Toxic or hazardous waste is any kind of waste that can be dangerous or cause harm to humans or the environment. Toxic waste can come in almost any form, including gasses, solids, and liquids. This can include acids, gasoline, poisons like pesticides or weed killer, chemicals, or even batteries. Three general categories for toxic waste are chemical waste, medical waste, or radioactive waste. A report by the United Nations identified 11 primary substances found in toxic waste that can be harmful to humans:
- Arsenic: This is found in electronic circuitry, pesticides, and various forms of preservatives. Arsenic can cause cancer when it comes into contact with humans.
- Asbestos: This was once commonly used within the insulation of buildings and is still found today in some building materials. Humans may develop lung cancer if exposed to asbestos in large enough quantities.
- Cadmium: Cadmium is a heavy metal used in the manufacturing of both batteries and plastics. Exposure to cadmium damages the lungs, digestive track, and kidneys in humans.
- Chromium: This is found primarily in metal plating, lining, or manufacturing, as well as various other forms of production like preserving wood or tanning leather. Chromium is considered carcinogenic.
- Clinical Waste: This includes syringes and other medical trash that can spread pathogens and diseases.
- Cyanide: This chemical is found in some pest control methods and is very poisonous to humans.
- Lead: Ammunition, batteries, and paint can all contain lead. Lead is dangerous to humans and can cause harm to the nervous and reproductive system that may lead to birth defects.
- Mercury: This is also found in many batteries. Exposure to mercury can lead to birth defects or brain damage.
- PCBS (polychlorinated biphenyls): This is a common material used in manufacturing paints, sealants, and in other industries. PCBS can cause liver damage and harm a person’s nervous and immune system.
- POPS (persistent organic pollutants): These are found in many chemicals and pesticides, and can accumulate and concentrate throughout different life forms as it moves through the food chain.
- Strong acids and alkalis: These are used in manufacturing and industrial production. Direct contact can destroy tissue or cause severe damage to the body.
Toxins like the above may stay buried within the ground or travel into the local watershed like rivers and underground aquifers. These chemicals and debris are persistent, and do not break down within the environment even after long periods of time. Until the 1970s and the passage of the Clean Water Act and RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), it was legal and widely common to dump any amount of waste with any number of the above pollutants directly into rivers, streams, lakes, or open-air pits. People around the world who have been exposed to these pollutants continue to experience a wide array of serious illnesses.
Even after legislation was enacted in North Carolina to address the issue, nearly 31,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated oil was intentionally dumped along rural highways in the middle of the state by local businessmen and their families. Eventually, this was identified as the largest PCB spill in the country’s history. It was placed it a landfill in Warren County but was not properly contained. It took nearly 30 years to thoroughly address the environmental emergency.
Years of research of the failures of the Warren County PCB landfill led Warren County residents to conclude that the EPA's dry-tomb landfill design and regulations governing the disposal of toxic and hazardous waste were lacking in evidence-based support. Warren County's citizens concluded also that North Carolina's 1981 Waste Management Act was scientifically and constitutionally unacceptable because it authorized the siting of toxic, hazardous and nuclear waste facilities prior to public hearings, preempted local authority over the siting of the facilities, and authorized the use of violence and force if needed.
In 1984, Federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act focused on waste minimization and phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste. This act also introduced corrective action for releases of hazardous materials. Other measures included in the 1984 amendments included increased enforcement authority for EPA, as well as increased hazardous waste management standards.
The disposal of toxic waste continues to be a source of conflict in the U.S. and around the world. Due to the hazards associated with toxic waste handling and disposal, communities often resist the siting of toxic waste landfills and other waste management facilities.
