DOCUMENT .RESUME ED 155 036 SE 024 303 AUTHOR e Schneider, Gerald. TITLE Earth Trek...Explore Your Environment. INSTITUTION Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. President's EnvironmentalMerit Auards Program. REPORT 'NO EPA-335 . PUB ,DATE Oct 77 NOTE 43p.; Colored drawings 'mat .not reproduce well , AVAILABLE FROM ,Superintendent of Documenti, U.S. Government 'Printing ffice-Washington DC 20402 (Stock Number 055-000-.00170-7; No price quoted) BOBS PRICE DESCRIPTORS MF-$0.83 HC-$2.06 Plus Postage. *Activism;, Air Pollution Control; *Environment; *Environmental EduCation; *Instructional Materials; Pesticides; *Pollution; *Secondary Education; Wastes; Water Pollution Control ABSTRACT . This publication introduceS children tc water, air, and 'noise_pollAtion,_solid_wa_ste.. a p as a _ use - problems. Several pollution prob,.ems are explained and the importance of-solving them is stressed. S,6me concepts such as recycling, closed systems, and environments that are related tc,polluticr problems are , also introduced. Each chapter includes introductory questions,, a discussion of the problem, a checklist for action,,,..and a situation. to analyze. Appendices summarize U.S. Environmental Protection Agency laws, list ERA regional offices, and list some books and films about pollution. A glossary is also included. (MR), et, I .. ************************************t*********************4************ * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made - * z * from the original document. 4 * . , ************************,*************************A********************
Transcript
DOCUMENT .RESUME
ED 155 036 SE 024 303
AUTHOR e Schneider, Gerald.TITLE Earth Trek...Explore Your Environment.INSTITUTION Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
. PUB ,DATE Oct 77NOTE 43p.; Colored drawings 'mat .not reproduce well ,
AVAILABLE FROM ,Superintendent of Documenti, U.S. Government 'Printingffice-Washington DC 20402 (Stock Number
055-000-.00170-7; No price quoted)
BOBS PRICEDESCRIPTORS
MF-$0.83 HC-$2.06 Plus Postage.*Activism;, Air Pollution Control; *Environment;*Environmental EduCation; *Instructional Materials;Pesticides; *Pollution; *Secondary Education; Wastes;Water Pollution Control
ABSTRACT .
This publication introduceS children tc water, air,and 'noise_pollAtion,_solid_wa_ste.. a p as a _ use -
problems. Several pollution prob,.ems are explained and the importanceof-solving them is stressed. S,6me concepts such as recycling, closedsystems, and environments that are related tc,polluticr problems are
, also introduced. Each chapter includes introductory questions,, adiscussion of the problem, a checklist for action,,,..and a situation. toanalyze. Appendices summarize U.S. Environmental Protection Agencylaws, list ERA regional offices, and list some books and films aboutpollution. A glossary is also included. (MR),
et,
I..
************************************t*********************4************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made - *
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Bernard LukenE Pf4
TO TH,E EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) ANDCISERS OF THE ERIC SYSTEM
Ui DEPARTMENT OF EAL7(.EDUCATION &WE FARENATIONAL INSTI UTEOF
EOUCAT, N ,/
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO-Ouceo EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM'rHE 'PERSON OR ORGAIII ZAT ION 012 IGIN-A TING IT POINTS pF ylEw OR OPINIONSSTATED DO NOT NEgESSARILY REPRE-SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION POSITION OR POLLy
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Earth Trek...Explore Your Environment
,13y Dr. Gerald Schneider%
Pr6idntBetteMorld, Inc
ContebtsIntroductionNeeded: Clean WaterNeeded: Clean AirNeeded; Good Ways to Get Rid
Of Trash and GarbageNeeded: Freedom from Noise
PollutionNeeded: Safer Use of.PesticidesAppendix I
Title U:S rivIroftmentarProtection Agency andEnvironmental Lar e
Appendix IIRegional Offices of EPA
Appendix 1:11`Books and Films About Pollution
Glossary
'Illustrations Jo9 McGurrenReference Order "WA 6 99-2762 A
Office of Public Awareness/k Contract Officer' Matte Mpntggrnery
1) S Environmental Protection/Agency.Washington p C 20460 /
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* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1977 0-247-803
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U S. Government PrintIrig OfficeWashington, D.C. 20402
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IntroductionYour birth made an impact on the world.You were a' neW person for the world tofeed, clothe, and shelter
The kind of life you have today dependson the work/of many people. Farmers whogrow your food, factory worker Who makeyour clothese and people w o build theplace you live in are just a f w of thosewho affect the quality of life ou have:
As you grow, your need grow, toomore food, more clothes, more toys, moreof most everything. A desk and books arethere when you start school. Gas, oil, orelectricity (energy) are used to warm orcool you, cook your fobd, or run the TV'orreoocd player.. You need more water for,drinking and bathing.
Industries make tele-visions, stereos,sports equipment, and other things for youto enjoy. They mine the land and oceansfor more materials to make these things.Materials, energy, water, and other thingsadd to the gkiality of your life..
A lot,of people and things are needed togive you tl-a kind of life you have. Thesepeople and things are called resources.And these resources will be needed everyday for as long as you lives. /
Today, you are still making an impact on.the world. Every personin fact, everyliving thingaffects the woyld and itssurroundi'ngs. /,
What we dd to maintain our way of lifeaffects the world's environment and, inturn', affects- us. Environment means the
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rroundOgs living thingi find themselvesi For example, a monkey's environment
is a jungle while yours may be a city.Omr, present methods of meeting OUF
ridedS---eleate environmental problemsand cause pollution. Pollution is whatevermakes our ail., land, and water dirty and'unhealthy.
Burning fuel to make' electricity forhouses and factories can 'pollute (makedirty and unhealthy) the air we breathe byfilling it with smoke, .dirt, and chemicals.Mining for the fue,I and materials to makethe things we buy can pollute water. Forexample, rain can wash soil and acidsaround mining sites intb nearby rivers andlake. s
Wastes from manufacturing and dispo-sal of garbage can Ptlyite land, water, and'air. Noise from big machines used to makeand move things is also a kind of pollution.(It can affect your hearing, for example).Chemicals sprayed, on crops and thoseadded to food, lotions, and cleaning
-agents may end up harrrling us.Many of the ,things we do" and want
cause pollution. Whether we pollute theenvironment or not depends on how wepreduce the 'things we want.
The.Earth Must Be Used Carefully, NoNew Earth Will Be toiailable ,
The way we live in the world is somethinglike -the way an astronaut\ lives in aspaceship. An astronaut in spice needs11 pounds of water and two pounds of aireach day to live. But if that were all the ,
wter and air an astronaut had, how longc5uld the astronaut make them lash .
Answer Forever, if need belThe reason, of course, is that a
spaceshrp's water and air can be cleanedand made usable again within the space-ship ,Cleaning and renewing thingsalready used is called recycling Specialmachines recycle water and air onspaceships over and over again so theastronauts never run out'
Recycling of water andhir also happenson Earth, but is done by nature, notmachines Earth's Water, for example,- isrecycled when it is warmed by .the sun,becomes a gas (water ,vepor) and thenreturns "cleansed.' as rain or snow Greenplants, in friaking their food,, use carbondioxide that is breathed out by people andanimals In the process, plants produtelarge amounts of oxygen which we needThat is how- plants renew the air we,Veatia(ecycle it)
closed SystemEarth is sealed off Vorn sppce much as aspaceship Is Earth's land,.water, and airare locked together by gravity and cannotdrift off 'separately 4910 space. Except fortiny amovirs of air and spacecraft (with allthey carry aboard), no 'matter escapesfrom Earth out into Space And except forcosmic dust and space objects'siJ4 asmeteors,...ng,newinatter is added to Earth.
All the fresh water, air, mineral, plant,and animal resources Earth-Now has it has
rink today may contains'atoms trunk byyears ago And y
dinosaurs millions ofour favorite person in
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history may have breathed some of thesame air yoU are breathing now,
Spaceships and Earth, ewhich aresealed off from space. are "closedsystems" Recyctg of resources such aswater -and air are vital.in closed systemsWithout recycling, water and air wouldsoon be used up. in a closed system
Although new water and air (bothmaterials) dd riot enter the Earth's closed
. system, energy in the form of sunlightdoes reach us SLIn energy provides the-power for recyCling by nature
Wood, wool', cotton, and other materialspribduced by living things are broken downinto atoms when eaten by insects, bacte-ria, and fungi The atoms are recycled intonew materials. For example', the atom maybecome mineral matter dissolved in waterthat plartts soak up through theirvoots
But some 'materials that are .made in
laboratories by people cannorbe recycledby nature. These man-made materialsinclude many plastics, detqgents andchemicals. They cannot be eaten byinsects, bacteria, fungi, or.any otherlivingthing Thrown away in the trash, dumpedinto water or carelessly sprayed in the air,these man-rhade materials are not des-troyed. Instead, they remain as they are-7often poisoning the environment andb'eboming polluters.
6
There are still other materials, such as,iron, copper, and Ass, that are recycled: -
in nature, but very slowly. These materials'must be dissolved in water before livingthings can absorb them. And it m'ay takemany years beforethey are dissolved. Thecans and junk cars that litter our country-
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'sides are examples of the environmentalproblems caused by 'slowly dissolvrh-,3terials They also pollute
People can help to protect the envirment from man -made materials thatcannot be destroyed, and materials thatare only slowly dissolved by natureNature cannot do the job alone As youmay have heard in a radio or TV an-
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nouncement "People make pollution,people can stop pollution"
To help, you must learn as much as youcan about pollution problems. Then youmust act on what you learn Action withoutlearning"rarely helps and it may evenmake matters worse This booklet canhelp you learn and at
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Needed: Clean WaterTry theSe questions (correct answers atend c5f chapter).
1. How much water do you and yourfamily use each day? r-\
2'. What is the most common pollutant inwater?
Life Depends Oil Water
You, other people,, and all animals andplants are mosliy water. A person is about65 percent water. And each of us needs todrink at leapt five pintS of wader each dayto live. Big animals like horses need about15- gallons-of water a day. Do you knowhow much water your favorite pet needs?
Water .is also used for washing, airconditioning, household work, and sprin-kling lawns And steel, gasoline, paper,and most other products' are. made with
-the help of water. Power plants use water'for cooling. Farms of course, need water togrow food.
Goods and people are carried aroundthe world on ships that Move on water.Water is used for swimming, boating, andother kinds of recreation. And water is thehome of many, animals and plants such asfish, whales, clams, and seaweeds.
Life would no _be possible withoutwater. That is why it issOlmportant to-keep-water clean and usable.
What Is Water Pollution
Water is polluted when it is unsafe toe because sewage and er wastes
have been dumped untreated into it!
Polluted water can smell, have garbagefloating in it, look muddy and be too ugly toswim or boat in. But even water that looksclean and smells good can be polluted: itmay be loaded with germs and dangerouschemicals that you cril-iot see.
People pollute water in a lot of ways.One way is to allow factory and bathroomwastes to flo\7v through pipes and nto.Waterways with no treatment Another vbayis to allow soil, fertil-izeis, and industrialwastes to wash from farms, building'sites,and mining Sites into waterways after arain. .
Bacteria can feed on ,,c,ome° wastes.Other wastes will be diluted by waferinwaterways. But nature can only ,do somuch' We are making more wastes than
'nature can handle alone. More and betterwastewater treatment is needed
)4' ,Water Treatment
Not all cor`rimunities properly treat waterbefore drinking itl Most of us think that hewater we drink is'safe and it usually is.But about,4,000 Americans are made sickeach 'year by erms, and bacteria inunsafe drinking ate, according toimedical r4ports. Man others are probablyalso sickened by bad water, but they donot know that it was the water that malethem sick and it is never reported.
. Water must also be cleaned after it' isused and before. it goes back intowaterways. This cleaning is done bywaste treatMent,or sewage plants.
The picture (right)-shows two stages of i;)ydaus-e pf the increase of man-madewastewater treatment; primary and se- .chemicals in water.condary. A third stage or tertiary treatment(,not shown in the picture) is required to' \ Find Out More About Water Supplyclean up pollutants the-first two stages A And Pollution 4,
missed. Few communities use tertiary Where does your community's water-treatmetit. supply come from? Can you hike or ride to
Rivers and lakes will dilute much of jhe any of the water sources? Is the water youpollution that remains after, secondary drink treated to 'remove dirt and germs-treatment and bacteria willleed on other before it ispiped to your house? Is there apollutants, as alrea4y mentioned. But onlytertiary treatment cr remove man-madechemicals.
Tertiary treatment is costly. It includesways to speed settling out of solids in.wastewater, use of electricity and'carbonfilters td remove wastes and other specialmethods. All communities may have touse tertiary treatment of water in the future
8
wafet treatment plant you can visit?Learn more about how sewag6 is
treated by doing Some water treatmentyOurser Ask your parents tg buy you acheap flour sifter or make a container witha screen bottom. Cover the screening withalayer of absorbent cotton, next a one-inch layer of coarse sand and then a oneinch layer ofgraveK 6
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Set the sifter over a jar and slowlypoutrtnucrttyater into the sifter. Does the Waterlook clean when it comes out the bottomtntd the jar?'WHILE THE-WATER MAY-LOOK CLEAN, IT STILL HAS GERMSAND SHOULD NOT BE DRUNK, COrn,pare what you did with the way wastewat-er is treated in regular sewage-treathrientplants as illustrated in this' chapter.
Visit a construction site after a heavy.rain, bias any soil be shed away fromhe si.te9 Did any so h into a nearbylake or river? WI-at ca be done to insurethat oil stays' in place at constructionSites When it rains?
-1-F ace the runoff from a service slationafter a heavy rain-. Are there signs of oil in ,
wafer from the service station into streetgutters (oil creates shiny, rainbow coloredstreak&in water)? Where will any oil in the
-% water ge? What effect can oil have on the .
local water supply or the quality of water,fish Jive in? What can servi'ce statignowners do to-prevent oil from washillg-1 .
away?Is there a factory that is polluting water
near youlhat you can visit? A.teacher, thehealth department,ora local anti-pollutionorganization may help you find such afactory. What kind of pollution is involved?Is the p011ution only the fault of the factoryowner? What can your community do to
'help 'stop poll'ution`from faCtorie's? =
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Checklist For ActionHere are ten ways to help reduce waterpollution problems. Can ,you list others?
Make an exhibit showing how water issupplied and wastewater treated in yourcommunity for display at school or in alibrary
Adopt part of a river or lakdf or you andsome friends and classmates to take careof Plan fitter, clearnk trips, test the waterfor pollutants, and tell others of the value ofout adopted 'water area. (Have an adult
on hand for safety.)Help to`plan a special program on water
pollution' at your school. (Ask your localpublic works or health depOment for aid )
Find out what the drinking and waterpollution laws are in your community andhow well they are enforced,.
Interview water polluters in your area fora school newspaper and describe ,theirwater pollution. control problems.
Organize a debate' in school to defendand oppose the statement. "'Environmen-
tal legislation and enforcement are neces-sary to protect water quality".
Spend a few hours each month workingwith a community antiipollution organize-
'lion on water pollution problems.. Pldn a trip to a water supply orwastewater treatment plant
Draw a map of your community showingwhere sources' Of water pollution arelocated. 4
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Use compost instead of store-boughtfertilizers and pesticides on lawns (sinceexcess amounts of these chemicals candrain off after a rain and wash intoWaterways)
2
What Would YoutDo?(-----
You catch a fish in a small lake near your'house You are not sure that the fish issale to eat (the water may have beenpolluted)! Would you eat the fish?
You are hikirig with a club in a woodedarea. Another hiker sees a clean-lookingstream, takes a drink from it and offers youa drink of it from a cup Would you drink thewater?
Answer to questions at beginning ofchapter1. If yin" is like the average Americanfamily, you use about 160 gallons eachday.
2. Sediments (soil, sand, and minerals)washed from the land into water are themost common pollutants in water ingeneral (often more than half of allpollutants in a river or lake)
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Needed: Clean AirTry these questions (correct answers atend of Chapter):
iT How Much does sickness and damagefrom air pollution cost Americans each.year?
2 What is the biggest cause of airpollution in cities?
What Is Air Pollution
Car4 you see the sky clearly where youlive? If not, the air, may 'be, polluted.Polluted air can smell bad or. look smoky.But pollution could also be there withoutyour smelling or seeing it.
Air pollution comes from soot, fly ash,and chemicals produced by automobile
-exhaust fumes, chimney smoke, burninggarbage dumps, and materials sprayed inthe air, Soot from burning fu.el oil is themain pollutant that gives smoke its darkcolor:Fly ash is tiny ashes that go up andout of ichimneys and make smoke evendarker. Chemicals Qf many kinds that youcannot see mix with the smoke. Smog, theeye-stinging haze that hangs fiver mostcities, is produced when chemicals in theair mix with sunlight.
Damage tp Things From Air Pollution
Air Pollutants such as soot and fly ashsettle out on things and make them dirty.Blown by the wind, air pollutants act likesandpaper and scratch away buildingsand statues. Chemical 'air pollutantsdiscolor and "eat away" (corrode) mate:-
rials. Can you find any change in the colorof bricks on old buildings near where youlive? Is there a .statu e, in the park that iscrumbling away? If you find these things,
-chances are that air pollution was one ofthe causes.
Plants are also harmed by air polllition.Their leaves may get dry. Brown spotsmay appear on them. Or the leaves mayturn yellow and fall off. Orange and othercitrus trees and "salad" crops (such aslettuce' and celery used in salads). areespecially hurt.
Even house plants suffer from airpollution from cooking fumes. Are any ofthe plants in your house being affected byair pollution? (Look for symptoms menti-oned above.)
Animals are also affected by air pollu-tion. Cattle can get sick.... and so canpets. A small amount of some chemicalssprayed, near an aqUarium may kill petfish, for example. Care Must be taken sothat you and your pets are safe from fumesof many paints, lotions, glue, cleaningagents, and other chemicals.
Sickness From Air Pollution
Even a little air pollution can make youreyes burn and,your head ache. It can tireyou out, blur your vision, make you dizzy,and make it hard. for you to breathe. Airpollutants can also affect asthma andmake catching colds and flu more likely.And air pollutants have been linked tosome cases of serious diseases such as-lung cancer and heart ailments.
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IN! 15
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What To Do 1 A Poll tion AlertWhen pair poll tion ge rs very bad, manycites have a 'pollutiO alert". A pollutionalert is a war ing that he air outside is nothealthy. Fac ories y have to close toreduce chimney s ke. People may be,asked not drive their cars so as toreduce auto exh.au t fumes.-
Pollution/ alerts u ually end when freshwinds blry or rain washes the pollutantsaway. 1
Polluti alerts are especially danger-ous to, ,eople who have breathing prob-lems, hayfever, and other allergiek But
you and everybody else should avoid badar,if you can.
.If there is a pollution alert in yourcommunity, try to stay indoors more, movearound le8s, and keep away from smoke.
parent dr teacher may be abl to tell youmore about what-you should do wring a'pollution alert.
Air Quality TodayAir quality in the United States is gettingbetter but much more needs to be done Itwill take the combined interest of eve-ryoneyou, Ether people, industry, and
Why not find out if the air is polluted in yourneighborhood? Try a "touch survey" andsee 'how much dirt comes off on yourfingers Touch the sidewalk, building§stones, fences, trees, parked cars, andstore windows. Wipe dirt off your fingersafter each touch. Which things wefe dirty?Which were The dirtiest? Can you tellwhere the dirt camefrorn?
Do a "seeing survey." Can you see dirton the window of your bedroom? Can yousee dirt on clothes hung\on a clothesline?How long des )t take your bedroomwindows to dirty again after they arecleaned? How long can clean clotheshang on a clothesline before they get
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dirty? Where is the dirt coming from (is itfrom air.pollution alone)?
Smear two sheets, of the same kind\ ofwriting paper op one side with petroleumjelly. Put the sheets next to each other,smear sides up, on- a window sill Clampthe sheets in place, with. the closed.window. Do this when it. iS not raining orsnowing
Take one sheet iri at the end `of one dayand see how dirty it, looks compare it toclean sheet of the "same kind 'of paper).Save the dirty sheet Take the other sheeton the window sal in after a week. See howdirty'it is (compare it to the first dirty sheet'and a sheer of clean paper of the samekind). How dirty do you think the aft is?
All these surveys and tests are more funif you do them with friends and class-hates. You can compare firldings. Maybe Apoyou can even tack the sheets of paper up
1
on a bulletin board, at'school with a noteabout what you did. Why not have acontest to see who can find -the dirtiest air?Have an adult help.
Approximate Distribution ofAutomotive Pollutants withoutControls, By Source
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Checklist For ActionHere -are ten ways to help reduce airpollution' problems. Can you list others?
Find out who the major air polluters arein yourarea (a local anti-pollution organkzation can help), what can be done abouttheir pollution (pollution problems areoften not their fault alone), and how you-can help.
Form an anti-pollu tion club in your---,school. Plan projects, study lopl and
nalional air pollution problems, an-d"inviteexperts to talk to your club.
Invite polluters to talk,toyour club abouttheir pollution control problems:
Learn about,the air pollution laws in yourcommunity and how well they are en-Jorpecl (your local health departmen1 andother groups can help).
Help plan a special program on airpollution at your school.
Walk or bike whenever possibleinstead(of riding in a car. ,;
Organize a car pool tf you must travel bycar to school.
Take photographs of the effects airpollutiOn has on buildings, statues, andplants in your community arid use thephotographs to make an emlbit
Make a slide show or a film that showswhy clean air is everyone's responsibility-.
Use grooming aids, paints, glues, anddetergents that come in non-spray con-
,tainers.
What Would You Do?Your friend only lives a few blocks fromher school. But a Parent drives her to andfrom school each day. You think sheshould walk between home and schoolsince using a car when you do not have towastes _fuel and .makes air pollution
problems worse. Shpuld you talk to yourfriend about it? '
You felt wonderful after a trip to thecountry. The fresh hair Was great! Now youare back in town andlhe air smells bad.What would you do to help make thetown's air fresher?
Answer to questions at beginning ofchapter:
1. Sickness from air pollution costsAmericans about $4.6. billion yearly inmedical treatment, lost wages for sick'workers, and lost work. Damage tobuildings, clothing, and other things fromair pollution costs about $12.3 billion16
yearly. The total yearly cost of air pollutionin sickness and damage to things, ti*, is$16.9 billion. 72. Automobiles cause more air pollutionin cities in general than anything else! Asmuch as 85 percent. of air pollution insome cities comes frommoving cars,tracks; :and buses.
46
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Needed:Good Ways.teiGet Rid of.T!at and GarbageTr'y these question.(correct answers atend of chilapter):
1. How uch ihcusehold trash and gar-bage; dies y family throw away eachday?,
2. Ho mugarb ge) dyear
h solid waste (all trash ,an,c1.Ame.ricans throw away each
Me hod Of Waste Disposalow
'we do about the solid Waste wee so much of? (See answer toR. 2 above for thpamount pro-I
,TflioW the stuff away and it littersstrepts, roadways,. the countryside, andwa rways.
hatroduuest
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urn' it in the open and it causes airution.
Lea/e'it in the open at garbage dumpsqind it'sme,ils, look's ugly, and attracts ratsiQnd ;insects./' BOry it and we lose the value ofmaterials in it that rqight be reclaimed andreused. 4.
f -Bury it without care and dangerouschemicalS drain from it to, poison land andwater.
Each year, Americans "tqrow away" 7.6million television sets, 7 rVillion cars andtrucks, 48 billion cans, 26 billion bottlesand jars, and 30 million tons of paper!Waste tiOosa I now costs $4.5 billion peryear,. Something has to be done, with allthis trash and garbage even if it is not the
18
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best thing that can 'De done.Open garbage dknps, (the most com-
mon place we put our solid waste) havebeen made better by turning them intosanitary landfills. In a sanitary landfill, alayer of soil applied:daily over the wastekeeps' pests away,,cuts off water pollu-
:--tants that wash -off from the site after rain,does away_ with thb need to burn thewaste, and prevents wind-blowing of litter.When filled, the site can be planted withgrass, shrubs, and.trees and made into apark.
However, ordinary sanitary landfills may3 not stop waste matacipls from seepingthrough the soil and ruining water supp-lies. For example, hazardotts waste-7chemical, radioactive, biological, flimma-ble, Sand explosive typesneed landfillsthat are sealed in special Ways to preventseepage. And Americans produce morethan 10 million tons 'of hazardous wasteeach'arI
In the past, hazardous waste was__,burned .in incineittors (4urnaces forgarbage)tor durvped into waterways. Asair and water poltieon controls'went intoeffect, however, more of these wasteswere put into landfills. With 5 to 10 percentyearly increases in the amount of hazard-ous waste produced, the HealtIlof peopleis threatehed by seepage of hazardouswaste from the landfills.
There are good'ways to ge /id of.mosthazardous waste without harming healthor ecology. But costs of such disposal arehigh. Federal andState and local govern-ments are working with bLiSines s firms and
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4citizens to solve cost and other disposalproblems.
Better Methods Of Waste Disposal 4,-
To recycle what we can and recidg what -.is of value in folid waste is an importantgoal. It is prcbably the des*method ofwaste disposal because it allows reuse of.materials. Otherwise, solid waste is really '.wasted 'solids.
There are a number of reasons why werecycle and recover so little solid waste.today. It often seems easier and cheaperto throw many things.-away, although the .
cost- of r6blacing, hauling, and disposingof throw-aWays is-increasing. We do notyet know how tcr reysetome,solid waste,such as rubble. And we do not yet knowhow to recycle other waste,-such ascertain plastics.
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Some, garbage that cannot be recycledor reclaimed now can be burned toproduce energy, The city of St. Louis has asystem that separates burnable) fromponbumable waste. Thetpurnable waste is
wit g ,coal .and, used as fuel inelectric utilify boilers.
Note in the picture on page 19 howgarbage can be collected and some of itburned to heat a building while metafand ,
glass that does not burn is V.Vered.Some apartment buildings and hospitalsin Sweden handle garbage in this way.
One way to reduce the solid waste.problem is not to produce so rh .of it. Dowe really need all .the cello re, card-bOard, colored; paper, etal foil, andplastic bags that So many things come in?Can we get alon"g with les8 packaging?
Find Out More About Solid WastesDo a litter survey of your ,neighborhoodor schoolgroundsperhaps as, a classproject. How much of what can you find?Collect the litter (wearing gloves) andplace it in paper grocery bags. Skip foodWaste. Weight or count the number ofbags filled. How much litter did you get?Does the amount surprise you?
What kinds and how much of each'kindof litter did you collect? Divide the litter onthe Vound into separate piles-as follows:
PaperMetal CansBottles, Jars, and GlassPlasticWood .
OtheiL9crap Materials
Weight each pile. Which pile weighs themost? Also note which pile takes up themost room. Is the pile that takes up themost room .the same pile that weighs the
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Most? If there is a difference, explain theimportance of that difference in wastedisposal. Is there something yob can do toreduce the amount of room needed forany pile of litter?
Which kinds of litter will decay outsideexposed to rain and sunlight? Of thosekinds, which will decay in afew days? In afew years? In hundreds of years? Arid'Which. will remain pfactically forever?
'What acdounts for the differences?Can all the litter be reci6led now? Find ,
out what, you can about-possibilities..lateacher, librarian,, or the "'Sanitation depart=relent can help you). -
What does your community dd with thetrash and garbage ileolteds? Is it put in anopen garbage dumpor a sanitary landfill?Are there any- recyCling centers orsystems to recover metal and glasswastes? Visit disposal -4tes and see foryourself., -
(P.S. REMEMBER. TO ,REMOVE `ANDPROPERLY DISPOSE OF ALL COLLECT-ED LITTER.) `.
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Checklist For Action . Take a trip to,a waste disposal site that-
Here are ten ways:to help reduce solid serves your community.waste problems. Can you list others? .ind out what kind of laws your corn--
Ch.eck to see if soda machines in. tvnunity has about trash and garbageschool cafeterias use returnable bottlesaiittfmthey do not, ask the school principalabout it.
Help, to organize a school, club, church,or synagogue recycling center
Have a contest to see who can pick upthe most litter in an area of several blocj<s,
of along a stretch of a not-too-busy',highway
Interview the head of the sanitationdepartment on your community's solidwaste management problems for a reportto classmates.
Make in exhibit describing solid wasteproblems using litter found in your com-munity for display at school or.in a library.
Write a poem about trash and garbageproblems for a schnl assembly prograrri.
disposal in your community and how wellthey are enforced.
Ask your teacher t? invite a sanitationworker to talk to the C ass about the kindsand amounts of garbage and trashcollected in your community.
Organize a group to clean up a vacantlot and /urn it into an outdoor play area(with approval from the lot owner and helpfrom adults.)
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What Would You Do?You want to buy some recycled writing ,
pap& A store near you has the recycledpaper next to 'regular writing paper. The
. recycled paper costs one-dollar morethan the regular paper Which.do you buy2:,
A dog owned by a'neightbor runs looseand knocks over garbage cans put out forgarbage pickup. The garbage is alwayssdatteredon the street. What would you doabout the problem?
Answers' to questions at beginning ofchapter.
1. The average American throws awayabout five pounds of refuse each day2. Americans throw away about 4.5 billion
tows of solid wastes each year Thpincludes halsehold, comr rcial agricul-tural, animal, industrial and mining,wastes:
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Needed:Freedom fromNoise Pollution
(
Try these questions (correct answers atend of chapter):
1. What is the first warning that a sound.may be loud enough to hurt your hearing?
2. What are the first' soun# lost to earsaffected by harmful noise''
= What Is NoiseNoise is ear pollution. It is often called"unwanted sound". If a sound is some-thing you like, say a song or a call from afriend then it is just a sound. But if you aretrying to sleep or study, a sound tike thatbecomes a noise..
Loud noises can affect your hearing.Noise of any kind m4s, make you nervousor affect your sleep. Noise can also affectyoy9Speechfand your ability to think. Andnoise (along with other causes) has beenlinked to daseS-df heart disease, ulcers,.Mental illness, -and other sicknesses.
Wanted sound, such as amplified rock-and-roll music, can hurt your hearing;even though you may not think of it asnoise.
Noise, of eturse, is not always bad. Youmay not like to hear car horns, but they
warn,you of coming cars when you crossstreets. A thumping noise from a bike tire.warns you, that the tire may be flat. Andone can'-block out another noise, forexample when loud music drowns put thesounds of a typewriter in an offiie.
Sound is made by air pressure'on youreardrums. (See the chapter drawing of anear and its parts.) For example, when youclap your hands, listen to the "clap"sound. Air was pushed out from betweenyour hands when you brought your handstogether. At almost the same time, air inyour earsr'pushes yogr eardrums inward.And your ears signat 75ur brain to give youthe "feeling" of a clap sound.
Air your hands pushed did not travel toyour ears. But the_push travellecrfrom yourhands to your ears at a speed of 770 milesper hour, moving through the air much aswaves move over the surthce of water.This wave of "push" or pressure movingthrough the air was a.sound wave:.
The number of sound waves hitting youreardrums each second controls. ttehighness or lowness of the sound youhear. The strength of sound 'waves ismeasured by a sound level meter in units
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Needed:Freedom fromNoise Pollution
(
Try these questions (correct answers atend of chapter):
1. What is the first warning that a sound.may be loud enough to hurt your hearing?
2. What are the first' soun# lost to earsaffected by harmful noise''
= What Is NoiseNoise is ear pollution. It is often called"unwanted sound". If a sound is some-thing you like, say a song or a call from afriend then it is just a sound. But if you aretrying to sleep or study, a sound tike thatbecomes a noise..
Loud noises can affect your hearing.Noise of any kind m4s, make you nervousor affect your sleep. Noise can also affectyoy9Speechfand your ability to think. Andnoise (along with other causes) has beenlinked to daseS-df heart disease, ulcers,.Mental illness, -and other sicknesses.
Wanted sound, such as amplified rock-and-roll music, can hurt your hearing;even though you may not think of it asnoise.
Noise, of eturse, is not always bad. Youmay not like to hear car horns, but they
warn,you of coming cars when you crossstreets. A thumping noise from a bike tire.warns you, that the tire may be flat. Andone can'-block out another noise, forexample when loud music drowns put thesounds of a typewriter in an offiie.
Sound is made by air pressure'on youreardrums. (See the chapter drawing of anear and its parts.) For example, when youclap your hands, listen to the "clap"sound. Air was pushed out from betweenyour hands when you brought your handstogether. At almost the same time, air inyour earsr'pushes yogr eardrums inward.And your ears signat 75ur brain to give youthe "feeling" of a clap sound.
Air your hands pushed did not travel toyour ears. But the_push travellecrfrom yourhands to your ears at a speed of 770 milesper hour, moving through the air much aswaves move over the surthce of water.This wave of "push" or pressure movingthrough the air was a.sound wave:.
The number of sound waves hitting youreardrums each second controls. ttehighness or lowness of the sound youhear. The strength of sound 'waves ismeasured by a sound level meter in units
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\Loudness of Sounds (in Sibels)
called decibels, Note the "noisiness'Ofthe different sounds in the decibel scaleincluded here In general, every increaseof ten decibels doubles the noisiness of a
. sound=t
How Noise Affects Your HealthEar pain is felt if sounds ark foo loud forthree tiny bones in ears caller ossic/essoften them enough The ossicles cha1igethe loudness of sounds before they enterthe inner ear Vibrations from -the overlyloud sounds that reach1he inneremayrip and tear tissues that are needed for'hearing. Damage from the sound vibra-tions can affect the ability to hear.
Ears will heal themselves if not seriouslyinjured There r51?-be only a short timeafter the loud noise that you,cannot hearBut hearing can be. lost forever if* the
'damage-rs very bad Or hearing may bedamaged' so that you may hear somesounds, but not others. For example, a carhorn may be heard, but not someone,speaking
Making The World QuieterThe is getting noisier Big machineSroar, air conditioners whir, lawn mowers
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snarl, car horls blast, sirens screech,telephones ring, people yell, dogs btrk,nois most eyierywhere.
But 1 world could be male quieter It
should. health depaniA on it.Noise can sometimes!be oftened at its
source. For example, lers on carexhaust pipes g e ex aust . gases achance to sprea ,out a littleetbefore thegases are pushed out ,into the air.Because of this,.the gases make weaker,
.sound waves than if they were pipeddirectly from the motor into the air). What
noises can be softened at theysource? .
Another way tweduce noise is to soakthe noise u .,When sound wav s bounce
'off walls and ceilings in r oms, theirechoes q to th ew sounds in therooms a ble of noise
_Ce.ngs made otiny holes in them) absorb :sound w'much as sponges Stok up water
Putting machines on rubber pads canredUce noise by keeping tables and floorsfrom -vibrating along with the maohineSand making noise as they vibrate. What
® machines in your house can be ,made-quieter by putting them on rubber pads?
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ise canalso be blocked or stoppedcompletely! That might seem like theeasiest-way to stop noise, but it is notalwa9§ so. For example, to soundproofrooms would require that walls andcpilings be very thick and covered withsecial soundproofing . materials. Theextra materials.and building requirementswould make houses and apartmentsmuch more expensive.
Would the soundproofing materials bewortp the extra cost? What would yourparents d_ef..jde? What would you decide?What Pould the5Iecision finals' be basedon ?(
Blocking out all utside sounds from-robms an aus a diffe,rentprobleffi,lio ever. or example, this wasdone in the reading room of a new, library.The-raom was,So quiet that the sound of areader turning a page or pushing baq,10
"chair disturbed other readers. StientistShave found That people work and feelbetter, when they' hear some familiar'bifise noises.
FindOut More About Noise-, How noisy is your neighbothob-d- or the
area around your school? Your ear ayfool' you since you are used to he ringcertain sounds, but not others. Try m kinga' -noise survey ,u$irtg a battery-operatedtape recorder, whit!) will .not.be, fooled.Walk-around outside,with a tape recorderon. Play back the tapeVu made in a quietroom. Canyou tell which was the noisiestplc survevq? .
'---N> Make a list ofall the sounds you hear Onthe tape'. What Made theTh? Could any ofthe sounds be softened or stopped? Wereall the sounds necessary?. list all-6f the sounds You like to hear onthe left,sicfe of a sheet of paper. List thesod,nds you-do,not like to hear on the rightsid6 of that same sheet. Have your friendeail classmates make similar lists. Com-park lists. Does everybody like or not like
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the same things? Can you explain yourfindings?
Make or buy a buzzer set that includes abattery,. buzzer, wire, and switch. Have acontest with friends and classmates tosee who can muffle the sound of thebuzzer most. Try surrounding the buzzerwith cardboard, plastic, and other mate-rials to get the muffling effect. The winnerwill be the person who muffles the soundmost with materials that weigh the least(since weight is important).
'Checklist for ActionHere are ten ways to hel redce noisepollutiongoblems.- Can yo list others?
See if your school or club can arrange toborrow a sound level meter and re, d thedecibel levels of sounds reets,traffic, and at an airport as a oup project.
Make a tape recording of the noisier andquieter plates in your community and.playit for friends, family, classmates, andothers. .
Find out what the noise control laws arein your community and how they areenforced.
Locate noise pollution sources in yourschool and develop a plan that you sharewith your school principal to reduceschool noise problems.
Develop a skit- or play that you and'others can perform about noise pollutionproblems.
Test to see how low you can set the
volume control on a television, recordplayer, tape player, and radio and stillenjoy listening.
Wait until you are closer to peoplebefore talking to them instead of shoutingat a distance.
Use ear plugs at live "roc k" concerts tosoften the mbic and protect your hearing.
Help plant trees and shrubs to screenyour house from street and highway noise.
-Attend a public hearing on noise controllaws and offer to give your opinion aboutnoise pollution problems.
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What Would You Do?A teenager who lives down the block fromyou loves his noisy motorcycle. He wantseveryone to hear him and know he is therewhen he rides by. The noise of hismotorcycle disturbs yOu and your family.What should you do about it?
You are trying to do your homework inyour bedroom. You cannot concentrateon it because- your sister is playing music.loudly in the next room and your babybrother is watching a noisy cartoon ontelevision. What would you do?
Answers to questions at beginning ofchapter:-
1. The first warning that a sound maybe loud enough to hurt you is ear distress(for example, pain or ringing noises).
2. The first sounds lost to ears byharmful noise are usually the f, s, th, chand sh sounds. Loss of these sounds islikely to be followed (if you lose more ofyour hearing) by loss of b, t, p, k and dsounds. In any event, doctors shouldexamine people with hearing complaints.
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NeededSafer Use of PesticidesTry these 'questions (correct answersgiven at end of chapter):
1. What is the most important thing to dobefore using a pesticide? .
2. 'How many pesticides are now regis-s-, tered in the United States?
Pesticides Can Help And HarmPesticides are chemicals that kill, repel,reduce the harm of, and prevent develop-ment of peSts! Pests include "harmful"insects, mites, fish, rats, mice, fungi,weeds, and other animals and plants.They are harmful because they injure, kill,and spread disease to, people and "desir-able" animals and plants, and spoil food,clothing,' household furnishings, andbuildings. How many pests can youname? -
Desirable animals and plants are thosethat people like and make use of or thatare irnortant to a healthy environment.These include living things that providefood (such as crop plants and cattle), fiber(such as trees), or-are used as decoration(such as houseplants) and pets (cats,dogs, and others). Also included are
animals and plants found in nature thatpeople, enjoy or are needed for goodecology.
But misusedapplied without following.proper directionspesticides, can harmpeople and the animals and plants peoplewant to protect! Pesticides can poison.And the remains' of some pesticiedes lastfor many years, injuring and killing longafter and in places distant from where theywere first, used.
The message is plain. Pesticides areuseful. They protect us and desirableanimals and plants. But misused, pesti-cides can harm us and t e animals andplants we want to otect. Danger,warning, caution,th e are the threemost important word to remember whenpesticides are used.
Protect Yourself From Pesticides
NEVER-USE PESTICIDES YOURSELF!
It is dangerous and ills against the law forchildren to use pesticides! Pest controlwith pesticides is a job for adults!
Do learn, however, to recognizes apesticide by the label on a container. But
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avoid touching or rising pesticide contain-ers in any wayeven if they are empty'Spilled pesticides on a container canpoison you'
Three kinds of pesticide labels arepictured below. Each has a key word you ._
should look for. These words, alreadymentioned in this Chapter, are:
DANGERWARNINGCAUTION
Find these key words on the labels:SHOULD YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE BE
ACCIDENTALLY POISONED BY'A PES-TICIDE, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ONTHE PESTICIDE LABEL FOR WHAT TODOI
Other Ways To Control Pests-Many pests are no longer affectact, bypesticides. They were born with the abilityto survive attacks by pesticides. Thisabil4 came from their arents who had anatural resistance to ( re not affected rby) pesticides -used on them in the past.The parents passed that natural resi-st-ance on their offspring in the birth process.
Because manypests are now resistantto pesticides, and pesticides can bedangerous to non-pests, people seekOther ways to control pests. ,These otherways do not involve use of pesticides.They include:
Con o/ By Predators And Disease Useof nimals that at aft kill pests and
ceases of pe s. The predators anddisease-causing organisms are raised inlaboratories and released where the pestsare. An example: use of lady beetles tocontrol cottony- cushion scales (insectsthat affect atrus trees) in California
Sterilization, Radiation and chemicalsare.used to damage body cells that malepests raised in laboratories need tbprodUce babies in females. The -sterilizedmales are releasedto mate with females.No babies can be,born from that mating,so there are no new pests to replaceadults when they die An, example. t esterilization program that ridded Flori a ofa major livestock pest, screw-worm flies.
Attractants. Use of sound, light, and sex.,odors to attract pests into traps or confuse
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them so that they cannot find therrThates!(Attractants- are pesticides if fhey kill aswell as attract ) An example: usingattractants to rid Hawaii of a major fruitpest, oriental fruit flies.
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Resistant Crop Varieties. Use of ntiieNbreeds of plants that naturally resist insect
ge attacks, fungi, and disease An exampleplanting, naturally resistant breeds ofwheat
FaiTnitig Methods Control. Planting andgrowing crop in such a way that you"outsmart" the pests! This includesplanting before pests come or after theygo, planting different kinds of crops on thesame land in different years so pests ofone crop cannot build up in-numbers fromyear to year and planting crops where thepests do not live. An example: growingcotton in the West where boll weevils(cotton-killing insects) do not live.
Most of the ways to control pestswithout pesticides still need to be devel-oped. But if everyone works together,control of pests without pesticides will be areality for many pests in the future!
Integrated Pest ControlIntegrated pest control is a fancy way ofsaying that both pesticides and othermethods of control should be used to stop.pests! The best mix of pesticide and non-.pesticide' controls will depend On what you-have and what works in a certain case.'Cases will differ And the best mix ofmethods will' not only control therpestinvolved, tut will have the least harmfuleffect on the environment.
Find Out More About Pesticides 40,
Pick a landscaped area around yourschool or housing development and findout what kinds and how much petie.i.eleare used to maintain it. Ask the custodianQr whoever else is in cnArgep6sticide use What chemicals are in the
pesticides?Are there alterrlatiVes to the pesticides
that could be used? A county agriculturalgent, park manager, or science teacher
may know. Can you find anything aboutpossibilities in-the library, too?
Alternatives to pesticides are notnecessarily better to use than pesticidesThere are good and.bad points to mostevery method of pest control. What is thecase for alternatives to maintain thelandscaped area you are ,investigating?
Write down the good points about eachmethod of pest control omtl-le left side of asheet of paper. Write down the bad pointson the right side of the paper. Take intoaccount the cost of each method (for,material and labor), howlvell each methodcontrols pestsvand how each methodmight harm ecology. On the whole, which66thods are best? Which methods areworst? Do others agree with your find-
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ings? What do pesticide laws say?Visit the landscaped area during a
heavy rain. Where is tine water running offthe area going to? Could the runoff watercontain remains of some pesticides?Would runoff pesticides harm people,animals, or plants elsewhere? How could.you find out?
Checklist for Action.Here are ten ways to protect you andothers( from misuse of and to reduce theneed for pesticides. Can you list others?
'Never USE PESTICIDES YOURSELF' Itis dangerous and it-is against the law forchildren to use pesticides! This is amessage that cannot be repeated toooften!
Remind adults that they are required bylaw. to follow directions on pesticide labelsfor use of the pltsicides described and forproper dispose of empty pesticide containers.
Adopt a street tree to take care of. Keepit weeded to remove hiding places forpests. And water it in dry weather to keep itstrong and resistant to pests..
Wearing gloves, pick off larger pests onplants with your hands.: These pestsinclude caterpillars, grasshoppers, andsome but,notall beetles..4? Spray water from a hose on plants in theearly morning to wash away plant pest.'Spraying early allows the sun enough timto dry the leaves. It also insures that morewater, will stay in the ground for use byplants than it would later in the daybecause of evaporation.
ProteCt lady beetles, praying mantises,spiders,, toad's, and birds around yourhouse so that they can help in the controlof insect pests.
Help plant trees and 'shrubs around yourhouse that are naturally resistant to pests.This includes many plants that grow wildin yor area.
Help to plan a special program at schoolon protecting yourself and others frommisuse of pesticides. (Ask your localhealth department for aid.)
Find out what your community is doingto protect people from misuse of pesti-cides.
Pass out leaflets available from yourhealth department or EPA on safe use ofpesticides to friends and neighbors.
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What Would You DoA neighbor is sprayingpesticide on a windypesticide is blowing your wsmell iti What should you do?
When your neighbor finisheshis shrubs with a foesticirlothe tossesempty pesticide contai r into an open
t ,Of his house. Youhave reqrned that thedangerous tospeople
s the garbage pickupo. 'Of course, you know
an to touch the container your-.hat.would you' do?
ar,
Answers to questions at beginning ofchapter: .
1. The most important thing to do beforeusing a pestipide is to READ THE LABELand FOLLOW DIRECTIONS,i2. Over 34,000 pesticides made from one
Or more of about *9* chemical com-pounds are, now registered in the UnitedStates. (See Appendix 1, under the catego-ry of "Pesticides" for more information onwhat registration involves.)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agen-cy or "EPA" was created in 1970. Its job isto work with other-Federal agencies, Stateand local governments, business firmsand citizens on environmental problems ofair and water pollution, solid waste,pesticides, radiation, and noise. EPA actsunder laws of Congress.
EPA's main mission is to set andenforce ENVIRONMENTAL STAND-ARDS. These standards a,re'limits on howmuch pollution can be allowed withoutharm to the health and welfare of people.Standards change as EPA learns moreand more about pollution. People andcompanies that do not obey environmen-tal standards may be fined and jailed bythe courts.
The following is a summary of environ-merftal laws that EPA operates under inthe areas of air, water, solid waste, noise,
AirHighlights of Clean AirAmendments Y1970
EPA is required to det standards for allair pollutants. EPA is. so required to setlimits on air pollutants produced by
community incinerators, power plants,and industrial plants; limits on air pollu-tants from automobiles and; limits on verydangerous air pollutants such as berylli-um, mercury, asbestos, and vinyl chloride.
Each State adopts a plan to achieveEPA clean air standards or, if a State failsto do so, EPA will given them a plan.
EPA will research all aspects of airpollution and its effects on health.
Citizens can take legal action againstviolators of clean' air standards.
WaterHighlights of the ,Federal WaterPollution Control Act Amendments of1972
Pollutants cannot be put into navigablewaterways (includes most waterways inthe United States) without a permit. EPA ora State with a pollution control programand EPA ,approval, can give such permits.
No radioactive wastes can be dumpedinto waterways.
EPA can give money to communities tobuild wastewater treatment plants; 'givemoney to States for waste treatmerftp,Inainsfor large areas and; loan money to s all
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business to help them tofneet clean waterstandards.
EPA is required to research all aspectsof water pollution and its effects onpeople's health. .
Citizens have the right to take legalaction against water polluters. And citi-zens can help make rules for waterpollution control
Highlights of the Safe Drinking WatqrJO of 1.974
EPA can set standards for drinkingwater to ensure that it is safe to use.
Each State can enforce drinking waterstandards or EPA will do the enforcementfor a State that cannot.
EPA can research all health aspects ofdrinkin water and help the States toimprovTl their ng water.
An' advis y council of 15 persons(represen State, local, and privateorganizations) will advise EPA on safedrinking water policy.
Citizens can take legal action:againstany .public water system or Federalagency (including EPA) that fails to followsafe drinking water rules.
Solid WastesHighlights of the Solid Waste DisposalAct of 1965 (As' amended by theResource Recovery Act of 1970)
EPA gives money fbr building andoperating plants and processes tat showhow tot dispose_of and recoIer valuablematerials from solid waste. EPA also givesmoney to State and local governments forplanning overall programs of solid wastedispos,a1 an! recovery. And EPA helps totrain people to build and run large andcomplex systems of waste disposal andrecovery. ,
EPA is required to research all aspects,of solid waste management, its effects onHealth and techniques for disposal andrecovery.
EPA is required to develop a plan for asystem of national sites where very36 . /
dangerous wastes can be stored andisposed of.EPA gives advice on waste disposal
and recovery and requires Federal gov-ernment-operated facilities to follow dis-posal and recovery guidelines.
NoiseHighlights of the Noise Control Act of1972
The EPAAdministrator is required toprotect the health and welfare of people bysetting standards for noise from buildingequipment, transwhation equipment (ex-cept aircraft), all motors and engines, andelectric equipment
EPA advise's the Federal AviationAdministration or "FiAA" on standards foraircraft noise. But FAA makes andenforces rules for aviation noise.
EPA can require that products belabelled to show how noisy they grey
tlighlights of the ResourceConservation and Recovery Act of :1976
Requires that handling and disposal of. hazardOus waste, produced mainly by
industry, will come under Federal/Stateregulation. The law also requires that allopen dumping of !solid waste be endedthroughout the country by 1983.
EPA will identify and publish a/list ofhazafdous wastes, and set standards forthe handling, transportation, and ultimatedisposal of these wastes. States are toestablish regulatory programs underguidelines given by EPA, or EPA will do itfor therri.
Civil and criminal pnalties for noncom-pliance are up to $25,000 per day, a yearin prison, or both.
EPA vyill establish criteria for identifyingboth open dumps and sanitary landfills,and provide aid to help rural communitiesmeet the new requirements.
Citizens.can bring suit to obtain com-pliance with the law.
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Highlights of the Toxic Substances Actof 1976
Requires pre-market testing for humanaQd environmental health of new chemi-cal.substance-s; EPA can prevent or limitthe use of substances found to be harmful.
Bans the manufacture of PCB's (po-lychlorinated biphenyls), phased-out over,a two-year period, to take effect in 1979.PCB's have been used in many commec-cial products, such as printing inks,electrical equipment, and bendable plas-tics.
Citizens c'an bring suit to obtain 'corn-' pliance with the law
PesticidesHighlights of the Federal Insecticide,Fungicice and Rodenticide Act of 1947(as,amended in 1972 and 1975)
People and firms that hake. pesticides.must register them with EPA before theycan be sold in the United States./ Pesticide makers 'must give proof thatth products they make affect pests in thewa the makers say they do and will notharm people, livestock, wildlife, and cropswhen used as directed.
EPA can decide whether a pesticidecan be used in general or used only inspecial ways. Pesticides allowed forgeneral use are not likely to hurt the userwhen directions are followed. Pesticideallowed only for special use are veryclangorous if Misused and can Only beapplied by people certified (trained 8ndlicensed) to do so
EPA is requireq to set standards forcertifying, appliers of pesticides allowedonly for special use. EachState, however,does the actuaNertificafion based on EPAstandards.
The EPA AdMinistrator can cancel orstop registration of pesticides found orsuspected of being harmful to people,livestock, wildlife, and crops.
EPA action on pesticides is reviewed bythe U.S. Department of Agriculture and a
Scientific Advisory Panel.The EPA Administrator can give a "stop
sale, use, and removal" order when apesticide already in use is found to be inviolation 61 the law
All pesticide containers 'must be la-belled according to ways developed byEPA (see labels in Chapter 5) and, allpesticide container storage and disposalmethods are developed by EPA.
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Appendix IIRegional Offices of EPAEPA Regional Offices
EPA Region 1Room 2303JKF Federal Buiidjngf3oston MA 02203
EPA Region 2Hoorn 1005
6 Federal PlazaNew York NY 10007
EPA Region 3,Lrtls f3u.icling
6th .ind Walnut Street,.Phi ..ideloh.,4 PA,19106
EPA Region 4345 CuurVand St NE
Atlanta,/ GA 30308
EPA Region 5<'30 South Dearborn StreetChi( ago IL 60604
Delaware MprylandlPennsyivania Virginia WestVroina District of Columbia
Alabama Georgia FloridaMississippi North Carolina,South Carolina Te ,sseeKentucky
Hiinois Indiana OhioM4chigan WisconsinMinnesota
Arkansas LouisianaOklahoma sTexas New Mexico
'r
EPA Region 71735 BaltimoFe: StreetKansas City MO 64108
EPA Region 8Suite 9001860 Lincoln StreetDenver 00 80203
EPA Region 9215 i ri rn,nt SlreetSan FrJncis4o CA 94105
EPA Region 101,200 Sixth AvenueSeattle WA 8101
Iowa Kansas MissouriNebraska 4
Colorado Utah WyomirigMontana North D'aklia SouthDakota
Arizoria California Nevada44 I iawa ii ,
o,r--.
Alaska Idahb OregonWashington
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I Appendix illBooks and Films About Pollution
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Books
Clear AirSparkling Water: The FightAgainst Pollution By Dorothy Shuttles-worth. New York: Doubleday, 19.
Going To Waste: Where will All TheGarbage Go? By James Marshall. NewYork: Howard McCann, 1972.
Save The Earth! An Ecdogy HandbookFor Kids. By Betty Miles New York.KnOpf,...1974.
The Complete Ecology Fact Book. Editedby Philip Nobile and John Deedy. NewYorw k: Doubleday/Anchor, 1972.
The Only Earth We Have. By LawrencePringle. New York: Macmillan, 1969.
Understanding Ecology. By Elizabeth T.Billington. New York: Warne, 1968 -
Films
Runaround. Free Loan. 171/2 minutes.Color. Sponsor: NationalLung and Respi-ratory Disease Association, 1969. Aboutaction on air pollution.
The Gifts. Free Loan. 28 minutes. ColorSponsor. -U S Environmental ProtectionAgency, 1973. Water, air and land pollu-tion.
The Great All American Trash Can FreeLoan. 13 minutes. Color. Sponsor: GlassContainer Corporation, 1971. About solidwaste and recycling.
To Conserve arid PrOtect. Free Loan. 15minutes. Color. Sponsor: ElectronicsCorporation, 1970. About noise pollutionand protection.
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Film Distributors
National Tuberculosis &Respiratory Disease Association1740 BroadwayNew York, New York:1,0019
Modern Talking Picture Service2323 New Hyde Park RoadNew Hyde Park, New York 11040
Commonwealth Film Distributors1440 S. State College BoulevardBldg 6-K ./ Anaheim, California 92806
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GI9ssaryAir Pollution Air made dirty and in-healthy by dirt, ash, soot, and chemicals.
AttractantsIq, pest control: Use ofsound, light, and sex odors to 'attract pestsinto traps or confuse them so they cannotfind their mates.
BiodegradableSOmething is biode-gadable when if can be broken downquickly into a gas or liquid by microscopicplants and animals. .
,Biological ControlIn pest control. Useof animals and diseases that eat and killpests to control pests
Closed System A system such as aspaceship or Earth in which energy, butnot matter, can be exchanged withsurrounding space.
CompostA mixture of garbage anddegradable trash with soil in .a pile.Bacteria in the soil break down thega'rbagia, and trash into fertilizer thatenriches the mixture.
ConservationAvoiding waste of, andrenewing when possible, the human andnatural resources of the world.
DDTA pesticide meant to kill only pestsbut that was found to pear sist in nature endpoison animals that Aie not pests. Eventhe health of people might be affected byit. EPA banned its use in the United Statesin 1972.
DecibelA unit of sound measuremtent.Irt general, a sound doubles in loudnessfor every increase of 10 decibels.
EcologyThe relationship l?etween liv-ing things and their surroundings (envir-onment).
Environment Everything, including liv-ing things, that surrounds a person,animal, or plant.
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EstuaryThe water along the coastwhere rivers meet the ocean. Most formsof marine life are born there.
FettilizerMaterials such as nitrogenand phosphorus that provide nutrients forplants and increase their growth.
Hazardous Waste2themical, radioac-tive, biological, flammable, and explosivewaste that need special care in disposal.
HormonesChemicals found in plantsand animals that affect growth and devel-opment.
IncineratorA furnace for trash andgarbage that allows these solid waste tobe burned under controlled condition
Integrated Pest Control A mix ofpesticide and non-pesticide methods tocontrol pests.
NoiseUnwanted sound. It can do harmboth when low or loud..
Organic CompoundsAnimal- or plant-produced chemical compounds with abasic carbon structure.
OssiclesThree tiny interconnectedbones (tiniest in the body) of the middle.ear. Called the "hammer," "anvil,"/and"stirrup."Pssicles change the loudness ofsounds before they enter the inner ear.Loud sounds are softened; soft soundsare made louder.
PesticideChemical that kills pests.PollutionWhatever mak2s land, waterand air dirty and unhealthy:
Primary, Treatment In wastewatertreatment: the first stage of treatmentwhere all solids that sink or float areremoved.
RecycleCleaning and renewing thingsalready used.
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ResistanceFor plants and animals: theability to withstand attacks by chemicalsand disease and poor environmentalconditions/This ability may be inborn ordeveloped at a later time
ResourceA person, thing, or actionneeded for living or to make life better.
Sanitary Landfill, site where garbageand trash are taken and covered daily witha layer of soil. A sanitary landfill keepspests away, holds litter in place, reducesrunoff of wastes during rain, stops smells,and prevents fires.
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Secondary Treatment In wastewatertreatment: the second stage of treatmentwhere sewage is mixed with air andsludge to increase the growth of bacteriathat "eat" the organic pollutants.
SedimentsSoil, sand, and mineralswashed from land into water usually afterrain. Sediments pile up in reservoirs,rivers, and harbors, destroying fish nestingareas and homes of water animals, andclouding the water so that needed sunlightmight not reach water plants. Carelessfarming, mining, and building activities willexpose sediment materials, allowing themto be washed off the land after rainfalls.
SludgeMaterial. found in wastewatertreatment plants that is made up of tinyparticles of solid wastes loaded withpollution-eating bacteria.
'SmogEye-stinging haze that 'hangsover most 'cities and is produced whenchgmicals in the air-mix with sunlight.
Solid Waste All trash ,and garbage.When not reused, might better be called,wasted solids!
Sound Waves Pressure movingthrough the air like Waves moving on thesurface Of the ocean, produced by asound.
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Standards= Limits on how much pollu-tion can 6e allow,ed without harm to thehealth and welfare of people.
SterilizationIn pest control: Use ofradiation and chemicals to damage bodycells needed to produce babies. ,
TertiaryIn wastewater treatment: athird stage of treatment to remove pollu-tants missed by primary and secondarytreatment. Uses electrical, chemical,carbon filter, and other cleaning tech-niques and is the most expensive treat-ment.
Water PollutionWater made unsafe touse because of sewage and other'wastesthat have been dumped untreated into it
