Environmental Health

Types of Waste and Waste Management

Types of Waste
Medical waste : < 0.1% Municipal solid waste: < 1.2 % Hazardous waste: 5% Industrial waste : 93.7% Radioactive waste : < 0.1 %

Causes for Increased Waste Generation

��Demographic changes��Degree of urbanization��Consumer preference��Demand for convenience ahead of the environment.

How Municipal solid waste (MSW) Is Managed

Landfills 67% 17% Recycling 16% Incineration Municipal waste production is increasing, and landfills are decreasing Groundwater contamination as a result of unlined landfill disposal Alternate management strategies, are becoming important

MSW Management Hierarchy

−Source reduction−Reuse−Recycling- mass-to-energy conversion−Incineration −Landfill

Hazardous Waste

��Certain wastes that require special handling because they present a serious threat to human health and the environment if mismanaged


Hazardous Waste Characteristics
��Ignitability −Substances that catch fire with a flash point of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or less��Corrosivity −Substances that corrode storage tanks (pH <2 or >12.5)��Reactivity −Substances that are chemically unstable and may explode or generate poisonous gases (cyanide and sulfide)��Toxicity −Substances that are injurious to health when ingested or inhaled (e.g., chlorine, ammonia, pesticides, formaldehyde)

Potential threats to the environment that led to listing on the National Priorities List 
Human health impacts. Animal life impacts. Air impacts. Surface water impacts Soil impacts Flora impacts (vegetation) Drinking water impacts. Groundwater impacts.

Health Effects of Selected Hazardous Substances

Health effect
Source
Chemical
Cancer; damages liver, embryo, bird eggs
Insecticide

DDT

Headaches, nausea, loss of muscle coordination, leukemia, bone marrow damage
Solvents, pharmaceuticals, detergent production
Benzene
Lung and liver cancer, depresses CNS, suspected embryotoxin
Plastics production
Vinyl chloride
Neurotoxic; causes headaches, irritability, mental impairment in children; damages brain, liver, and kidneys
Paint, gasoline
Lead
Cancer in animals, damage to liver and kidneys
Zinc processing, batteries, fertilizer processing
Cadmium