What Types of Activities Can Cause Toxic Waste?

Toxic waste is produced by almost every sector of life, such as business and even private homes. We often associate hazardous trash with dangerous products like nuclear energy and poisons, but many consumer goods contain chemicals that can leak into the environment and cause severe health issues. Simply putting toxic waste in a quiet area is not enough, as natural conditions can carry waste far from its intended resting spot.

• Toxic Waste Cause by Industrial Activity

Identification

• Toxic waste can be considered anything that is harmful or dangerous to the environment or living creatures. Toxic waste does not always come from industrial and chemical production, although is often does; hazardous waste can come from growing food or domestic activities. It can even come from unintentional sources, such as a leaking drainage pipe.

Agriculture

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, farming causes a large amount of toxic spillage through the use of pesticides. Pesticides are needed to prevent insects and parasites from destroying crops. Rain and irrigation can cause pesticides to run off into the environment and contaminate water, or unintentionally harm wildlife.

Garbage Disposal

• Products that contain dangerous chemicals, such as mercury in fluorescent lamps, are often thrown away with non-toxic garbage refuse. Throwing away batteries and light bulbs into a traditional landfill or incinerator could potentially introduce toxic chemicals into nature. Toxic chemicals can simply break and leak directly into the environment, or burn into the air, eventually contaminating the local environment.

Nuclear Production

• The production of nuclear energy results in large amounts of toxic, radioactive waste. Nuclear energy requires large amounts of radioactive materials such as uranium that are still toxic, even after being "spent." Radioactive waste does just occur during the process of nuclear fission; even the protective equipment one must wear around radioactive materials can become toxic and contaminated with radiation.

Considerations

• Reducing the amount of toxic waste we produce is not just beneficial for the environment: toxic waste can cause serious public health problems. In the late 1980's, a New Jersey school was shut down because of a rash of chromium poisoning amongst school children. Nothing at the school produced chromium waste; it had blown in from a nearby dump.