Post on 12-Jan-2016
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Recognizing Hazards and How People May Be
Exposed to Contaminants
by Jennifer WilliamsAlaska Tribal Waste and Response Assistance
Program Coordinator
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals907-250-3826
OutcomeParticipants will be able to:
Identify hazardous substances.
Identify products and materials that may contain hazardous substances.
Identify how people may be exposed to contaminants.
Locate resources to identify health risks associated with the hazardous substances.
Hazardous Substances
LeadMercuryCadmium Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Petroleum ProductsSolventsEthylene GlycolAcids, Ammonia, Sodium Hydroxide
Lead: Where is it?Lead Acid BatteriesTV screens and computer monitorsOther electronics PaintWeights AmmunitionLead solder Lead pipesBuilding demolition with lead-based paint
Vehicle: wheel weights, battery cablesHazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?
Mercury: Where is it?Batteries ThermometersFluorescent Lights NecklacesThermostat Switches and ProbesSwitches and RelaysChildren’s light up shoesBarometer and Blood Pressure GaugesHazardous during use,
in open dump, or when burned?
Tilt Switch from a Thermostat
Thermostat
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Tilt type of mercury switch which conducts electricity and used in many appliances.
Mercury Tilt Switch Thermostat contains two switches (one tilts when too hot, other when too cold)
Mercury Tilt Switch Thermostat with glass ampule containing mercury (tips left or right for contact)
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Light Switch (tilts a chamber, where mercury tips onto or off a pair of electrical contacts)
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.comTilt Switch Example
Chest freezers and refrigerators manufactured prior to 2000, may have a mercury tilt switch incorporated in the light socket and relays.
http://www.newmoa.org/
Tilt switches are ideal for monitoring and control devices and applications. They are used in familiar products such as clothes irons, kitchen appliances, cell phones, alarms, and washing machines. They are used in mining operations, test and lab equipment, heavy equipment, industrial, marine, and medical equipment.
Float switches monitor liquid levels and are most frequently used in sump pumps. They are also found in bilge pumps, boilers, sewage treatment plants, and pumping stations.
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Thermostat Probes or flame sensors consist of a bulb attached to a gas-control valve by a tube containing mercury (used to prevent gas from flowing when the pilot light of the appliance is off).
Used in older gas-fired appliances: clothes dryers, space heaters, water heaters, stoves, and furnaces.
Relay - the mercury makes and breaks electrical contacts (this relay was meant to switch industrial three-phase power)
Blood Pressure Monitor contains at least a cubic inch of mercury
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Metal Halide Bulbs
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Metal halide lamps are the brightest light available and are found in several HID applications.
High Pressure Sodium
Metal Vapor Lamps
Fluorescent Lamps
Alternatives to older model fluorescent lamps are labeled as low-mercury lamps and often can be recognized by their green end caps or green lettering.
Fluorescent, HID (high intensity discharge) lamps such as Mercury Vapor, High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide, and Neon all contain mercury in a metallic as well as vapor form.
Fever Thermometer
(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com
Barometers
Hood and trunk convenience light switches (a sealed metal pellet)
http://www.switchout.ca/
Anti-lock Braking System G-Force sensor module (two or three mercury switch capsules)
http://www.switchout.ca/
don’t attempt to remove mercury switch capsules from sensor module
Since the late 1990s North American battery manufacturers have reduced mercury content in batteries by 95%. The use of mercury in alkaline batteries has been eliminated except for button cells.
Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) Batteries
Slick colored papers and magazines
Tires CigarettesElectronics Plastics
Cadmium: Where is it?
Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) : Where are they?Capacitors Old TVs & Refrigerators
Electrical Transformers Electrical EquipmentOld Fluorescent Lighting FixturesElectrical Appliances w/ PCB Capacitors
Hydraulic FluidsHazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?
Native Village of Venetie
PCB Transformers
Native Village of Venetie
PCB Transformers
PCB Transformers
www.rd.com
Electrical ballasts to power fluorescent light fixtures manufactured prior to and during 1979 contain PCBs.
New Ballast
Old Ballast
Petroleum ProductsKerosene Crude Oil
Jet Fuel GasolineRange Oil Tanks/SpillsHome Heating OilDiesel FuelUsed Oil (DO NOT MIX WITH SOLVENTS)Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?
Vehicle & Machine Waste
Parts-cleanerPetroleum-based products, solvents
Oil-based Paintssolvents (ethylene, toluene,
PAHs)heavy metals (cadmium,
chromium)flammable (potentially
explosive) Paint Thinner, Turpentine
petroleum-based solventsacetone, toluene, xylene,
mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride
Solvent-contaminated rags
Other Waste with Hazardous Substances
Refrigerator Manufactured Prior to 1995
Ethylene Glycol: Where is it?Ethylene glycol is used to make antifreeze and de-icing solutions for ATVs, snow machines, cars, airplanes, and boats
Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?
Hydraulic brake fluidAlso found in inks used in stamp pads, ballpoint pens, and print shops
Unknowns
Many villages have metal drums and 5-gallon buckets with unknown liquid contents. These drums generally contain waste-oil, glycol, solvents or a combination of unknowns. These drums require testing by trained individuals to be properly labeled and handled prior to removal.
Other Waste with Hazardous SubstancesClinical Waste: EPA’s Guide to Hazardous Waste Management at Tribal Health Care Clinics
Honey Buckets / Disposable Diapers
Ash
Construction and Demolition Debris
Pesticides
PBDEs - Flame Retardant Chemicals
Common cleaning products such as bleach, disinfectants, and other common household cleaners contain solvents, acids, and other ingredients that can harm you.
Bleach (calcium & sodium hypochlorite)Ammonia
Do Not Mix Bleach and AmmoniaDo Not Mix Bleach and Acids (vinegar, some glass cleaners, dish detergents, drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners)
Common Cleaning Products
Household Hazardous WastesLeftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients…such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides that contain potentially hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them.
www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm
Doesn’t Include Wastes FromBusinesses, Government, or Schools.
Hazardous Waste Management Varies Depending on Who Generates the Waste
Hazardous Waste Management Varies Depending on Who Generates the Waste
For more information on regulation of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Household Hazardous Waste contact:
Ted Jacobson, RurAL CAP 865-7363
Doug Huntman, ADEC, 269-7642
Terry Berger, Mat-Su Borough, 746-2826
How Are People Exposed to Contaminants?Environmental Health: The theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially adversely affect the health of present and future generations.
Understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.
Understanding the impact of environmental contaminants on human health.
Exposure Pathway
1. Source
2. Way to Travel
3. Point of Exposure
4. Route of exposure
5. Receptor population, people exposed
Sources of ExposureDump (what is being dumped that could be
transported by water or other media to a point of exposure or immediately become the route of exposure)
Car, boat, ATV batteries Button-cell batteries, fluorescent
lights Old drums Transformers, light ballasts Electronics
Burning at the dump, home, or school (what is being burned that could be transported to a point of exposure or immediately become the route of exposure)
Plastics (PVC pipes, vinyl, toys, binders)
Electronics
Media - Transport Mechanisms
www.epa.gov/greatlakes/atlas/glat-ch4.html
Air
Water
Surface Water
Soil
Ground Water
Sediment
Biota - Animal and Plant Life
Air Transport
PCBs, dioxins, and heavy metals such as mercury and lead can all travel long distances and locally.
Contaminated Groundwater
www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/ff_05.htm
Pollutants can seep into groundwater, making it unusable and no longer safe to drink. Ground water can be polluted by seepage through landfills, septic tanks, and leaky fuel tanks.
Soil to Water Transport
www.epa-prgs.ornl.gov/radionuclides/soilgw.shtml
.
Soil-gas Vapor Intrusion
www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/ask_treehugger_6.php
Volatile chemicals in contaminated soil or ground water may allow gas to migrate through subsurface soils affecting the indoor air quality of areas buildings. Most common are fuel-related.
Water Transport through Wetlands
Beachwood Historical Alliance
Sediment Transport
www.epa.gov/greatlakes/atlas/glat-ch4.html
Sediment resuspension. PCBs, dioxins, and many heavy metals do not dissolve well in water, therefore, absorb onto sediments or organic particles that are suspended in water.
Soil / Dust Transport
Biota - Animals Bioconcentrate Contaminants Chemical is taken up directly from air, water, and soil, stored in various tissues and organs in body
Chemicals build-up over time
Younger Older
The shaded fill represents contaminants
Dioxins (TCDD), PCBs, & DDT accumulate in fatty tissueCadmium accumulates in kidneys and livers (cigarette smoking)
Biomagnification
From: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website
Higher concentrations in organisms at higher levels in the food chain.
Different Chemicals Move Differently in the Environment
Some are VOLATILE - go into air
Benzene, gasoline vapors, solvents
Some DISSOLVE IN WATER, move with water
Sugar, salt
Some HATE WATER, would rather stay in soil
Oil, DDT, PCBs
Some break down quickly in environment; others don’t
Points of ExposurePlaces where people can come in contact
with the contaminant of concern
Dump Solvents, old drums PCB transformers, light ballasts
Burning at the dump, home, or school Plastics (PVC pipes, vinyl, toys,
binders) Electronics Magazines, colored paper Electronics
Creek, river, well water
Home, school, playground, hang-out areas
Subsistence food
Routes of ExposureRespiratory Tract / Lungs - Breathing, Inhalation most important route for toxic substances most fragile easiest and fastest means of exposure
Digestive Tract - Eating, Hand/Mouth Activity Vulnerable to compounds that can be easily absorbed and taken into the body cells. Usually occurs accidentally or unknowingly
Skin - Dermal Absorption Most common path of toxic exposure Organic solvents absorbed easily
Other Routes of Exposure
Eye - The eye is a common point of contact for toxic substances. Acidic and basic compounds are the most common types of exposure that do damage.
Injections Intravenous injections (into veins, arteries - materials entering the circulatory system can be detoxified in the liver or excreted through the kidneys) Intramuscular injections (into the muscle) Intra peritoneal injections (into the abdominal cavity) Intradermal injections (into the skin) Subcutaneous injections (under the skin)
Example: Lead Inhalation Pathway?
YES, if trash is burned and contains lead
DECREASE exposure by removing objects that contain a lot of lead (lead-acid batteries, computer monitors)
DECREASE exposure by burning when wind is blowing away from people
Often stuck onto particles (dust on hands transferred to food, drink)
Lead-shot becomes transport and meat becomes point of exposure (not biomagnified)
Drinking water (lead pipes source, groundwater not likely)
Children sucking on toys with lead in paint
Lead paint (buildings from FUDS sites, old BIA schools)
Fumes from melted lead (casting bullets, fishing weights)
Dust from indoor shooting ranges
Lead Exposure
Vinyl Chloride: Where is it?Vinyl Chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Variety of plastic products:PVC PipeWire Records Shoes ClothesPackaging material Shrink Wrap#3 PlasticsCable coatings
Example: DioxinsHow Are They Formed?
Burning materials made with polyvinyl chloride:
Example: DioxinsHow do we inhale/ingest it? Transported by
Air Water (bind to sediment and
organic matter) Soils
Bioaccumulate in food chains Highly soluble in fat
Transported long distances Not Biodegradable (persistent)
Match the routes of exposure with the correct way for the hazard to enter the body.
A.AbsorptionB.IngestionC.Inhalation
___ Skin
___ Mouth
___ Eye
___ Intestine
___ Nose
People/Population Exposed
Small children playing in the dirt
Children at school
Elders
Dump site workers
Trash haulers
Families near spill site, burn site, dump
Everyone in the village
Exposure to Toxic Substances Depends On: Route (the way the person was exposed: breathing, eating, or touching) Duration (how long the exposure lasted: acute or chronic) Frequency (how often the exposure occurred) Concentration (the concentration level of the chemical at the point of exposure) Population (the person or persons exposed) Exposure to other toxic substances Other factors to consider when determining potential exposures to toxic substances include diet, lifestyle choices, and occupation
ATSDR RoleThe Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, created in 1980 to provide health-based information for use in cleanup of chemical waste disposal sites mandated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
ATSDR examines the health effects from exposure to contaminants at NPL and non-NPL sites.Online Training @ www.atsdr.cdc.gov/training/toxmanual
EPA Role & Other SourcesThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is is responsible for a number of activities, including enforcing federal laws designed to protect the human health and the environment.
EPA deals with the environmental impacts of exposure to hazardous substances.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Electronic Databases
TOXNET - www.toxnet.nlm.nih.gov
CHEMTREC - www.chemtrec.org
Material Safety Data Sheets - www.osha.gov
Hazardous Substances & Health Effects Database (HAZDAT) - www.atsdr.cdc.gov
The Extension Toxicology Network (EXTOXNET) - http://extoxnet.orst.edu
Other Sources of InformationSolutions for Hazardous Waste in ANVs (Guide)
www.zendergroup.org/haz.htm
Solid Waste Health and Environmental Considerations
www.ccthita-swan.org/planning/health.cfm
Alaska Contaminants Monitoring Studies
www.akcontaminants.org
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry: Toxic Substances Portal, ToxFAQs, Profiles
www.atsdr.cdc.gov
HAZ-ED - Activities for understanding Haz Waste www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act