What Are the Negative Effects of Toxic Waste Disposal?

Taking on the issues of waste disposal begins with a simple, but stark realization. Not all waste ends up in the ground, which requires additional vigilance for any materials that are disposed of through burning or burial. Failure to heed these realities can expose communities to significant harm from air, water and soil pollution, as well as the liability caused by federal government-mandated cleanups.

Uncontrolled Dumping And Burning

• Designing and constructing a landfill is one preferred method recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Decomposition of waste in uncontrolled dumps often leach into the ground, leading to contamination of local drinking water supplies. Uncontrolled dumps also release explosive and flammable gases that pose a danger to public safety, due to the threat of explosion, an EPA fact sheet states.

Release Of Toxic Materials

• Failing to separate toxic materials from other types of waste has proved costly to communities that did not take appropriate precautions. In March 2003, for example, a Colorado hospital employee left an unknown quantity of radioactive waste in a dumpster, the Centers for Disease Control noted in its Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report. No injuries were reported, but the landfill had to be closed off until the material was removed, and emergency personnel underwent decontamination procedures.

Effects Of Illegal Disposal

• Disposal of common household items like motor oil has gotten less attention, but also poses a major public health challenge. Americans use an estimated one billion gallons of motor oil per year, of which 350 million enters the environment. In simpler terms, it only takes one quart of illegally dumped motor oil to contaminate 250,000 gallons of ground water. The illegal dumping of these materials, in turn, has been linked to major pollution of beaches, lakes and streams.