Hazardous Waste

1942-1953 — Hooker Chemical Company disposed of 22,000 tons of toxic chemicals in a 3,000-foot ditch called Love Canal, NY
when filled, Hooker covered it with topsoil and gave it to the city, who built houses and schools
this resulted in high rates of miscarriages, birth defects, burns, and psychological disorders
then-President Jimmy Carter declared a state of emergency in 1978 and had the federal government relocate 239 families
the Superfund Law was passed in 1980

if improperly managed, can be very dangerous to human health and environment
- eg. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), lithium batteries, radioactive waste, mercury, paints and solvents, motor oil, drain cleaners, fireworks, weed killers, old TVs, lead

types of hazardous waste

ignitable: likely to catch fire
- eg. gasoline
reactive: chemically unstable, able to react with other compounds and explode
- eg. ammonia, bleach
corrosive: able to corrode metals in storage tanks or equipment
- eg. battery acid
toxic: harmful to human health when inhaled, ingested, or touched
- eg. pesticides, heavy metals

dioxins

dioxins are 75 chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
produced during combustion of chlorine compounds, mostly coming from municipal and medical waste, but also from natural sources and incineration
settle on plants, soil, and water (enters food web)
stored in fatty tissue
can cause reproductive and developmental problems, interfere with hormones, and cause cancer

electronic waste

aka e-waste
growing
contains toxic materials eg. calcium, mercury, and lead
recycling e-waste minimizes two problems:
- mining for materials
- disposing of materials

surface impoundment: a depression with clay/plastic at the bottom
- similar to landfills
deep-well injection: a hole drilled below the underground water table where waste is injected
- used to dispose of hazardous liquids

bioremediation: the use of microbes to clean contaminated soil and groundwater
- requires
- the right microbe or plant
- the right climate
- oxygen (sometimes)
- time
- white-rot fungus can break down complex organic molecules

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA — 1976): regulates solid and non-hazardous waste
- gives EPA authority to control hazardous waste from the “cradle to the grave”
- classifies and regulates different types of waste
Superfund Act (1980): provides a federal “superfund” to clean abandoned hazardous waste sites, accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment
- aka Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
- there are about 40,000 listed superfund sites
- established a national priority list (NPL) of such sites, currently 1,300 on it
superfund sites in Minnesota
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021)
- cleaning up superfund sites
Basel Convention (1989)
- restricts transboundary movement of waste (no complete ban)
- the US has signed, but congress has not ratified

environmental justice: the idea that every citizen is entitled to adequate protection from environmental hazards
poor minority neighborhoods are more likely to have hazardous waste facilities, sanitary landfills, sewage treatment plants, and incinerators
promoted by moving to a low-waste world