Hazardous waste public involvement

Hazard Identification. The process of determining whether exposure to a particular substance at any dose can cause a response in a biological organism and, if so, the type(s) of response is called hazard identification. Hazard identification typically involves doses of a substance that are much higher than would actually be experienced in routine exposures of the public, including exposures resulting from waste disposal. Once the hazardous nature of a substance is determined, the results are documented and the hazard identification process need not be repeated for other applications. 

The US EPA summarized the results of studies of potential pathways for the release of chemicals from Superftmd sites (US EPA, 1988). Migration to groundwater was cited as the primary pathway of contaminants at these hazardous waste sites, a trend confirmed by the data in Table 1 37% of sites involved releases to groundwater and 23% were responsible for releases to both groundwater and surface water. Other studies document the potential hazards of hazardous waste disposal. The EPA, in a survey of 466 public water supply wells, found that one or more volatile organic... 

Health outcome data and parameters are the third major source of data for health assessments. The identification, review, and evaluation of health outcome parameters are interactive processes involving ATSDR, data source generators, and the community involved. Health outcome data are community-specific and may include databases at the local, state, and national level, as well as data from private health care organizations and professional institutions and associations. Databases to be considered include medical records, morbidity and mortality data, tumor and disease registries, birth statistics, and surveillance data. Relevant health outcome data play an important role in assessing the public health implications associated with a hazardous waste site and in determining which follow-up health activities are needed. 

The primary pathways for TCDD exposure appear to be inhalation and ingestion. Eating meat, fish, and dairy products makes up more than 90% of the intake of dioxins. Close proximity to an uncontrolled hazardous waste site or working in industries involved in producing pesticides containing dioxins can be sources of inhalation exposure for the general public and workers alike. Skin exposure can occur through contact with contaminated soils. 

Incineration For other than heavy metals and a few other forms of hazardous waste, incineration can be a safe method of disposal. Incineration processes must fit the kind of waste involved. Incinerators can produce heat and steam for other processes. Today incinerators must have scmbbers downstream of the combustion process to ensure that hazardous materials do not escape. Researchers continue to study combustion methods and methods for recovering any dangerous gases or particulates remaining from combustion. A major problem for incinerators is public acceptance. Few are under construction. People in communities that are potential sites for hazardous waste incineration plants frequently do not want such a facility in their neighborhood. 

In January 2009, California s Department of Toxic Substances Control issued a formal chemical information call in letter to 26 entities involved in the manufacturing of carbon nanotubes. The manufacturers have 1 year to respond to the letter under California Health and Safety Code Chapter 60 Yhg requested by the State include information regarding the specific products in which the carbon nanotubes are used quantities used major customers sampling detection and monitoring methods quality assurance and quality control protocols potential enviromnental risks knowledge of the safety of carbon nanotubes in terms of occupational safety, public health, and the enviromnent worker protection methods and environmental protection methods. The letter also poses three questions recipients should carefully consider before answering "When released, does your material constitute a hazardous waste under California Health and Safety Code provisions Are discarded off spec materials a hazardous waste Once discarded are the carbon nanotubes you produce a hazardous waste "... 

Amendment to RCRA. Land disposal of hazardous waste restricted unless this could be proved not to be a threat to public safety (i.e. shifted burden of proof from EPA to those involved in disposal). Coverage of RCRA extended to smaller generators of hazardous waste, previously exempt. 

Sources of land pollution include direct dumping of domestic and industrial solid waste, excessive application of agrochemicals, and indirect contamination resulting from leaks or from leaching of hazardous components from liquid waste disposal sites or from atmospheric fallout. Land may also become contaminated by chemicals processed, stored or dumped at the site, perhaps in the distant past. Such contamination may pose a health risk to workers on the site, those subsequently involved in building, construction or engineering works, or the public (e.g. arising from trespass), and to animals. 

The numerator in Equation 1.1 or 1.2 is calculated using generic scenarios for exposure of individual members of the public that arise from waste disposal. Two types of exposure scenarios can be considered (1) scenarios involving release of hazardous substances from a disposal facility and exposure of individuals at locations beyond the boundary of the disposal site or (2) scenarios involving exposure of individuals who inadvertently intrude onto a disposal site, including scenarios involving permanent residence on a disposal site or other unrestricted access after an assumed loss of institutional control. 

In undertaking our search of the literature linked to bioanalytical assessment of solid waste leachates (Tab. 2), we circumscribed it to small-scale toxicity testing performed on leachates. Furthermore, we did not exclude marine bioassays, but we exclusively selected literature references involving test battery approaches (TBAs) on solid wastes (or their elutriates). As defined previously in the first chapter of this book, a TBA represents a study conducted with two or more tests representing at least two biotic levels. As also pointed out in Section 2 of this chapter, TBAs are suitable to assess hazard at different levels so as not to underestimate ecotoxicity. Nevertheless, we have not excluded from this review publications describing other types of bioassays (e.g., terrestrial bioassays, sub-cellular bioassays or those carried out with recombinant DNA (micro)organisms and biosensors), when those were part of the TBA. 

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