Lets Talk Trash Flashcards
(30 cards)
____ are generally made of objects or particles that accumulate on the site where they are produced
Solid Waste (Trash)
____ is the kind of solid waste material left on surface where mining has taken place.
mining waste
____ is the kind of solid waste from raising animals as well as crop and tree harvesting.
agricultural waste
____ is the kind of solid waste known as commercial or institutional wastes.
industrial wastes
how much industrial waste in the U.S. is produced per year?
7.6 billion tons
____ is the kind of solid waste commonly referred to as trash or garbage.
municipal solid waste
how much municipal solid waste in the U.S. is produced per year?
250 million tons
What are the top three places that contain the most waste generation per capita?
Washing D.C (highest)
U.S. (second)
Canada (third)
____ is the study of adverse effects of chemicals on health
toxicology
Greek words: toxicos, logos
____ is the amount of toxic substance (lethal dose) that kills 50% of a test population
LD50
____ is the possibility of suffering from a hazard that can cause injury, disease, economic loss, or environmental damage
risk
What does the EPA stand for?
Environmental protection agency
they look at controlled set policy/guidelines, if substances can be used as food or sold as a drug
What is a method of waste disposal?
(municipal solid waste) landfill is a depression in impermeable clay layer, lined with impermeable membrane (nothing can go through)
It is cheap and convenient, and the primary method of waste disposal.
in modern landfills, what is a leachate collection/treatment system?
any liquid that in passing through matter, extracts solutes, suspended solids or any other component of the material through which it has passed; a liquid that has dissolved or entrained environmentally harmful substances which may then enter the environment.
in modern landfills, what is methane monitoring?
a colorless, odorless flammable gas that is the main constituent of natural gas.
how much of the U.S. municipal solid waste is incinerated (burned)?
15%
in 2000, construction of incineration in North America costed how much?
$45 - 350 million
production of electricity partially offsets disposal costs
Incinerators drastically reduce the amount of municipal solid waste by up to ____ by volume and ____ by weight.
90% volume
75% weight
what are the risks of incineration?
air quality problems, toxicity, and disposal of ash (toxic substances are more concentrated in ash)
- most incinerators burn unprocessed municipal solid waste
- mass burn turns waste into ash, and is dangerously toxic
In the early 1890s, who had the idea of the Love Canal and created the project in 1984?
William T. Love
When did the Love Canal Project by William T. Love begin?
1984
Explain the Love Canal Tragedy, why did it fail?
1942-1952: Hooker Chemicals and Plastics, sealed 200 different chemicals into steel drums and dumped into the old canal evacuation
1953: they covered it with clay and topsoil and sold it to Niagara School Board
1955-1959: an Elementary school, playing fields and 949 homes were built
1957: HC claims that it warned the School Board not to disturb clay cap
1960s: expressway built at one end of the dump
1950s: children complained of being burnt, nauseous odors, black sludge, but nothing was done until 1970s
1977: chemicals began to leak
1978: school closed
Survey:
More than ½ of the people affected of birth defects.
Between 1974 and 1978, how many newborns had at least 1 birth defect during the Love Canal Tragedy?
56%
Who organized her neighbors and formed the Love Canal Homeowners Association. After years of struggle, 833 families were eventually evacuated, and cleanup of Love Canal began.
Lois Gibbs
