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Toxic Waste:

Toxic waste is any material in liquid, solid, or gas form that can cause serious harm to humans as well as other animals and our environment. The materials are poisonous byproducts as a result of industries such as manufacturing, farming, construction, automotive, laboratories, and hospitals which may contain chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, dangerous pathogens, or other toxins. Toxic waste has become more abundant since the industrialized revolution, causing serious health issues that affect the entire world. Disposing of such waste has become even more critical with the addition of numerous technological advances containing toxic chemical components. Products such as cellular telephones, computers, televisions, and solar panels contain toxic chemicals that can harm the environment if not disposed of properly to prevent the pollution of the air and contamination of soils and water. A material is considered toxic when it causes death or harm by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin. Toxic material can be either human-made and others are naturally occuring in the environment. Not all hazardous substances are considered toxic. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has identified 11 key substances that pose a risk to human health.

• Arsenic: used in making electrical circuits, as an ingredient in pesticides, and as a wood preservative. It is classified as a carcinogen.
• Asbestos: is a material that was once used for the insulation of buildings, and some businesses are still using this material to manufacture roofing materials and brakes. Researchers have found that inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to lung cancer and asbestosis.
• Cadmium: is found in batteries and plastics. It can be inhaled through cigarette smoke, or digested when included as a pigment in food. Exposure leads to lung damage, irritation of the digestive track, and kidney disease.
• Chromium: is used as brick lining for high-temperature industrial furnaces, as a solid metal used for making steel, and in chrome plating, manufacturing dyes and pigments, wood preserving, and leather tanning. It is known to cause cancer, and prolonged exposure can cause chronic bronchitis and damage lung tissue.
• Clinical wastes: such as syringes and medication bottles can spread pathogens and harmful microorganisms, leading to a variety of illnesses.
• Cyanide: a poison found in some pesticides and rodenticides. In large doses it can lead to paralysis, convulsions, and respiratory distress.
• Lead: is found in batteries, paints, and ammunition. When ingested or inhaled can cause harm to the nervous and reproductive systems, and kidneys.
• Mercury: used for dental fillings and batteries. It is also used in the production of chlorine gas. Exposure can lead to birth defects and kidney and brain damage
• PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are used in many manufacturing processes, by the utility industry, and in paints and sealants. Damage can occur through exposure, affecting the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems, as well as the liver.
• POPs, persistent organic pollutants. They are found in chemicals and pesticides, and may lead to nervous and reproductive system defects. They can bio-accumulate in the food chain or persist in the environment and be moved great distances through the atmosphere.
• Strong acids and alkalis used in manufacturing and industrial production. They can destroy tissue and cause internal damage to the body.

The most overlooked toxic and hazardous wastes are the household products in everyday homes that are improperly disposed of such as old batteries, pesticides, paint, and car oil. Toxic waste can be reactive, ignitable, and corrosive.These types of waste are regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• Reactive wastes are those that can cause explosions when heated, mixed with water or compressed. They can release toxic gases into the air. They are unstable even in normal conditions. An example is Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.
• Ignitable wastes have flash points of less than 60 degrees Celsius. They are very combustible and can cause fires. Examples would be solvents and waste oils.
• Corrosive wastes are liquids capable of corroding metal containers. These are acids or bases that has a PH level of less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5. An example is Battery Acid.

With the increasing worldwide technology there are more substances that are being considered toxic and harmful to human health. Some of this technology includes cell phones and computers. They have been given the name e-waste or EEE, which stands for Electrical and Electronic Equipment. This term is also used for goods such as refrigerators, toys, and washing machines. These items can contain toxic components inside which can break down into our water systems when discarded. The reduction in the cost of these goods has allowed for these items to be distributed globally without thought or consideration to managing the goods once they become ineffective or broken.

One of the biggest problems with today's toxic material is how to dispose of it properly. Decades ago it was dumped into streams, rivers and oceans or buried underground with landfills.The United States created the regulatory agency called the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was enacted in 1976 for the purpose of regulating toxic material. There are standards and laws developed to protect people and the environment from future harm due to improper handling of toxic waste. The agriculture industry uses over 800,000 tons of pesticides worldwide annually that contaminates the soils and eventually infiltrates into the groundwater causing drinking water to contain toxic chemicals. The oceans can be polluted from the stormdrain runoff of these chemicals as well. Toxic waste in the form of petrolium oil can either spill into the oceans from pipe leaks or large ships, but it can also enter the oceans from everyday citizens dumping car oil into the rainstorm sewer systems.

The issue of handling toxic waste has become a global problem as international trade has arisen out of the increasing toxic byproducts produced with the transfer of them to less developed countries.In 1995, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights began to notice the illicit dumping of toxic waste and assigned a Special Rapporteur to examine the human rights aspect to this issue (Commission resolution 1995/81). In September 2011, the Human Rights Council decided to strengthen the mandate to include the entire life-cycle of hazardous products from manufacturing to final destination (aka cradle to grave), as opposed to only movement and dumping of hazardous waste. The title of the Special Rapporteur has been changed to the “Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes."(Human Rights Council 18/11). The Human Rights Council has further extended the scope of its mandates as of September 2012 due to the result of the dangerous implications occurring to persons advocating environmentally sound practices regarding the generation,management, handling, distribution and final disposal of hazardous and toxic materials to include the issue of the protection of the environmental human rights defenders.

The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulates in the United States how to properly store and handle toxic waste as well as enforce fines to companies who are in violation of these laws. The Superfund Act also contains rules and requirements in regards to the cleanup of toxic waste that has already been improperly or illegally disposed of or mishandled.The Superfund Amendments and Reathorization Act (SARA) requires the EPA and the ATSDR to prioritize a list of toxic substances that are being located at factories and plants which is known as the National Priority List (NPL) that is to be regularly updated every two years with revisions occuring on an annual basis. This list contains known or suspected threats to cause or be potentially a toxic risk to human health. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act also require this list to be updated and revised to reflect current toxic substances.

This is my sandbox page. I can use it to play around with wiki markups and practice edits. Added bold text.