Disposable consumer products

The first example can be found in disposable consumer products. In products which are designed for single-use, the shorter shelf-life of degradable polymers is not an issue. Especially in nappies, feminine hygiene products and wet wipes, biodegradable materials present interesting alternatives [169]. 

Numerous examples exist of incremental lead dispersal to the environment with disposable consumer products that contain lead as plasticizers in plastics, lead solder in countiess inexpensive electronic devices, lead-painted imported objects, and others. The lead content of an individual item in such cases may be small, but collectively such items contribute to enormous quantities of municipal solid and hazardous wastes that are either landfilled or incinerated. 

Clean Air Act and its amendments ia 1970, 1977, and 1990 1967 Air Quahty Standards and National Air Pollution Acts and 1970 National Environmental PoHcy Act) (2) better waste disposal practices (1965 SoHd Waste Disposal Act 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) (see Wastes, industrial Waste treatment, hazardous wastes) (i) reduced noise levels (1972 Noise Control Act) (4) improved control of the manufacture and use of toxic materials (1976 Toxic Substances Control Act) and (5) assignment of responsibiUty to manufacturers for product safety (1972 Consumer Product Safety Act) (15,16). 

Industrial wastes, as well as consumer products, containing lead are disposed of in municipal and hazardous waste landfills. Current information on the amounts being disposed of is needed to evaluate the potential for exposure to lead. 

Currently, in the global economy, products are manufactured in one part of the world, used in another part and there is little knowledge about where these products will be disposed of. Most consumer products contain a large variety of chemical additives, in many cases, new substances, since they are poorly studied. This together with the lack of knowledge about the additives used, cause concern about the impact of these additives on human health and the environment. 

A variety of other efforts are being made to prevent consumer products from ending up in waste-disposal systems, whether they be landfills, incinerators, or recycling centers. Many manufacturers have developed or are developing plans to have consumers return to them all or some portion of the products they sell. For example, in 2001 the Sony Corporation began to retrieve and recycle its consumer electronics, including televisions and computer monitors, in six states. 

Approximately 11.8 million pounds of hexabromobiphenyl were used in commercial and consumer products in the United States, most in the production of plastic products with an estimated use life of 5 10 years (Neufeld et al. 1977). Since the cessation of production, all of these products, such as TV cabinet and business machine housings, must have been disposed ofby land filling or incineration (Neufeld et al. 1977). The formation of polybrominated dioxins (PBDDs) and polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDFs) during the incineration of plastics containing PBBs remains a distinct possibility (Luijk and Covers 1992 O Keefe 1978). 

The production of PBBs in the United States ceased in 1979 (lARC 1986). In the past, PBBs were released to the environment during the manufacture of these compounds and disposal of commercial and consumer products containing these compounds (Hesse and Powers 1978 Neufeld et al. 1977). One of the significant sources of environmental contamination occurred as a result of the accidental mixup of FireMaster BP-6 with cattle food in a number of farms in the lower peninsula in Michigan (see Section 3.2 for additional details concerning this incident). By June 1975, 412 farms had been quarantined. Disposal of contaminated feed, animal carcasses (poultry, dairy cattle, swine), and animal products (dairy, meat, eggs) contributed to environmental contamination (Dunckel 1975 Kay 1977). No information was located on the current levels of contamination at these locations. 

PBDEs are release to land as municipal wastes with the disposal of consumer products containing PBDEs. The disposal of consumer products containing PBDEs is likely to increase worldwide due to rapid obsolescence of plastic products. For example, between 1997 and 2004, the number of obsolete computers containing flame retardants is projected to be 315 million (NSC 1999). Based on a monitor weight of 30 pounds, an estimated 350 million pounds of brominated flame retardants will be released to landfills (NSC 1999). Although PBDEs will only be a fraction of this total, the amount of PBDEs released to the environment by disposal will still be significant. 

---