Hazardous waste

Listed hazardous wastes
are generated by specific
industries and processes

EP
A
and are automatically
considered hazardous,
based solely on the process
that generates them and
irrespective of whether a
test of the waste shows any Example
of the "characteristics" of
hazardous waste •sludge leftover from electroplating processes.
•waste from iron and steel manufacturing
•certain cleaning and/or degreasing processes

Heavy Metals Halogenated Hydrocarbons
Synthetic Organic Chemicals Radioactive Waste

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Similar enough to natural organic compounds
interact with particular enzymes or other biochemical
acutely poisonous
Adverse effects of synthetic organic chemicals

Mutagenesis
Terategenesis
Carcinogenesis
Other effects

Cultural Hazards Biological Hazards

Chemical Hazards Physical Hazards

•Being flammable or explosive
•Irritating or damaging the skin or lungs
•Interfering with or preventing oxygen uptake and
distribution
•Inducing allergic reactions of the immune systems.

 Mutagens
 Teratogens
 Carcinogens

Mutagens are agents, such as chemicals and ionizing radiation, that cause
random mutations, or changes in the DNA molecules found in cells

Disease such as manic depression, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, sickle cell
anemia, Down’s Syndrome, and some types of Cancer.

PCBs, thalidomide, steroid hormones and heavy metals such as arsenic
,cadmium, lead and mercury.

Approximately 31%of the 56millions deaths in 1999 were due to
infectious and parasitic diseases.the leading causes of death in this
category are the acute respiratory infections e.g., pneumonia,
diphtheria, tuberculosis, whooping cough ,influenza and
streptococcal infections, both viral and bacterial

•generally pose a lower threat relative to other hazardous wastes
•Are ubiquitous and produced in very large quantities by a large
number of generators.

Some of the most common "universal wastes" are: fluorescent light
bulbs, some specialty batteries (e.g. lithium or lead containing
batteries), cathode ray tubes, and mercury-containing devices

In worldwide, The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
estimated that more than 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are
produced universally each year, mostly by industrialized countries1

The following list includes categories often applied to HHW:

•Automotive wastes (used motor oil, antifreeze, etc.)
•Pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
•Electronics (computers, televisions, cell phones)
•Aerosols / Propane cylinders
•Caustics / Cleaning agents
•Ammunition
•Refrigerant-containing appliances
•Mercury-containing wastes (thermometers, switches, fluorescent lighting, etc)
•Some specialty Batteries (e.g. lithium, nickel cadmium, or button cell batteries)

Hazardous wastes are generated from wide range of industrial,
agricultural, commercial and household activities
ON –Site Waste :After the waste is generated, if it is managed onsite by the
generator , then it is called ‘on-site waste.’
Off- Site Waste :If the waste is transported off-site for treatment, disposal, and
recycling to any site, other than where it was generated, it is called ‘off-site
waste”

Companies that make metal products Hospitals and Doctors
Fuel stations Dry cleaners

Photo Developing centers Farming

Construction Auto repair facilities
Research Facilities Your own homes

Most of the hazardous wastes are chemical wastes and their control is
extremely difficult. Roughly 1000 new chemicals are released per year and all of
them are toxic (though less toxic to effect human health).

Hazardous wastes cause many diseases in humans and other animal life. For
example, high concentration of Arsenic and other heavy metals can cause
diseases like
diarrhea Hepatitis A and E
Dysentery Diabetes mellitus

Bronchitis Heart diseases (heart attack)

Chronic airway obstruction Lymphoma (tumors in the lymph)

Cancer of the lungs, bladder, skin, kidney, nose and liver
Hypertension, hypersensitive heart disease

EPA has promoted pollution prevention hierarchy which emphasize on:

•Reduce the amount of pollution at the source.
•Recycle wastes wherever possible
•Treat wastes to reduce their hazard or volume
•Dispose of wastes on land or incinerate them as
a last resort

Many times it is possible to use waste in any other
purpose which eliminates it as a waste. E.g.: Waste oils
can be used as fuels for power plants.

Involves burning waste at high temperatures and can be used to
destroy a variety of kinds of wastes. A hazardous waste incinerator can be
used to burn organic wastes but is unable to destroy inorganic wastes. a
well designed and well run incinerator can destroy 99.9999 percent of the
hazardous waste that go through it. The relatively high costs of
incineration and concerns about the emissions affecting surrounding areas
have kept incineration from becoming a major method of treatment or
disposal.

Land disposal can take several forms:

Deep well injection into porous
geological formations or salt caverns
Discharge of treated and untreated
liquids into municipal sewers, rivers, and
streams
Placement of liquid wastes or sledges in
surface pits, ponds, or lagoons
Storage of solid wastes in specially
designed hazardous waste landfills

Fundamentally, the goal of a hazardous waste management program is to change the
behavior of those who generate hazardous wastes so that they routinely store,
transport, treat dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner.

Hazardous waste management programs typically evolve through the following
stages:

Identifying the problem and enacting legislation

Designating a lead agency

Establishing rules and regulations, developing treatment and disposal capacity

Creating a compliance and enforcement program

ON the basis of above study it is recommended that Hazardous
Wastes are a potential source of pollution for our environment. They
should be produced in as little quantities as possible. The laws and
regulations formulated for the treatment and disposal of hazardous
waste should be strictly implemented They should be recycled or
treated properly and if they are non degradable, then disposed in a
way that they do not cause any damage to our health and
environment.

ZAHIDA UMAR
GC, University, Lahore

Hazardous waste

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