Glossary

Pollutant; polluant

Refers to a physical, chemical or biological agent that alters the qualities of an environmental medium (liquid, solid or gaseous) and causes discomfort or nuisance to humans, animals, plants or other organisms. It can be a man-made substance (or mixture of substances) dispersed in the environment, or any change in the concentration and/or distribution of a natural substance in the environment.

Chromatographie en phase gazeuse (CPG); gas chromatography (CG)

Technique for separating a mixture of volatile molecules or analytes. The mixture to be analyzed is vaporized and injected into a column containing a liquid or solid substance, which forms the stationary phase. Transport is carried out by an inert gas, called carrier gas, which forms the mobile phase. The separation of analytes is based on...