HAZARDOUS WASTE

OBJECTIVE:

IDENTIFY THE CONTAMINANTS

RELEASED BY THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
DISCUSS THE EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS
WASTE
 The various contaminants can be divided into
three general classes:

1) Naturally-occurring inorganic contaminants such as heavy

metals and radionuclides, used in industrial manufacturing
operations.
Examples: arsenic, uranium and radium, hexavalent
chromium, and cyanide
2) Hydrocarbons such as gasoline, needed for our way of
life.

Hydrocarbons used in our present life style are refined

from crude oil, and separated on the basis of the
number of carbon atoms in the molecule, for the
intended use. Gasoline includes a number of ring-
structure molecules, such as benzene, known to be
carcinogens, while oils such as lubricating and fuel oils
are primarily straight-chain in nature.
3) complex volatile and semi-volatile organic molecules -
commonly chlorinated, intentionally developed for their
longevity in the natural environment, and used as solvents
and pesticides.

Volatile and semi-volatile organics are primarily produced

to have long life in the environment, and commonly are
not naturally occurring. Many of these molecules were
intentionally developed with the thought that they
would not degrade in the environment.
 PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

• Vapour Pressure - Varies with Temperature and Pressure.

• Solubility - the degree to which one substance (solute) will
dissolve into another solvent.
• Diffusion coefficient - define as the movement of a
contaminant under the influence of a concentration
gradient.
• Bioconcentration factor (BCF) - amount of a chemical that
is likely to accumulate in aquatic organisms.
• Sorption - process by which a component (sorbate or
contaminant) moves from one phase to another phase
across some boundary.
CONTAMINANT RELEASED BY HAZARDOUS
WASTE
The released of contaminants from the waste sites can
occur in one or all off the three phases which are –
LIQUID, SOLID and GAS.

 Liquid release – contaminated runoff, direct aqueuos

discharges to surface water, leachate to ground
water.
 Air emission – stack emissions including gaseous and
particulates, and volatile emissions from lagoons.
 Solids as in suspended solids in water.
 Some of the origins of hazardous waste can be:

1) Deliberate addition to soil, water or air by humans.

2) Evaporation or wind erosion from waste dumps into the
atmosphere.
3) Leaching from waste dumps into groundwater streams of
water.
4) Leakage such as from underground storage tanks or
pipelines.
5) Evaluation and subsequent deposition by accidents such as
fire or explotion.
6) Release from improperly operated waste treatment, storage
and disposal facilities.
 Figure 1:
Fate and transport processes in the subsurface and atmospheric environment
 Figure 2:
Fate and transport processes in the aquatic environment
EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
The ultimate worry with hazardous wastes has to
do with their toxic effects to human beings,
animals, plants and microbes.

Generally, all hazardous waste are poisonous to

some degree as many of them are corrosive to
material due to its extreme pH and also dissolved
salt content.
How can hazardous waste affect us?
A hazardous substance can cause injury or death to a
person, plant, or animal if:

 A large amount is released at one time 

 A small amount is released many times at the same
place 
 The substance does not become diluted 
 The substance is very toxic (for example, arsenic).
Coming into contact with a substance is called
an exposure. The effects of exposure depend on:

 How the substance is used and disposed of ?

 Who is exposed to it ?
 The concentration, or dose, of exposure ?
 How someone is exposed ?
 How long or how often someone is exposed?
As far as human beings are concerned, there are three
exposure routes by which environmental contaminants
can enter the body:

1) Inhalation - we can breathe vapors from hazardous

liquids or even from contaminated water while
taking a shower. 
2) Ingestion - we can eat fish, fruits and vegetables, or
meat that has been contaminated through exposure to
hazardous substances. Also, small children often eat soil
or household materials that may be contaminated, such
as paint chips containing lead. Probably the most
common type of exposure is drinking contaminated
water. 

3) Dermal exposure - a substance can come into direct

contact with and be absorbed by our skin.
 HEALTH EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS
SUBSTANCES

 ACUTE EFFECTS
-Skin irritation, headache, nausea, or burns.

 CHRONIC EFFECTS
-Liver and kidney disease, nerve and brain disorders, and
reproductive damage.

 SYSTEMIC EFFECTS
-Some toxic substances can pass through the point of original
contact and affect the organs of the body, such as the liver, heart,
nervous system, and muscles
 LOCAL EFFECTS

-Skin exposure: symptoms include skin dryness,

blistering, redness, rashes, and itching.

-Eye exposure: the most common symptoms of eye

exposure are burning, itching, and watering of the eyes.

-Respiratory tract exposure: symptoms may include

headache, nose and throat irritation, dizziness, and
disorientation.
The Immediate or Long Terms Effects

1. Sensitisation - skin contact with a chemical

2. Neurotoxicity - damage to the central nervous system
3. Teratogenecity - damage to the embryo and fetus
leading to birth defect
4. Mutagenicity - damage that result in change to the DNA
structure in genes
5. Carcinogenicity - the development of malignant tumors
and neoplasms (new growth)
 CONCLUSION

 Don’t simply throw away the chemicals to the

surrounding because it can cause serious detrimental
effects on humans and to the environment.
 REFFERENCES

 http://www.doesgodexist.org/MarApr03/NaturalAttenuati
onOfHazardousContaminants.html
 http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/ff
_01.htm
 http://www.reed.edu/ehs/hazardous_substances/4.health
_effects.html
 http://
www.ehow.com/list_5978867_health-effects-hazardous-w
aste.html
 http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/effects-
of-hazardous-wastes-590270.html