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Announcements Nov 8

Nov. 13 (next Monday) - review

Nov. 15 (next Wednesday) - Exam 3

Nov. 17 (next Friday) - no class

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Rocket fuel chemical found in water, produce

December 1, 2004WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has found traces

of a rocket fuel chemical in organic milk in Maryland,

green leaf lettuce grown in Arizona and bottled spring

water from Texas and California. Sufficient amounts ofperchlorate can affect the thyroid, potentially causingdelayed development and other problems. ButEnvironmental Protection Agency official Kevin Mayer calledfor calm, saying in an interview Tuesday: "Alarm is notwarranted. That is clear." Asked whether that level ofchemical in milk was worrisome, Mayer, the EPA's regionalperchlorate coordinator for Arizona, California, Hawaii andNevada, said, "The answer is, we don't know yet."

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BBC10 September, 2004

UN warns of pesticide 'time-bombStockpiles have built up as pesticide productshave been banned. The UN has warned thathuge stockpiles of toxic chemical waste from

obsolete pesticides are a "time bomb" for EastEurope and the developing world. Its Food andAgriculture Organization has urged assistancefor the disposal of the chemicals, which it says

are often stored at unmanaged sites. Suchstockpiles threaten the health of ruralcommunities, says the FAO.

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Solid/Hazardous

Wastes

Lecture Objectives:

What do we do with our garbage?

What are the problems with hazardous waste?

What happened at Love Canal?

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Introduction to Waste

Management

Solid Wasteobjectsor particles thataccumulate on the site

where they areproduced.

Municipal Solid Waste(Garbage)amounts to230 million tons in U.S.annually (equivalent to 3billion humans!!).

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US Domestic Waste

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Disposable Decades

Mid-1950semphasis on a

disposable lifestyle Wave of the future

Way to reduce household duties.

Convenience was sold toprosperous post-war (WWII)consumers.

Convenience quickly changed to

necessity. TV dinners first marketed in 1953.

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Nature of the Problem

U.S. volume of garbage hasincreased more than 50%since 1960 (althoughstabilized since 1990) .

Countries with higher

standard of living producemore waste.

Traditional Methods(dumping and burning) areno longer accepted.

Urban areas running out ofplaces to put garbage

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Methods of Waste Disposal

Landfills Incineration

Source reduction

Composting Recycling

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Landfilling Most municipal solid waste

in US is deposited inlandfills

Source of groundwater

pollution Number of municipal

landfills is declining.

Some closed for violations,

other because full

New landfills costly andoften resisted - NIMBY

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Sanitary Landfills

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Reducing the Number of Landfills

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Incineration

Prior to 1940,incineration wascommon in NorthAmerica and western

Europe.

Many incinerators were eliminated because of foulodors and gritty smoke

Currently, about 15% of U.S. municipal solid wasteis incinerated.

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Incinerator Types

Refuse-Derived Fuel- Refuse is sorted toremove recyclable and unburnable materials.

Higher energy content than raw trash.

Mass Burn- Everything smaller than major

furniture and appliances loaded into furnace. Creates air pollution problems.

Reduces disposal volume by 80-90%.

EPA has found alarmingly high toxin levels inincinerator ash.

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Incineration

Pros:

Reduce volume 90%, weight 75%

Heat from burning converted to electricity

Cons:

Create air pollution

Concentrates toxins in ash

More costly than landfills, as long as spaceavailable

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Composting

Harnessing natural decomposition

to transform organic material intocompost

About 3800 composting facilitiescurrently in use in the UnitedStates.

Landscape Recycling Center1210 E. University Ave., Urbana344-LEAF (5323)www.city.urbana.il.us

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Source Reduction

Most fundamental method of reducing wasteis to prevent it from being produced (WastePrevention).

Reduce and reuseIndividuals and Industry

Saves natural resources.

Reduces waste toxicity Reduces costs

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Recycling Recycling initiatives have grown rapidly in US

By 2000, 9,000 U.S. cities had implementedcurbside recycling programs.

Urbanas curbside program began in 1986http://www.ci.champaign.il.us/public_works/index.php

Bottle Bills (10 states)

Mandatory recycling laws(15 states)

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Recycling Benefits

Resource Conservation

Pollution Reduction

Crushed glass reduces energy required tomanufacture new glass by 50%.

One Sunday edition of N.Y. times consumes 62,000trees.

Only 40% of North American paper is recycled.

Over 60% of aluminum cans recycled.

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Recycling

Benefits

Saves money, raw materials, and land.

Encourages individual responsibility.

Reduces pressure on disposal systems.

Japan recycles about half of all household andcommercial wastes.

Lowers demand for raw resources.

Reduces energy consumption and air pollution.

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US Recycling Rates

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Recycling Concerns Plastics are recyclable, but technology

differs from plastic to plastic. Industry is researching new technologies.

Economics are of concern.

demand for products must keep pace with

growing supply

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What Can You Do?

Buy durable items and repair them

Buy recycled goods and recycle them Buy beverages in refillable containers

Rechargeable batteries

Reduce junk mail

Lobby for trash separation and recycling

Choose items with minimal packaging & reduce

number of bags used

Compost yard and food waste

http://www.city.champaign.il.us/public_works/pwrhp.html

http://www.city.urbana.il.us/

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http://www.ci.urbana.il.us/

quick links

recycling

H d W

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Hazardous Wastes Hazardous WastesDangerous by-

products of industrial, business, orhousehold activities for which there is noimmediate use.

Numerous types and forms: Heavy metals

Organic wastes

Old Computers

Batteries

Liquids, solids, sludge

1) Ignitable?

2) Corrosive?

3) Explosive?4) Toxic?

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Defining Hazardous Waste

U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act (RCRA) 1976: Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in

mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, orincapacitating reversible, illness; or pose a

substantial present or potential hazard to humanhealth or the environment when improperlytreated, stored, transported, disposed of, orotherwise managed.

Many chemical compounds have not beentested adequately for adverse affects!!

I I l d i S tti R l ti

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Issues Involved in Setting Regulations

Identification of Hazardous &Toxic Materials

Setting Exposure Limits Nearly all substances are toxic in sufficient

quantities.

Species-Specific Thresholds.

Acute vs. Chronic Toxicity

Effects of massive doses (acute) and small doses overtime (chronic) differ.

SynergismAssessing effects of chemical mixtures.

Most toxicity studies done on a single compound.

E i t l P bl C d

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Environmental Problems Caused

By Hazardous Wastes

Because most hazardous wastes are disposedon or in land, most serious effect is contaminatedgroundwater.

100,000 industrial landfill sites 180,000 surface impoundments

Nearly 2% of North Americas underground aquifers

could be contaminated.

Once polluted, prohibitively costly to restore water tooriginal state; often not even physically possible

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Health Risks

Each year, roughly 1,000 new chemicals are produced

and distributed. 70,000 already in daily use.

Main problem is often improper handling and disposal

IEPA household hazardous waste collection(217) 782-6761 Mercury Thermostats/Thermometers, Antifreeze, Solvents, Metal

Polishes, Drain Cleaners, Cleaning Products, Paint Removers, Oil-Based

Paints (no water-based paints), Aerosol Paints, Paint Thinners,Fluorescent Bulbs, Hobby Chemicals, Pool Chemicals, Fungicides,Furniture Strippers, Used Oils, Insecticides, Herbicides, Pesticides, WeedKillers, Lawn Chemicals, Old Gasoline, Used Motor Oil,Household/Automotive Batteries, Propane Tanks (20 & 20 lb. cylinders),and Fire Extinguishers

H d W t D

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Hazardous Waste Dumps:

A Legacy of Abuse

Prior to 1976, hazardous waste wasessentially unregulated.

Most common disposal solution was to buryor dump the wastes without concern forenvironmental or health risks.

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Hazardous Waste Dumps

When sites became full or unnecessary, theywere simply abandoned.

In North America alone,

currently over 25,000sites containinghazardous waste.

U.S. has highest numberof dumps needingimmediate attention.

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Federal Legislation

Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Modified in 1984 by Superfund Amendments and

Reauthorization Act.

Aimed at rapid containment, cleanup, or remediationof abandoned toxic waste sites.

Toxic Release Inventory- Requires 20,000manufacturing facilities to report annually onreleases of more than 300 toxic materials.

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/

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EPA Superfund Sites (Since 1980)

Sites contaminated by hazardous

waste and identified by theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) as a candidate for cleanupbecause it poses a risk to human

health and/or the environment.1,300 Superfund sites across the

country

In Illinois: 40 active, 5 proposed, 2cleaned

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/il.htm

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Superfund Sites

Total costs for hazardous waste cleanup in theUS are estimated between $370 billion and $1.7trillion.

For years, most of the funding has gone to legal fees,but this situation has improved over past severalyears.

Studies of Superfund sites reveal minorities tend

to be over-represented in these neighborhoods.

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http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/hazardous-waste/household-haz-waste/index.html

Household Hazardous Waste Collections

The Illinois EPA coordinates one-day household hazardouswaste collections each year in the spring and fall.

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Love Canal1892 -- William T. Love

proposed a canal fornavigation and hydropower Only one mile of the canal built,

used for swimming andrecreation

1920land sold at public auctionbecame a municipal and chemical disposal site.

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1953 - Hooker covered the site with dirt and clay

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1953 Hooker covered the site with dirt and clayand sold the land to the Niagara Falls Board ofEducation for $1.00

1955 - the 99th Street elementary school openedand homes were built on the 16-acre rectangular

site

1960s-1970s repeatedcomplaints to city

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Aug. 7, 1978, President JimmyCarter declared a federalemergency at Love Canal

Aug. 2, 1978 - the NY State

Department of Health recommendedtemporary relocation of pregnantwomen and young children

April, 1978Report in newspaper about toxic chemicals

1976 -- Calspan Corporation hired as consultant

1980 H H th i d t d

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1990s resettlement of area begins

1980s -- Human Heath issues documented

Of 17 pregnancies in 19792 normal, 9

birth defects, 2 stillborn, 4 miscarriages

Broken chromosomes

Neurological Problems

1980Superfund Site

Managing Ha ardo s Wastes

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Managing Hazardous Wastes

EPA pollution prevention hierarchy:

1. Reduce amount of pollution at the source.

2. Recycle wastes whenever possible.

3. Treat wastes to reduce hazard and/orvolume.

4. Dispose of wastes on land or incinerate themas last resort.

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Points to Know Dec. 3

1) Know the 5 methods of waste disposal. Which is themost common method in the US, and what are twoproblems with this method?

2) What are some recycling initiatives in the US?

3) What can you do to help reduce the amount of solidwaste generated?

4) What are the environmental problems and health riskscaused by hazardous wastes? What is the main source

of these problems?5) Know the general story of the Love Canal.