Waste disposal sites, environmental

Peiiizzari ED. 1982. Analysis for organic vapor emissions near industrial and chemical waste disposal sites. Environmental Science and Technology 16 781-785. 

Site Selection Factors that must be considered in evaluating potential solid-waste-disposal sites are summarized in Table 25-71. Final selection of a disposal site usually is based on the results of a preliminary site survey, results of engineering design and cost studies, and an environmental-impact assessment. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Remedial Action at Waste Disposal Sites, EPA/625/6-85/006, October, 1985. 

Populations residing near hazardous waste disposal sites may be subject to higher levels of methyl parathion in environmental media (i.e., air, groundwater, soil) than those experienced by the general population. Methyl parathion has been identified in at least 16 of the 1,585 hazardous waste sites that have been proposed for inclusion on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL). However, the number of sites evaluated for methyl parathion is not known. As more sites are evaluated, the number of sites where methyl parathion has been detected may increase. 

Other studies have investigated transport in soil and at DOE waste disposal sites (Fowler et al. 1981 McCarthy et al. 1998a, 1998b Penrose et al. 1990). As a result of these studies, the environmental fate of americium is reasonably well understood. 

Schroeder, P.R. and Gibson, A.C., Supporting Documentation for the Hydrologic Simulation Model for Estimating Percolation at Solid Waste Disposal Sites (HSSWDS), Draft Report, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, 1982. 

At many waste sites, -hexane has been detected in the landfill gases vented from the soils at the disposal sites (Brosseau and Heitz 1994 O Leary and Walsh 1995). While information in the literature is extremely limited, trace levels of -hexane are probably found in the soils or the soil gases at many waste disposal sites. u-Hexane has been identified in the soil at 14 sites and in sediments at two sites among the 60 NPL hazardous waste sites where it was detected in some environmental medium (HazDat 1998). 

The fact that endrin is no longer produced or used in the United States greatly reduces the potential for human exposure. Future levels of endrin, endrin aldehyde, and endrin ketone in environmental media are expected to be low. The most significant route of exposure is most likely ingestion of imported foods contaminated with endrin however, there may also be some localized risks from exposures near waste disposal sites or from groundwater contaminated with endrin. 

The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) addresses closed hazardous waste disposal sites that may release hazardous substances into any environmental medium. Title 111 of SARA also requires regular review of emergency systems for monitoring, detecting, and preventing releases of extremely hazardous substances at facilities that produce, use, or store such substances. 

While there are no precise data on extent of environmental contamination in Eastern Europe, it has been estimated that the former USSR countries may contain 200,000 of these disposal sites. Western Europe, North America and other developed have made a concerted effort to identify and define their waste disposal sites, and are actively remediating them. 

Dyer, R.S., "Environmental surveys of two deep sea radioactive waste disposal sites using submersibles" in Symposium, Management of Radioactive Waste from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, IAEA, 317-338, 1976. 

In 1987, hazardous heavy metal wastes were produced in California at an annual rate of 140,000 ton/yr.1 Through April, 1989 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had identified over 900 acutely dangerous hazardous waste disposal sites that required immediate cleanup through the Superfund program, and another 27,000 sites that may potentially qualify.2 Ultimately, the U.S. General Accounting Office believes that up to 425,000 waste sites will require cleanup in the next 50... 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Law, also known as Superfund, passed in 1980 and amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 and later amendments, that governs federal response and compensation for unpermitted and uncontrolled releases, including threats of release, of hazardous substances to the environment. An unpermitted release is any release that is not properly regulated under other laws. An important focus of CERCLA/SARA is remediation of old, unpermitted waste disposal sites that are closed or inactive. Basic objectives of the Superfund program are to protect human health and the environment in a cost-effective manner, maintain this protection over time, and minimize the amounts of untreated waste in the environment. 

New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). (2007). Frequently asked questions about New York s Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site Program. http //www.dec.state. ny.us/website/der/ihws/faqs.html, viewed March 2007. 

The step-wise evaluation and decision process can also be used in assessing the environmental risks posed by abandoned hazardous waste disposal sites. I will also briefly describe our experience with a site in a southern California community. 

Exposure Levels in Environmental Media. Limited, mostly outdated, data were available regarding the detection of acrolein in the environment. Information on exposure to acrolein in air in urban areas, rural areas, near hazardous waste disposal sites, as well as in water (specifically, drinking water supplied from groundwater downgradient from hazardous waste disposal sites and contaminated surface waters) and soil at waste disposal sites would be useful. Monitoring air and water over a 1-year period would provide some indication of seasonal variations. 

Composite data from the Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) monitoring program indicate that benzene was detected at a frequency of 11.2% in groundwater in the vicinity of 178 inactive hazardous waste disposal sites (Plumb 1987). Data from a 1980 national survey by the Council on Environmental Quality on groundwater and surface water contamination showed benzene concentrations in contaminated drinking water wells in New York, New... 

Contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a list of local or regional waste disposal sites that will accept used computer equipment. The EPA s Web address is www.epa.gov. 

Hexavalent chromium (6 ") is a recognized carcinogen, and industrial exposure to fiimes and dusts containing this metal is associated with increased incidence of lung cancer, dermatitis, and skin ulcers. Environmental health risks arise from soil contamination by Cr " waste disposal sites left by the leather tanning and dyestuff industries. Cr is more efficiently absorbed than Cr " and its toxicity and carcinogenic effects involve reduction to Cr and Cr " by cysteine, with the formation of intracellular DNA adducts. Cr species are relatively nontoxic partly because of their poor intestinal absorption and rapid excretion in urine. 

In addition to releases from the various components or activities that make up the production and distribution system for petroleum products (the oil system), many older waste sites show TPH-related site contamination. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) site descriptions often mention petroleum, oil and grease, or petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) as present at a former waste disposal site. An example is given below for a waste oil recycling site, where TPH-type chemicals were obviously a common site contaminant. The CERCLA clean-up actions, however, focus on a range of specific hazardous or toxic chemicals. Some of the specific chemicals (e.g., toluene) would show up in a TPH test, but the chlorinated solvents and metals do not. Since a site cannot be prioritized for CERCLA attention if the only problem involves TPH site... 

EPA. 1986c. Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 5) Forest Waste Disposal Site. Genesee County, Michigan, June, 1986. Report. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA ROD/RO5-86/034 PB87-189890. 

Thirty-four minor and trace elements are of potential environmental concern (n ). Sulfur is the element of major concern due to its abundance in flue gases from some coal-burning plants and its subsequent contribution to "acid rain." Sulfur as acidic ions of sulfate can also contribute to pollution of surface water and groundwater. Other elements of greatest concern are As, B, Cd, Pb, Hg, Mo, and Se. With the exception of B and Se, these elements are strongly associated with mineral matter in the coal and are concentrated in waste piles from coal preparation plants. If the waste disposal site is not constructed as a closed system, pollution of nearby groundwater is possible. Boron and Se may contribute to the pollution risk as they are associated with both mineral and organic components. On the other hand, certain coal-mine wastes have potential for recovery of valuable metals such as zinc and cadmium (18). 

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