Grade Hazardous Waste 1. What are the categories of hazardous waste 2. How can hazardous waste affect human health. 3. What techniques can be used to manage hazardous waste

Love Canal New York 1950 City of Niagara purchases land for a land fill around an old canal. The canal is filled with waste from nearby industries The city builds a new neighborhood and school on top of the site. Children begin developing rashes Fence post turn black and rot off Babies are born with birth defects Adults develop epilepsy, liver disease, and nerve disorders The neighborhood was evacuated by the federal government

Hazardous Wastes- Any material that can be harmful to human health or the environment if not properly disposed of. May be created during the manufacture of many household products. Also produced as a result of agriculture, industry, military operations, hospitals and scientific laboratories

Toxic waste in the ocean

Hazardous wastes are classified into four categories Toxic- Poisonous wastes that can damage human health. Explosive – wastes that can react quickly when exposed to air or water or that explode when dropped Flammable- wastes that catch fire easily Radioactive wastes that contain unstable atoms which give off radiation and can cause cancer and other diseases.

Health Effects of Hazardous Wastes People are exposed to hazardous wastes by Eating Drinking Breathing Touching The severity of the exposure to hazardous waste is determined by The strength of the material Length of exposure

Effects of exposure Short term – may cause irritation or more severs health problems Long-term may cause cancer, damage to body organs and be life threatening.

Disposal of Hazardous Waste Burial in Landfills Incineration Breakdown by living organisms Storing in deep rock layers Recycling

Hazardous Waste and Microbes

Reducing Hazardous Wastes Use non-toxic materials to manufacture products. Find substitutes for hazardous household chemicals Look for products which do not contain hazardous materials

Reducing Hazardous Waste

Limiting use of hazardous waste

Summary What are 4 categories of Hazardous Waste? What are some short term and long term effects of hazardous waste exposure? Why are radioactive wastes particularly hard to handle? How can hazardous waste be managed?