What are hazardous waste?

What are hazardous waste? • Many of the products used around the home are

dangerous and poisonous

• These products are not only dangerous in the house, but also if they are not disposed of correctly

• Some types of waste have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on human health or the environment

• Dangerous materials, such as certain chemicals, are always considered hazardous waste when they are not in use anymore

• Wastes fall into three categories: • Always hazardous, for example, lead acid batteries

• Never hazardous, for example, edible oil

• Sometimes hazardous and in need of assessment, for example, ink and paint

Classification of hazardous

materials • The Globally Harmonised System of Classification and

Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is an internationally agreed system to standardise the various classification and labelling systems used in different countries

• GHS uses the following categories:

• Class 1: Explosives

• Class 2: Gases

• Class 3: Flammable liquids.

• Class 4: Flammable solids; spontaneously combustible materials; and materials that are dangerous when wet

• Class 5: Oxidizers and organic peroxides

• Class 6: Poisons and disease-causing materials

• Class 7: Radioactive materials

• Class 8: Corrosives

• Class 9: Miscellaneous

New warning labels

Explosives Acute toxicity Flammable

Irritant Serious health effects Oxidizing

Hazardous to the

aquatic environment Corrosive Gases under pressure

Hazardous Waste at home • By law, any household product

containing hazardous substances must be labelled accordingly

• Hazardous products are identifiable to consumers through the following four-word rating system, listed from most to least hazardous: • Poison means that a product is highly toxic

and can cause injury or death if ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin

• Danger means that a product is highly toxic, highly flammable or highly corrosive

• Warning and Caution both indicate that a product is toxic, corrosive, reactive or flammable

Hazardous waste at home,

some examples: • Accumulators and batteries

• Household cleaners and detergents

• Nail polish and remover

• Medicines

• Energy-saving light bulbs and fluorescent tubes

• Paints and Solvents

• Motor oil and windscreen (windshield) wash fluid

The Proper management of

hazardous wastes means: • Correctly classifying

hazardous substances or items

• Correctly storing

• Being aware of the rules of utilisation and the proper sites and conditions for the disposal

• Sharing useful information about waste with others

The disposal of household

hazardous waste • Household hazardous wastes are to be disposed

in separate special containers • For batteries, special disposal bins are located for

example in chain stores, fuel stations, schools and other agreed places

• Certain fuel stations also have special containers for disposing of household hazardous wastes

• Some household hazardous waste requires special treatment or disposal, and businesses exist that provide these treatment and removal services.

• IT and other electronic can be disposed in special sorting stations

Risks of hazardous wastes

What are the risks of

hazardous wastes? • At households a misuse of

products is causing a risks

• The reasons for such misuse of products can be: • The consumer doesn't bother to

read the labels

• The labels are too difficult to read

• The directions are inconvenient or too difficult

• There are also some products that may cause significant health risks even when used as directed

Banned products • There are many products that have been

banned or taken off the market because of their environmental or health risks • e.g. those containing PCBs, PCTs, asbestos

fibres, lead, mercury and arsenic compound)

• Examples of products banned for such reasons include the following: • many children's toys, after extensive testing,

have been found to contain lead; the brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) used in plastics can leach out and can be found in house dust; bisphenol-A has been found in the plastic used in baby bottles and food-can liners

Handling hazardous waste • There are also many risks in the issue of

how to contain hazardous waste: • Even the most technologically advanced

landfills may leak one day

• The tanks that store petroleum or other chemicals can leak and catch fire

• Underground tanks may weaken over time and leak their hazardous contents

• There are also many risks in transporting hazardous waste, for example, when trains crash or trucks overturn

• People also may dump hazardous waste in sewer systems, abandoned warehouses or in remote areas ditches in order to avoid the costs of safe disposal

How may we exposed to

hazardous substances? • Humans, plants and animals can be exposed to hazardous waste

through inhalation, ingestion or dermal exposure.

• Inhalation: by breathing

• Ingestion: by eating and drinking

• Dermal exposure: by direct contact with or be absorbed by our skin.

• Exposure can be acute or chronic

• Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of inorganic substances or

organic chemicals in an organism

• These substances accumulate and cause harm over time, for

example, pesticides

Hazardous wastes and health

risks • There are three categories of effect of

health risks with hazardous waste:

• Mutagenic effect: • permanent change in DNA

• may be passed on to later generations

• Carcinogenic effect: • an increase in an individual's risk of developing

cancer

• Teratogenic effect: • the risk that a developing embryo will have

physical defects