Environmental Hazards and Human Health ; Solid and

Hazardous Waste

Environmental Hazards and Human Health ; Solid and

Hazardous WasteBy: Dalyn Valentin & Alfredo Valdivia

Period # 2

APES

By: Dalyn Valentin & Alfredo Valdivia

Period # 2

APES

Kinds of Waste• Hazardous Waste: Any waste

that poses potential harm to human health due to its toxicity.

• Solid Waste: Unwanted discarded products made by humans. –Municipal solid waste: trash or

garbage that is thrown out by residential or commercial buildings.

– Industrial solid waste: solid waste

Waste Disposal Methods• Open dumps: large fields or

holes in the ground where garbage is often deposited and burned

• Sanitary landfills: specially prepared facilities that must meet requirements in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

• Bioremediation: uses microorganisms or bacteria to remove contaminants from liquid or solid hazardous waste

Waste Disposal Methods Cont. • Incineration

– reduces volume by 90% – Can produce electrical

energy– Waste is deposited into

the waste bunker– The furnace is where it is

burned– The ash conveyor carries

ash for deposition into landfills

– The boiler creates steam for electricity or heat

– Scrubbers spray lime to neutralize acids and control pollution

– Smoke stack to release

Types of Recycling• Primary/ Closed-Loop

Recycling: materials are converted into new products of the same type.

• Secondary Recycling: materials are converted into different kinds of products.

• Composting: recycling that uses the natural role of decomposing bacteria and fungi to convert biodegradable waste into useable soil amendments.

• Recycling’s usefulness is limited by the amount of energy needed to complete the process.

Radioactive Waste• Useless radioactive

materials that are left after some laboratory or commercial process is completed.

- High Level: Large amounts of radioactive radiation for a short time followed by small amounts for a very long time. - Low Level: Gives off small amounts of radiation. Storage time is 100-500 years.

Types of Major Hazards• Biological: living organisms and

viruses that can cause human disease.

• Chemical: are in the air, soil, and water we drink and food we ingest. (e.g. heavy metals & asbestos)

• Physical: natural disasters like fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and etc.

• Cultural: living in areas with high crime rates, working in unsafe conditions, and poverty.

• Lifestyle: choices humans make that pose a health concern. (e.g. unprotected sex, smoking, and drug use)

Biological Hazards

• An infectious disease can be spread from person to person and is therefore called a contagious or communicable disease.

• They can be transmitted from person to person through water, air, food, and bodily fluids.

• Where you live and your level of poverty can increase the probability of catching some of these diseases.

Chemical Hazards• We are constantly exposed to

insidious chemical compounds.

• Biomagnification: certain compounds that accumulate in body tissues can be passed from one organism to another through the food chain.

• Immune system: whose role is to produce antibodies to protect against infection and disease, if often weakened by exposure to these toxins.

Types of Chemical Hazards• Carcinogen: promote

various types of cancer in the human body. (e.g. tobacco smoke & PCBs)

• Mutagen: promotes mutations or changes in DNA.

• Teratogens: chemical hazards that cause birth defects to a fetus or embryo. (e.g. ethyl alcohol and PCBs)

Cultural & Lifestyle Hazards• The greatest risk that people

in developing countries face today is poverty.

• People in poor conditions also suffer from malnutrition, which increases their susceptibility to disease and death.

• Avoid smoking, improve eating habits, getting adequate exercise, limit alcohol intake, and practice safer sex are ways to reduce their risk of death.

Multiple Choice Questions1. The minimum amount of half-lives that must pass before radioactive waste is reduced by a

factor of 1000.A 1B 10 C 100D 1,0000E 1,000,0002. Which of the following best explains the trend in solid waste production between 1980 and

2005?A Additional consumption leading to more waste productionB Increased awareness of air pollution problems associated with incineration that led to more waste being

diverted to landfills. C Increased recycling including curbside pickup of mixed recyclables.D Additional exports of solid waste to developing countriesE Decreased consumption resulting in less production of consumables3. In a river, which of the following will occur downstream as a result of the effluent discharge

of a primary sewage treatment facility?A Increase in dissolved oxygen concentration of the river’s water. B Increase in biological demand of the river’s waterC Decrease in the turbidity of the waterD Decrease in the ph of the river’s water

4. The acronym that residents may employ in trying to prevent a new landfill from being placed in their community is:

A NIMBYB PEMBTC NOPED DON’TE GOAWAY5. Which of the following ways of managing e-waste has the fewest

negative environmental and social consequences? A Disposal in sanitary landfills or hazardous waste facilitiesB E-waste collection and local recyclingC E-waste collection and shipping to developing countries for recyclingD IncinerationE E-Waste collection by manufactures required to take back their products for

recycling. 6. Funding research to improve treatment of which of the following

infectious diseases would decrease global death rates the most?A. Avian FluB. InfluenzaC. HIVD. MalariaE. SARs

7. Farmers in the midwest United States have discovered that the local frog population is declining. Scientists determine this is due to male frogs’ inability to produce sperm. Which of the following is a likely cause? A. Exposure to arsenic from local metal smelting plantsB. Inhalation of inorganic mercury from local power plant emissionsC. High levels of atrazine in the water from agricultural runoffD. Absorption of high levels of nitric acid through their skinE. Increasing UV radiation in the Midwest8. A class of organic compounds, generated from waste incineration, that bioaccumulate in the fat tissue of organisms causing reproductive damage and cancer isA. PCBsB. DioxinsC. MercuryD. CyanideE. Asbestos

9. Liver disease that develops due to long-time use of alcohol and drugs would be an example of a(n)A. Chronic effectB. Synergistic effectC. Acute effectD. Additive effectE. Cumulative Effect10. Ecologists have been studying populations in tropical regions to determine the effects of DDT on aquatic systems. Which population would you expect to show the most effects?A. PhytoplanktonB. Small benthic fishC. ZooplanktonD. Larger schooling fish like tunaE. Predatory birds like pelicans

Free Response Question

Multiple Choice Answers1. B.

2. C.

3. B.

4. A.

5. E.

6. B.

7. C.

8. B.

9. A.

10. E.

Free Response Question Answer