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PubMed1982

Hazardous waste management system: standards applicable to generators of hazardous waste and standards applicable to owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities--Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is today proposing amendments to its hazardous waste regulations under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). These amendments would replace the annual reporting requirements for hazardous waste generators and owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, ad disposal (TSD) facilities with a biennial survey of representative samples of those populations. This approach will provide verifiable data on a wider range of topics, better serve EPA's long term regulatory needs under RCRA, and reduce significantly the information burden on the regulated community.

Refuse Disposal↗
PubMed2004

Composting of partially decomposed agroresidues.

Biphasic biodegradation of any organic waste has several advantages over conventional anaerobic digestion but has a problem of generation of a large quantity of partially decomposed residues in the acid reactor of the system that require further processing to make them safe for disposal. Composting of these residues was attempted and the quality of final product was analysed. A stabilized and very good quality compost was produced. The details of the experiments and results are discussed in the paper.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1984

Assessment of potential exposure to antineoplastic agents in the health care setting.

In response to reports of measurable air levels of antineoplastic agents in hospitals and preliminary evidence of exposure to personnel handling these agents, a survey was designed and conducted to document the current handling practices of injectable antineoplastic drugs by hospital and health care workers at two major teaching hospitals and three affiliated community hospitals. The survey included assessment of drug preparation, administration, and disposal. A sample of nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and other staff who routinely come in contact with these drugs was interviewed for validation of the observed results. Typical working conditions encountered and the potential numbers of people at risk and their job titles are presented here. Drug preparation facilities and methods were not uniform even within a single institution, including local preparation in the pharmacy under controlled or uncontrolled conditions, as well as individual drug preparation and administration on the hospital floors. Handling practices for drug preparation were not consistent from practitioner to practitioner. In some cases, where laboratory coats and disposable gloves were provided, it was not a routine practice to wear them. Based on such analysis of risk factors, recommendations for improved practices are given.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

From dumping to sanitary landfills--solid waste management in Israel.

To address the problem of solid waste in Israel, the Ministry of the Environment has formulated a policy based on integrated waste management. The policy calls for reduction of waste at source, reuse, recycling (including composting), waste-to-energy technologies, and landfilling. Due to the implementation of this policy, all the large dumps were closed, state-of-the art landfills were built, and recovery rates have increased from 3% in the beginning of the 1990s to almost 20% in 2003. More than 95% of the municipal solid waste is disposed and treated in an environmentally sound manner - in comparison to a mere 10% just a decade ago. The policy was implemented utilizing both enforcement and financial support ("stick and carrot" approach).

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2001

Contamination of the environment by the current disposal methods of mercury-containing lamps in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This survey describes the degree of environmental contamination resulting from the current disposal methods of mercury-containing lamps. The territory studied for this purpose is the federal state of Minas Gerais, one of the most populated areas in the Brazilian federation of states. The results of this survey derive in part from answers received to a questionnaire mailed out to industrial firms, commercial business enterprises, hospitals and departments of public work. The sampling technique used was a nonprobabilistic (purposive sampling). Three types of disposal were found to prevail: (1) as an addition to corporate waste disposal (garbage), (2) recycling and (3) disposal by other methods. Overall, our study shows that the majority of mercury lamps are being disposed in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, primarily by the public sector, followed by industrial, commercial and hospital sectors. Although recycling constitutes a relatively high fraction of the disposal methods, we find Federal regulations in Brazil regarding the disposal of hazardous, mercury-containing lamps to be far behind the state of technological achievement. This gap has permitted the adoption of disposal measures that are obsolete, incorrect, and a primary cause for the extensive contamination of the ecosystems with harmful effects to human health.

Brazil↗
PubMed2003

A reassessment of radioactive material security in health care and biomedical research.

The medical facilities of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) use radioactive material for health care and biomedical research. In the past, a single level of security for all radioactive material was generally deemed to be adequate. The events of 11 September 2001 prompted a reassessment of security. Based on site visits to VA facilities possessing a range of radioactive material typically used in health care and biomedical research, the VA National Health Physics Program has compiled recommendations for the security of radioactive material. A primary recommendation is to evaluate radioactive material from a risk perspective and use security measures commensurate with risk. The risk evaluation should consider activity, half-life, exposure rate constant, ALI, ease of removal/portability, and dispersibility. We concluded that current security measures are likely adequate for the risks associated with most nuclear medicine departments and biomedical research laboratories. However, for radioactive material of higher risk, particularly multicurie sources of long half-life, the radiation safety staff should consult with police/security experts to determine if additional security measures are warranted. This focus on risk should help optimize resource allocation. We also recommend that security evaluations consider both physical security and personnel security, training of staff with unescorted access to higher-risk radioactive material emphasize security issues, and disposal of higher-risk material not likely to be used. Finally, we note that the goals of security can be in conflict with hazard awareness and hazard communication.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Minimisation and utilisation of waste mineral sludge from sodium perborate production.

Various approaches to waste minimisation, waste treatment and recycling or safe disposal of the waste mineral sludge from sodium perborate production are presented and critically discussed. Some most promising actions for waste (or its harmful potential) reduction on the production level are identified. These include: a) use of better raw materials (richer boron ore), b) improvement of the ore leaching process, and c) intensification of sludge washing and dewatering. These source reduction measures have already resulted in 50% reduction of boron content in the sludge. Utilisation of the raw or treated (e.g. dried, compacted) waste sludge could be found in agriculture, civil engineering and construction material production. Agricultural use (as a lime substitute) is based on favourable content of calcium-magnesium minerals and alkali pH value of the sludge, and simultaneous absence of heavy metals. Application in civil engineering (as an aggregate) is possible after calcination, which is costly, or as a cement kiln additive. Stabilisation of sludge before disposal, when no utilisation is available, is possible by small addition of commercial binders (e.g. Portland cement) or larger amounts of pozzolanic wastes (e.g. coal fly ash).

Agriculture↗
PubMed1978

Elimination of the hazards from hazardous wastes.

The "hazard" associated with a waste essentially controls the overall engineering approach to finding suitable alternatives for solving potential disposal problems. It should be recognized that all factors affecting environmental equilibrium must be considered, including product sales, process design, financing, pre- and end-of-pipe treatment, residuals management, and ultimate bioaccumulation of residuals. To meet this challenge, a systems approach to waste treatment and residuals disposal provides a logical approach, but this management concept requires a thorough understanding of the important physical and chemical aspects of the problem, as well as many social implications of the resulting decisions. Thus waste management within a plant necessarily involves process control, pretreatment and end-of-pipe treatment. Further, it follows that residuals management from a disposal point-of-view must ultimately embrace what is called the "multi-barrier concept." In essence, hazard elimination occurs in varying degrees during each phase of a properly engineered system.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Solid waste generation from oil and gas industries in United Arab Emirates.

Solid wastes generated from oil and gas industrial activities are very diverse in their characteristics, large in their amounts and many of which are hazardous in nature. Thus, quantifying and characterizing the generated amounts in association with their types, classes, sources, industrial activities, and their chemical and biological characteristics is an obvious mandate when evaluating the possible management practices. This paper discusses the types, amounts, generation units, and the factors related to solid waste generation from a major oil and gas field in the United Arab Emirates (Asab Field). The generated amounts are calculated based on a 1-year data collection survey and using a database software specially developed and customized for the current study. The average annual amount of total solid waste generated in the studied field is estimated at 4061 t. Such amount is found equivalent to 650 kg/capita, 0.37 kg/barrel oil, and 1.6 kg/m3 of extracted gas. The average annual amount of hazardous solid waste is estimated at 55 t and most of which (73%) is found to be generated from gas extraction-related activities. The majority of other industrial non-hazardous solid waste is generated from oil production-related activities (41%), The present analysis does also provide the estimated generation amounts per waste type and class, amounts of combustible, recyclable, and compostable wastes, and the amounts dumped in uncontrolled way as well as disposed into special hazardous landfill facilities. The results should help the decision makers in evaluating the best alternatives available to manage the solid wastes generated from the oil and gas industries.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2006

Municipal solid waste disposal in Portugal.

In recent years municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal has been one of the most important environmental problems for all of the Portuguese regions. The basic principles of MSW management in Portugal are: (1) prevention or reduction, (2) reuse, (3) recovery (e.g., recycling, incineration with heat recovery), and (4) polluter-pay principle. A brief history of legislative trends in waste management is provided herein as background for current waste management and recycling activities. The paper also presents and discusses the municipal solid waste management in Portugal and is based primarily on a national inquiry carried out in 2003 and directed to the MSW management entities. Additionally, the MSW responsibility and management structure in Portugal is presented, together with the present situation of production, collection, recycling, treatment and elimination of MSW. Results showed that 96% of MSW was collected mixed (4% was separately collected) and that 68% was disposed of in landfill, 21% was incinerated at waste-to-energy plants, 8% was treated at organic waste recovery plants and 3% was delivered to sorting. The average generation rate of MSW was 1.32 kg/capita/day.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2003

Resolving public conflict in site selection process-a risk communication approach.

In Japan, conflicts regarding the siting of waste disposal facilities occur frequently. In particular, siting of incinerators and landfills has become increasingly difficult because the public is highly concerned about the dioxin issues. Inefficient siting of waste disposal facilities causes several social problems, such as the shortage of waste treatment and disposal facilities, the rising of waste management costs and an increase in the consumption of resources. While dealing with a similar situation, the Chemical Society of Japan adopted a risk communication technique successfully. Hence, the pragmatic use of a risk communication technique is proposed to avoid conflicts and for a smooth information exchange to seek cooperation in waste management. In order to achieve this, a study was conducted to resolve conflicts between residents and the municipality for the selection of site for a solid waste treatment and disposal facility. This study aims to discuss the subject of risk communication for the waste disposal system in Japan. This study is performed through personal interviews and a questionnaire covering opposing parties in the town. As a result of the survey, a risk communication approach for a waste treatment and disposal system is presented in the paper addressing issues such as building of social trust, pragmatic use of the communication process, installation of credible information sources, and environmental education and awareness.

Communication↗
PubMed2001

Risk factors for human alveolar echinococcosis: a case-control study in Hokkaido, Japan.

A case-control study to determine the risk factors for human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) was conducted in Hokkaido, Japan. The 134 cases were either patients clinically diagnosed as having AE (N =61) or other individuals found to be seropositive for Echinococcus multilocularis although showing no abnormalities in ultrasound scans (N = 73). Two groups of case-matched controls were employed: one of 670 individuals selected from a list of residents of Hokkaido (group A) and the other of 650 subjects selected from a list of individuals who had been found seronegative in earlier investigations (group B). Because of the long latency of AE, potential risk factors were studied over two different periods: for the 0-10 and 11-20 years before the year of diagnosis/recorded seropositivity. The results of multivariate analyses, in which the cases were compared with each control group, indicated that the rearing of cattle and pigs and the use of well water were significant risk factors and that the use of tap water significantly decreased the risk of an individual having AE. Extension of the piped water supply and health education on improving the disposal of household rubbish (to keep foxes away from houses) should help reduce the risk of AE infection in the study area.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1988

The epidemiology of human visceral leishmaniasis in El Agamy (Alexandria Governorate), Egypt: serosurvey and case/control study.

In Alexandria Governorate, Egypt, 27 cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were detected from 1982-1985 through active and passive case detection. Twenty-two were located in El Agamy, a resort town of 50,000 residents located 15 km west of the City of Alexandria. To describe the disease focus, eight areas of 100-200 households in El Agamy were mapped and censused. All individuals were examined clinically, and blood was obtained by finger stick to measure leishmanial antibodies by radioimmune assay. Two case/control studies were carried out in the mapped areas. In one study, case households were more often found near open garbage containers than were control households. In a second case/control study, houses with cases of VL or seropositive individuals were found more likely to face open areas. These results demonstrate that characteristics of houses which could increase exposure to reservoir hosts can be associated with VL or leishmanial seropositivity. This suggests that control programmes should improve garbage disposal and should focus on houses located in peripheral areas of the community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Test case of the long term preliminary performance assessment for the L&IL radioactive waste repository Baita Bihor, Romania.

The paper presents the assessment methodology developed in the framework of the long-term preliminary performance assessment of Baita Bihor Romanian national low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste repository. Conservative assumptions, input parameters and tools used in this approach reflect limitations imposed by the current assessment capability, as well as limited knowledge and understanding of the disposal system. The resultant dose rates are presented and analysed. Conclusions are drawn relating to the safety of the repository.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2004

Management of spent sealed radiation sources.

Spent or disused sealed radiation sources--no longer needed sources--may represent a risk of radiological accident or may be a target for criminal acts in countries where final disposal options are unavailable and where an increasing number of sources are being kept in extended storage. In developing countries, thousands of radium needles, teletherapy sources, oil well logging neutron sources, and miscellaneous industrial radioactive gauges are annually collected as waste and stored in research institutes. The objectives of the study described in this paper are to inventory such sources in Brazil, including those presently in use and those already collected as waste, and to design a dedicated repository where spent sources could be disposed of properly. The inventory of sources in Brazil and the concept of the repository are presented and its feasibility is discussed.

Brazil↗
PubMed2005

Sustainable waste management in the Indian mining industry.

One of the important sectors that contribute to the national economy is the mining sector. During the mining of minerals and ores, waste materials in the form of overburden are generated. As these are not useful to the mine owners, they may be inappropriately disposed of into the environment, posing serious threat to the environment in the form of land degradation, water and air pollution. The present paper discusses the existing status of waste generation, its characteristics and the disposal methods being adopted in India. Impacts associated with waste disposal practices together with preventive measures for waste disposal are also discussed. Finally, strategies for improvements in existing waste management and for incorporating the same in the overall development plan for the mines are suggested.

Coal↗
PubMed1986

Perceptions and beliefs of nursing and medical personnel about needle-handling practices and needlestick injuries.

A survey of 1473 nursing and medical personnel employed in two hospitals in a large metropolitan area was conducted to determine perceptions and beliefs about needle-handling practices and needlestick injuries. Additional questions in the survey focused on responsibility for discarding needles and syringes and the correct practice for disposal of needles and syringes in various situations presented. Analyses were based on 488 responses (33%). Nurses at the 437-bed University Hospital handled more needles and experienced more needlestick injuries than did nurses at the 300-bed Community Hospital. Needle-handling and needlestick injuries among medical personnel at the two hospitals were similar, although University Hospital interns and residents and University Hospital fourth-year medical students handled more needles than did the medical staff at either hospital. A total of 164 (33.6%) respondents reported receiving one or more needlestick injuries during 1983. A large proportion of respondents in each group reported that they did nothing about the needlestick injuries they experienced. Carelessness was perceived by all groups to be the most common reason for needlestick injuries. Most respondents reported some knowledge of proper needle disposal techniques and perceived lack of knowledge as the least important reason for needlestick injuries.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗