List of abbreviations and symbols

The following abbreviations and symbols can be found in the Canadian Conservation Institute’s and the Canadian Heritage Information Network’s documents and resources.

Abbreviations

3-D
three-dimensional
ABS
acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene
ASHRAE
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
ASTM
American Society for Testing and Materials
AU
polyurethane, polyester type 
B.C.
British Columbia
BCE
before common era
BD-R
Blu-ray disc–recordable
BD-RE
Blu-ray disc–rewritable/erasable
BR
polybutadiene rubber
CA
cellulose acetate 
CAB
cellulose acetate butyrate
CCI
Canadian Conservation Institute 
CDA
cellulose diacetate 
CD
compact disc
CD-R
compact disk–recordable
CD-ROM
compact disc–read only memory
CD-RW
compact disc–rewritable
CE
common era
CF
casein-formaldehyde 
CME
coefficient of moisture expansion 
CN
cellulose nitrate 
COC
cycloolefin copolymer 
CP
cellulose propionate 
CPVC
chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) 
CR
polychloroprene rubber 
CTA
cellulose triacetate 
CTE
coefficient of thermal expansion 
DDT
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid
DOP
developing-out paper
DVD
digital versatile disc
DVD-R
digital versatile disc–recordable
DVD+R
digital versatile disc–recordable
DVD-RAM
digital versatile disc–random access memory (rewritable)
DVD-ROM
digital versatile disc–read only memory
DVD-RW
digital versatile disc–rewritable
DVD+RW
digital versatile disc–rewritable
ECTFE
ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene 
EP
epoxy 
EPDM
ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber 
ESC
environmental stress cracking 
ETFE
ethylene tetrafluoroethylene 
EU
polyurethane, polyether type 
EVA
ethylene vinyl acetate 
EVOH
ethylene vinyl alcohol 
FEP
fluorinated ethylene propylene 
FSI
fluorosilicone 
HDF
high-density fibreboard
HDPE
high-density polyethylene 
HDT
heat deflection temperature
HEPA
high efficiency particulate air 
HID
high intensity discharge
HIPS
high impact polystyrene
HVAC
heating, ventilation and air conditioning
ICOM-CC
International Council of Museums – Committee for Conservation
IIR
isobutylene isoprene rubber 
IPI
Image Permanence Institute
IPM
integrated pest management
IR
polyisoprene rubber, synthetic 
IRS
infrared spectroscopy 
ISO
International Organization for Standardization
LDPE
low-density polyethylene 
LED
light-emitting diode
LLDPE
linear low-density polyethylene
MDF
medium-density fibreboard
MDPE
medium-density polyethylene
MERV
minimum efficiency reporting value
MF
melamine-formaldehyde 
MO
magneto-optical disc
MOA
Museum of Anthropology
MSA
mineral spirits acrylic
NBR
acrylonitrile butadiene
NGC
National Gallery of Canada
NR
polyisoprene, natural rubber 
PA
polyamide 
PAN
polyacrylonitrile
PAT
photographic activity test
PB
polybutylene 
PBT
poly(butylene terephthalate) 
PC
polycarbonate 
PCTFE
polychlorotrifluoroethylene
PDD
professional data disc
PDF
portable document format 
PE
polyethylene 
PET
poly(ethylene terephthalate)
PF
phenol-formaldehyde 
PFA
perfluoroalkoxy 
PI
polyimide 
PLA
polylactic acid 
PMMA
poly(methyl methacrylate) 
PMP
polymethylpentene 
POM
polyoxymethylene (acetal) 
POP
printing-out paper
PP
polypropylene
ppm
part per million
ppb
part per billion 
PS
polystyrene 
PTFE
polytetrafluoroethylene 
PVAC
poly(vinyl acetate)
PVAL
poly(vinyl alcohol) 
PVB
poly(vinyl butyral) 
PVC
poly(vinyl chloride) 
PVDC
poly(vinylidene chloride) 
PVDF
poly(vinylidene fluoride) 
PVF
poly(vinyl fluoride) 
PUR
polyurethane 
PWNHC
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
TPU
thermoplastic polyurethane 
RH 
relative humidity 
SAN
styrene acrylonitrile 
SBR
styrene butadiene rubber 
SI
silicone 
SSD
solid state disc drive
UBC
University of British Columbia
UDO
ultra-density optical disc
UF
urea-formaldehyde 
UHMWPE
ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene 
UP
unsaturated polyester 
USB
Universal Serial Bus
UV
ultraviolet
VHS
video home system
VOC
volatile organic compound
WORM
write-once read many times
XLPE
crosslinked polyethylene

Symbols

°C
degree Celsius
μS/m
microsiemens per centimetre
µW/lm
microwatt per lumen
Ag
silver
AgCl
silver chloride
AgNO3
silver nitrate
Ag2O
silver oxide
AgOH
silver hydroxide
Ca
calcium
CH3COOH
acetic acid
Cl
chlorine
Cl-
chloride ion
cm
centimetre
e-
electron
Fe
iron
Fe2+
ferrous ion
g
gram
g/L
gram per litre
g/mL
gram per millilitre
g/mol
gram per mole
HCOOH
formic acid
H2O
water
HNO3
nitric acid
in.
inch
K
potassium
L
litre
m
metre
M
molarity
mg
milligram
Mg
magnesium
mg/L
milligram per litre
mL
millilitre
Mlx∙h
megalux hour
mm
millimetre
mS/cm
millisiemens per centimetre
Na
sodium
NaCl
sodium chloride
NaOH
sodium hydroxide
nm
nanometre
O2
oxygen gas
OH-
hydroxide ion
pH
potential of hydrogen
S/m
siemens per metre
SO2
sulfur dioxide
Tbrittle
brittleness temperature
Tg
glass transition temperature
v/v
volume per volume
w/v
weight per volume

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