Causes of Toxic Waste Dumping in Third World Countries

Hazardous waste is any discarded material that poses a health risk or threatens the environment. This type of waste includes chemicals, by-products from industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, pathological waste, radioactive materials, electronics and even sewage. Laws regulate the proper disposal of such waste, but for various reasons this garbage is sometimes dumped in Third World countries.

Land Use

• Because toxic waste can have adverse health effects on both humans and animals, it is, obviously, something people don't want to live close to. Therefore, allocating land for the disposal and treatment of toxic waste is difficult in many developed countries. Toxic waste disposal is considered a locally unwanted land use, and often local residents sign petitions and rally against their land being used for this purpose.

Laws

• U.S. laws have become more strict in regard to the safe transportation and disposal of toxic waste. Setting up a dump site requires companies to strictly abide by both local and federal regulations that relate to the location, management, facility design and even the closure of toxic waste facilities. As a result, industrialized countries often export this waste to Third World countries, where it is easier and more cost-effective to set up a dump site. In addition, many Third World countries do not have strict laws regarding toxic waste, as is the case in industrialized lands. Where laws do exist to protect land and its inhabitants, these laws are often poorly enforced.

Money

• The amount of money saved by exporting toxic waste versus proper disposal and treatment is another reason industrialized countries send their garbage to Third World countries. The cost of treating hazardous waste in developed countries can run into the millions of dollars for a company annually; therefore, exporting this waste has become the more viable option for many countries. Many of these countries, especially those in Africa, are war-torn and poverty-stricken. They see this sort of trade as the only way for them to make money in hard currency. For example, in 1997 southern Somalia was paid $80 million to accept 10 million tons of toxic waste. For most of these countries, with high foreign debt and a low gross domestic income, accepting these unwanted materials is an attempt to alleviate the hardships they face economically.

Health Effects

• Hazardous waste is just that, hazardous. This waste contains materials such as lead, arsenic, dioxin and other carcinogenic and dangerous materials. It is unsafe and even harmful to the body. Some immediate effects caused by exposure include burns, internal bleeding, endocrine disruption such as kidney failure and even death from fume inhalation. Some of the more long-term dangers include birth defects and cancer.