abundance of diverse plant and animal life, much of which is still not catalogued by the scientific community.
Recyclable : The term used to describe a product or package that can be recycled.
Recycle Symbol : The chasing arrow symbol used on products or packaging that may be recycled. On plastics, it is used in conjunction with a numbering system (1-7) to designate plastic resins used in the products. The three arrows represent different parts of the recycling process. The top arrow represents the collection of recyclables. The second arrow (bottom right side) represents recyclables being recycled into recycled products (i.e., a new aluminum can from an old one). The third arrow (bottom left) represents a customer purchases a product with recycled material. This is the most important step since it closes the recycling loop.
Recycled Content : The amount of pre and post consumer recovered material; usually expressed as a percentage.
Recycling : System of collecting, sorting, and reprocessing old material into usable raw materials.
Recycling Center : A place where all recyclables are collected, separated, and processed in preparation for remarketing.
Reduce : The act of purchasing or consuming less initially, so as not to reuse or recycle later.
Refrigerants : Cooling substances, many of which contain CFCs and are harmful to the earth's ozone layer.
Regulated Medical Waste : Defined by the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988, any solid waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining to, or in the production or testing. Included are cultures and stocks of infectious agents; human blood and blood products; human pathological body wastes from surgery and autopsy; contaminated animal carcasses from medical research; waste from patients with communicable diseases; and all used sharp implements, such as needles and scalpels.
Release : Any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, dumping, or disposing into the environment of a hazardous or toxic chemical.
Renewable Energy: Energy resources such as wind power or solar energy that are considered inexhaustible or are regenerative, unlike fossil fuels.
Renewable Resource : A resource that is capable of being restored or replenished (i.e. trees).
Reservoir : An artificial lake created and used for the storage of water
Restructuring : The process of changing the structure of the electric power industry from one of guaranteed monopoly over service territories to one of open competition.
Risk Assessment : A process to determine the risk from exposure to environmental pollutants, together with an estimate of the severity of impact.
Risk Factor : A characteristic (e.g., race, sex, age, and obesity) or variable (e.g., smoking, and exposure) associated with increased chance of toxic effects. Some standard risk factors include average breathing rates, average weight, and average human life span.
Rural Electrification Administration (REA) : An agency of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that makes loans to states and territories in the U.S. for providing electricity to persons in rural areas who do not receive central station service. It also furnishes and improves electric and telephone service in rural areas, fosters energy conservation, and studies the condition and progress of rural electrification.
Wilson Community College | P.O. Box 4305 • 902 Herring Avenue | Wilson, NC 27893 | Phone: (252) 291-1195 | Fax: (252) 243-7148