Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright

Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention

PPT by Clark E. Adams

Chapter 19

Four Ways to Address Chemical Pollution

Safe disposal Pollution prevention Recycling Treatment

Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention

Toxicology and chemical hazards A history of mismanagement Cleaning up the mess Managing current hazardous waste Broader issues

The Threshold Level

The Nature of Chemical Hazards: HAZMATs Chemicals That Present Hazard or Risk

Ignitability: catch fire readily; gasoline Reactivity: unstable and may explode or

create toxic fumes when mixed with water; explosives, concentrated sulfuric acid

Toxicity: injurious to health; pesticides, chlorine

Sources of Chemicals Entering the Environment: Total Product Life Cycle

Toxics Release Inventory

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) 1986 Industries must report locations and

quantities of toxic chemicals stored on site and releases of toxic chemicals.

Toxics Release Inventory

For 2001: 1,679 million pounds of toxic chemicals

released to the air 221 million pounds of toxic chemicals

released to the water 4,258 million pounds of toxic chemicals

released at land disposal sites Total environmental release = 6,158 million

pounds

Total Release Inventory

The Threat from Toxic Chemicals

Many are broken down by natural processes

Two types persist in the environment Heavy metals Synthetic organics

Heavy Metals

Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, tin, chromium, zinc, copper

Used in metalworking, paint, and pesticides, among other products

Heavy Metals

Soluble in water and readily absorbed by body

Interfere with enzyme function Example: mental retardation from lead

poisoning

Organic Compounds

Chemical basis for plastics, synthetic fibers and rubber, solvents, and pesticides

Resistant to biodegradation Major health effects: carcinogenic and

mutagenic

Organic Compounds (see Table 19-1)

Halogenated hydrocarbons At least one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced

with a halogen atom Chlorine (most common) Bromine Fluorine Iodine

Halogenated Hydrocarbons

Involvement with Food Chains

Minamata disease Small fishing village in Japan Suffered from mercury poisoning Biomagnification

“Mad as a hatter” Hatmakers exposed to mercury suffered

from insanity

A History of Mismanagement

Methods of land disposal Scope of the management problem

Methods of Land Disposal

Deep-well injection Surface impoundments Landfills

Deep-well Injection

Surface Impoundments

Secure Landfills (see Fig. 19-9)

Properly lined Supplied with a system to remove

leachate Provided with monitoring wells Appropriately capped

Toxic Chemical Waste Problems

Cleaning up old wastes Managing new wastes Avoiding future wastes

Midnight Dumping and Orphan Sites

Hazardous wastes left on remote or unoccupied properties by unscrupulous haulers.

Companies stored wastes on their own properties and went out of business, abandoning the property and wastes.

Scope of the Mismanagement Problem

The Love Canal story (see Fig. 19-12) Hooker Chemical and Plastics Company

17,000 tons of hazardous wastes dumped in abandoned canal

Covered canal with clay cap and sold it to the Niagara Falls school board

People reported serious health problems: birth defects and miscarriages

$233 million spent on cleanup and lawsuits

Problems Concerning Toxic Chemicals

Cleaning up the messes already created Regulating and handling and disposal of

wastes currently being produced Protect public and environmental health

Reducing the quantity of hazardous waste produced

Cleaning Up the Mess

Ensuring safe drinking water Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

Groundwater remediation Superfund for toxic sites

Groundwater Remediation

Superfund for Toxic Sites

Advanced cleanup technology Incineration to burn off contaminants in soil Cleaning soil with detergent Bioremediation Phytoremediation

Brownfields Costly and slow

Managing Current Hazardous Wastes

Clean Air and Water Acts Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act (RCRA) 1976 Reduction of accidents and accidental

exposure

RCRA

All disposal facilities must have permit Pretreatment of toxic wastes “Cradle to grave” tracking of toxic wastes

Reduction of Accidents and Accidental Exposure

Leaking underground storage tanks (LUST)

Underground storage tank (UST) legislation

Department of Transportation Regulations (DOT Regs)

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

Reduction of Accidents and Accidental Exposure

Emergency Planning and Community Right- to-know Act (EPCRA); also known as Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)

Toxic Substances Control Act

Broader Issues

Environmental justice and hazardous wastes Emelle, Alabama Choctaw reservation in Philadelphia,

Mississippi 870,000 U.S. federally subsidized housing

units

Broader Issues

Pollution prevention for a sustainable society Better product or materials management Substitution of products for hazardous ones Cleaning up and recycling solvents and

lubricants Safe disposal

Major Hazardous Waste Laws

End of Chapter 19