1. Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright
Chapter 19
Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention PPT by Clark E. Adams

2. Four Ways to Address Chemical Pollution
Safe disposal
Pollution prevention
Recycling
Treatment

3. Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention
Toxicology and chemical hazards
A history of mismanagement
Cleaning up the mess
Managing current hazardous waste
Broader issues

4. The Threshold Level

5. 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

6. Sources of Chemicals Entering the Environment: Total Product Life Cycle

7. 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.

8. 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

9. Total Release Inventory

10. The Threat from Toxic Chemicals
Many are broken down by natural processes
Two types persist in the environment
Heavy metals
Synthetic organics

11. Heavy Metals
Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, tin, chromium, zinc, copper
Used in metalworking, paint, and pesticides, among other products

12. Heavy Metals Soluble in water and readily absorbed by body
Interfere with enzyme function
Example: mental retardation from lead poisoning

13. Organic Compounds
Chemical basis for plastics, synthetic fibers and rubber, solvents, and pesticides
Resistant to biodegradation
Major health effects: carcinogenic and mutagenic

14. 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

15. Halogenated Hydrocarbons

16. 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

17. A History of Mismanagement
Methods of land disposal
Scope of the management problem

18. Methods of Land Disposal
Deep-well injection
Surface impoundments
Landfills

19. Deep-well Injection

20. Surface Impoundments

21. Secure Landfills (see Fig. 19-9)
Properly lined
Supplied with a system to remove leachate
Provided with monitoring wells
Appropriately capped

22. Toxic Chemical Waste Problems
Cleaning up old wastes
Managing new wastes
Avoiding future wastes

23. 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.

24. Scope of the Mismanagement Problem
The Love Canal story (see Fig )
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

25. 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

26. Cleaning Up the Mess Ensuring safe drinking water
Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
Groundwater remediation
Superfund for toxic sites

27. Groundwater Remediation

28. Superfund for Toxic Sites
Advanced cleanup technology
Incineration to burn off contaminants in soil
Cleaning soil with detergent
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
Brownfields
Costly and slow

29. Managing Current Hazardous Wastes
Clean Air and Water Acts
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 1976
Reduction of accidents and accidental exposure

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

31. 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)

32. 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

33. Broader Issues Environmental justice and hazardous wastes
Emelle, Alabama
Choctaw reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi
870,000 U.S. federally subsidized housing units

34. 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

35. Major Hazardous Waste Laws

36. End of Chapter 19