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Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemicals that can pollute the air and contaminate soil and water.
Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is toxic , reacts violently with other chemicals, or is corrosive , among other traits. [ 1 ]
Agent Orange use by the United States during the Vietnam War, resulting in lasting serious health effects on the Vietnamese population, such as cancer, nervous system disorders, and countless related fatalities; Cancer Alley; Goiânia accident, human deaths resulting from dismantling a scrapped medical machine containing a source of radioactivity
Coal ash contains many toxic substances that may affect human health, if people are exposed to them above a certain concentration in the form of particulate matter.So it is necessary to avoid situations in which employees working in coal-fired power plants or public members living close to coal ash landfills will be exposed to high coal ash dust concentrations. [4]
This includes diseases caused by substance abuse, exposure to toxic chemicals, and physical factors in the environment, like UV radiation from the sun, as well as genetic predisposition. Meanwhile, pollution-related diseases are attributed to exposure to toxins in the air, water, and soil.
Broadly, long-term exposure to toxic heavy metals can have carcinogenic, central and peripheral nervous system, and circulatory effects. For humans, typical presentations associated with exposure to any of the "classical" [37] toxic heavy metals, or chromium (another toxic heavy metal) or arsenic (a metalloid), are shown in the table. [38]
Food made up over 25% of the waste. Howard said while the landfill captures methane and other toxic gases for energy use, the food waste can be put to more good use by being composted.
The EPA defines hazardous waste as "a waste with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having a harmful effect on human health or the environment." [13] Hazardous Waste falls under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Under the RCRA, the EPA has the authority to control hazardous waste during its entire lifecycle. [14]