Glossary

Terms for Architecture, Green Building & Energy

This glossary includes more than 300 solar terms, as well as hundreds of additional sustainable design and construction terms.

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Criteria Air Pollutants

Definition: Criteria air pollutants are solid and liquid particles commonly found in the air. They arise from many activities including combustion, vehicle operation, power generation, materials handling, and crushing and grinding operations. They include coarse particles known to aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, and fine particles that can lead to more serious respiratory symptoms and disease. Disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs, have been developed to measure health losses from air pollution. They account for years of life lost and years lived with disability, adjusted for the severity of the associated unfavorable health conditions. (measured in MicroDALYs)